Kenyan media voice curiosity over JK, Obama meeting

[MwanaFalsafa1]

THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam

PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete’s historic meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House last week has caused a political stir in neighbouring Kenya, with that country’s media describing it as a public snub of Nairobi by Obama.

’’Tanzania elbows Kenya to become darling of the US,’’ said a headline in yesterday’s edition of the Kenyan English-language newspaper Daily Nation.

The newspaper article claimed that the honour given to Kikwete as the first African head of state to visit Obama’s White House ’’will further highlight Kenya’s diminished status on the international scene.’’

’’The visit came on the back of a public snub by President Obama, who has opted to make Ghana the destination of his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa,’’ said the paper.

It asserted that the growing estrangement between the US and Kenya would likely ’’pile further pressure on the troubled Grand Coalition government.’’

The newspaper quoted a veteran Kenyan diplomat, Bethwell Kiplagat, as saying that Obama’s decision not to visit Kenya first should serve as a warning to the Grand Coalition to get it act together.

Obama is the son of a Kenyan father and an American mother.

’’The frosty relations between Kenya and a number of its key Western allies represents a sharp turnaround for a nation described by the US point man to the continent Johnnie Carson as the ’keystone’ country in the region,’’ said the Daily Nation.

Another leading Kenyan daily, The Standard, intimated that President Obama held secret talks with Kikwete on the subject of Kenya.

’’And even as the US increasingly lumps Kenya with failed states in the region, the disturbing aspect of the unfolding drama is the country’s inability to tap and take advantage of the US president’s roots,’’ said The Standard in its Sunday edition.

’’The one man who is running away first with possible political and economic advantage from Obama, is Kikwete. Since inauguration as Tanzania’s president in 2006, Kikwete has enjoyed closer ties with the ’Big Brother’. That was also the case during the reign of the 43rd US president, George W. Bush.’’

The newspaper said Tanzania’s ’’clout and fortune have correspondingly risen as Kenya’s plummet.’’

It recalled that in mid-2006, Kenyans reacted angrily when news filtered through that Bush and Kikwete had discussed Kenya during a bilateral meeting in Washington. Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula, then an assistant minister, demanded a public apology from the two leaders.

’’Today, Kikwete still occupies that special and envious place in the eyes of American leadership,’’ said The Sunday Standard.

’’When Kikwete invited Obama to Tanzania, which former president Clinton - like Bush - visited and snubbed Kenya, the new US leader’s response was more than curious,’’ noted the newspaper.

’’He said: ’I would like to visit Tanzania. Last time I saw your country from the other side of Serengeti National Park’, referring to his 2006 visit to Kenya,’’ The Standard article said.

 

[KipimaPembe]

Obama is Kenyan by ancestry. Kenyan media reaction on Kikwete's visit to white house shows how suspicious we are against each other. It underscore my fear for the East African political union. Are we prepared??

It seems we are hellbent to protect our colonial boarders and our thinking as East Africans is still far away from our heads.

As we think of uniting this could have been an opportunity to have a common diplomatic strategy of selling the region instead of Kenya, Tanzania, Ug, etc.

Kikwete may have scored diplomatic points against his Kenyan counterpart, but that does not make a permanent change to the US strategy and tactics towards the region.

Bush visited Tanzania. Clinton as well visited Tanzania. Does this sound scary to an ordinary Kenyan? certainly no. We could have interpreted this in a different way to mean that Bush and Clinton visited the region, showing how the big brother is continuosly coming closer to the region.

Why does Kenya suspect Tanzania's intentions?

 

[PakaJimmy]

Wakenya watuache na Tanzania yetu...!
Watatafuta sana mchawi wa siasa zao na wasimpate.
I hope there are better issues for them to discuss than 'kupigwa bao na Tanzania'.

 

[Dark City]

Wakenya watuache na Tanzania yetu...!
Watatafuta sana mchawi wa siasa zao na wasimpate.
I hope there are better issues for them to discuss than 'kupigwa bao na Tanzania'.

Ni kweli, ila tatizo lao ni kuwa kwa muda mrefu wametuona sisi ni vilaza. Kwa hiyo walitegemea kuwa watakuwa wa kwanza kwa kila jambo. Lazima iwaume ila kama wanataka amani basi wajifunze kuishi na maumivu ya kupigwa bao. Sisi pia tumeishi na maumivu hayo hata pale ambapo wamekuwa wakituibia wazi wazi. Mfano ni pale ambapo wamekuwa wakijichukukulia mlima K'njaro kwamba ni wao na kuchota pesa nyingi za watalii.

 

[OFFORO]

Mie nataka kusisitiza yafuatayo

wakenya wasiweke uswahili wao mbele katika taifa kama marekani kwani obama anajua kuwa akisaidia kenya wale mabwana wenye serikali yao watasema kuwa katumia madaraka yake vibaya

pili na ambalo naweka msisitizo ni kwamba inawezekana kabisa msaada ambao wataupata kutoka kwa obama ukawa mdogo kulikoni alioutoa bush wakati wa uongozi wake

tatu tanzania ni nchi yenye historia katika bara la afrika na itaendelea kuwa hivyo. Hilo lazima wakenya walielewe.hapa kwetu tunafanya siasa lakini siasa zetu zinautashi na tunatanguliza utaifa mbele hatutaki vurugu za kijinga kama zilizotokea kenya mwaka jana. Na hakuna kiongozi yeyote anaweza kuiba kura wazi wazi kama ilivyotokea kenya mwaka jana.

Endeleeni na fitina lakini siye kwa sasa tumejipanga

thanks in advance

 

[Bad Seed]

Wakenya watuache na Tanzania yetu...!
Watatafuta sana mchawi wa siasa zao na wasimpate.
I hope there are better issues for them to discuss than 'kupigwa bao na Tanzania'.

We have loads of pinching issues to discuss, dont just browse through the paper, try and analyse its content. The paper has not in anyway spoken ill of Kikwete, it has ridiculed our leaders for failling to attract obama to revisit his fatherland, period. We have no issues with you, stop being paranoid. You are always worried when our media mentions your name, while Tanzanian media cant keep their mouths off Kenya's topics.

Its absurd to think that we are worried of your new found relationship with big brother, because the ordinary mwananchi cares less of what the international community says about his country if he cant put bread on the table.

Get your act right and stop misinterprating what is evidently posted on this page, hatuna ubaya nanyi, stop being paranoid.

 

[Mkereme]

Ni kweli, ila tatizo lao ni kuwa kwa muda mrefu wametuona sisi ni vilaza. Kwa hiyo walitegemea kuwa watakuwa wa kwanza kwa kila jambo. Lazima iwaume ila kama wanataka amani basi wajifunze kuishi na maumivu ya kupigwa bao. Sisi pia tumeishi na maumivu hayo hata pale ambapo wamekuwa wakituibia wazi wazi. Mfano ni pale ambapo wamekuwa wakijichukukulia mlima K'njaro kwamba ni wao na kuchota pesa nyingi za watalii.

Wewe Darkcity!

Acha ushamba huyo Vasco da Gama wenu Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete aka Matonya huwezi kujivuna kwamba yeye ni wa kwanza from Africa kwenda kumwona Hussein Obama this is ribbish and bs!

My friends from Kenya do you see how hawa wa TZ walivyo wapuuzi! How can you be proud of a president turning his rich country into ombaomba!!

Huo msaada anokwenda kuomba huko states is just a peanut!

Pesa za dhahabu ya Barrick Gold wanazouza kwa mwaka its more than his annual budget and due to his stupidity anasema TZ is poor ? Who told him? Pesa za Millenium Challenge about the same amount ya tax evasion by maswahiba wake wakubwa Rostam Aziz na Subash Patel!

Komeni kujivunia ujinga kama yeye ni wa kwanza je Madam Michelle ni wa ngapi?

 

[Mzizi wa Mbuyu]

Wala hawajawahi kuwa na akili zaidi yetu, hata siku moja ndiyo maana walipoanza kuuana sisi ndiyo tuliwasuluhisha Mzee Ben alikuwa amehamia kule,.. nakumbuka hotuba moja mjini Nairobi aliwaambia ....sisi tunajaribu tu kuwasuluhisheni lakini nyie ndiyo waamuzi wa hatma ya nchi yenu..kama kawaida yake Ben alikuwa akifoka kabisa! Akaenda na Mrisho pia, wakatusikiliza wakatengemaa.
Kinacho wadanganya ni ile lugha ya kikoloni ambayo wao wanadhani inawafanya wafanane na wazungukaji (kifupi..Wazungu), lakini hamna kitu.

 

[Mzizi wa Mbuyu]

Wewe Darkcity!

Acha ushamba huyo Vasco da Gama wenu Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete aka Matonya huwezi kujivuna kwamba yeye ni wa kwanza from Africa kwenda kumwona Hussein Obama this is ribbish and bullshit!

My friends from Kenya do you see how hawa wa TZ walivyo wapuuzi! How can you be proud of a president turning his rich country into ombaomba!!

Huo msaada anokwenda kuomba huko states is just a peanut!

Pesa za dhahabu ya Barrick Gold wanazouza kwa mwaka its more than his annual budget and due to his stupidity anasema TZ is poor ? Who told him? Pesa za Millenium Challenge about the same amount ya tax evasion by maswahiba wake wakubwa Rostam Aziz na Subash Patel!

Komeni kujivunia ujinga kama yeye ni wa kwanza je Madam Michelle ni wa ngapi?

"Mpumbavu mjibu kwa upumbavu wake" si unaona hata hapa unaongea pumba tu.. ila kwa sababu unatia na kiingereza unaona una cha kuongea. Hivi unajua kuwa mwalimu JK aliwahi kuja hukohuko kwenu na kuwatukana vibaya sana ni kwa sababu ya "upumbavu wenu wakujifanya wazungu ilhali ni waafrika weusi tii!

 

[Abdulhalim]

Wewe Darkcity!

Acha ushamba huyo Vasco da Gama wenu Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete aka Matonya huwezi kujivuna kwamba yeye ni wa kwanza from Africa kwenda kumwona Hussein Obama this is ribbish and bullshit!

My friends from Kenya do you see how hawa wa TZ walivyo wapuuzi! How can you be proud of a president turning his rich country into ombaomba!!

Huo msaada anokwenda kuomba huko states is just a peanut!

Pesa za dhahabu ya Barrick Gold wanazouza kwa mwaka its more than his annual budget and due to his stupidity anasema TZ is poor ? Who told him? Pesa za Millenium Challenge about the same amount ya tax evasion by maswahiba wake wakubwa Rostam Aziz na Subash Patel!

Komeni kujivunia ujinga kama yeye ni wa kwanza je Madam Michelle ni wa ngapi?

Sir, umemaliza kusema yote niliyotaka kusema.

 

[kitatange]

Mh probably soon hawa watapata wanachotaka, tutaendelea kulumbana nani kapewa peremende wa kwanza badala tusome tununue za kwetu! Very soon haya malumbano might go to another level and all the good efforts za union yenye lengo la kutufanya tununue peremende zetu wenyewe yatazimwa faster. Naomba kusamehewa kama ninavyofikiria sivyo kuwa hilo ndilo lengo lao. Tulumbane! Naomba nichangie kuichimbua hii mbegu inayopandwa! Ohoooo!

 

[Smatta]

Ni kweli, ila tatizo lao ni kuwa kwa muda mrefu wametuona sisi ni vilaza. Kwa hiyo walitegemea kuwa watakuwa wa kwanza kwa kila jambo. Lazima iwaume ila kama wanataka amani basi wajifunze kuishi na maumivu ya kupigwa bao. Sisi pia tumeishi na maumivu hayo hata pale ambapo wamekuwa wakituibia wazi wazi. Mfano ni pale ambapo wamekuwa wakijichukukulia mlima K'njaro kwamba ni wao na kuchota pesa nyingi za watalii.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............ jamaa akipeleka bakuli ngambo, mwampa hongera, makuu hayo.. kusema kweli ni wakati wenyu wakuzungusha bakuli, haya, yaja lini huku kwetu tuwape mapeni pia sisi,ingawa tuna shida.

Dark city, mambo ya kilimanjaro ya kukera kweli!! Hebu jiulize imewachukua miaka ngapi mkipiga domo ati twajaribu kuchukua kilimanjaro, na hamfanyi chochote? Miaka mingi tu! Mwajua mlima uko Tizedi, all you need to do is market the Mountain to favour your tourism, its not rocket science, uswahili hausaidii.

 

[Next Level]

Vitu vingine vya kujivunia bana.....arrgh...eti JK has made history....being the first african leader to meet BHO..........how is this important kwa wananchi maskini wakutupwa wanaoshindia mlo mmoja hata pale bongo au wale wananchi wa Lindi waliofukua mchele uliofukiwa kwa sababu ni mbovu?

JK Uvasco wake waksishamba ulimpeleka kuishangaa ikulu ya Obama tu...aone kama anaweza dessa vitu fulani akaviweka pale magogoni!

Ile visist yake to me has no importance at all to the common citizens of Tanzania....than to cause more harm in terms of ukoloni mamboleo na big amount of money spent in that tour!

 

[urithiwetu]

Wewe Darkcity!

Acha ushamba huyo Vasco da Gama wenu Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete aka Matonya huwezi kujivuna kwamba yeye ni wa kwanza from Africa kwenda kumwona Hussein Obama this is ribbish and bullshit!

My friends from Kenya do you see how hawa wa TZ walivyo wapuuzi! How can you be proud of a president turning his rich country into ombaomba!!

Huo msaada anokwenda kuomba huko states is just a peanut!

Pesa za dhahabu ya Barrick Gold wanazouza kwa mwaka its more than his annual budget and due to his stupidity anasema TZ is poor ? Who told him? Pesa za Millenium Challenge about the same amount ya tax evasion by maswahiba wake wakubwa Rostam Aziz na Subash Patel!

Komeni kujivunia ujinga kama yeye ni wa kwanza je Madam Michelle ni wa ngapi?

Baba'ake umenena. Ile ilikuwa ni photo-opportunity tu , basi. Hakuna la ziada. And as the saying goes, that doesn't bring additional bread/ugali/wali on the table. Vasco anapenda visifa visivyo na tija, wakati utendaji kazi wake ni very questionable.

Obama's spokesperson alisema kuwa Obama alikutana na Vasco ili kupata mawazo yake kwa kuwa ni kiongozi wa kiislamu ('muslim leader') katika maandalizi ya mkutano wake yeye Obama na viongozi wa kiislamu / viongozi waislamu duniani utakaofanyika Cairo, Misri. Period.

Obama is very close to Raila long before he became the US president, and Kenya must still be dear to him. Vasco's visit is being blown out of proportion by the media.

Or is the US still trying to set up the Africom HQs in Tanzania? God forbid!

Halafu bwana Vasco kwenye informal talks alikuwa na Desa! Teh! teh! teh!

 

[MzalendoHalisi]

yet hii trip imegharimu Tanzania USD 300,000- 400,000 za watu maskini!

Bado mwezi wa tisa atakuwa tena na safari ndefu ya US ya kama siku 10 hivi!

 

[mwakatojofu]

Baba'ake umenena. Ile ilikuwa ni photo-opportunity tu , basi. Hakuna la ziada. And as the saying goes, that doesn't bring additional bread/ugali/wali on the table. Vasco anapenda visifa visivyo na tija, wakati utendaji kazi wake ni very questionable.

Obama's spokesperson alisema kuwa Obama alikutana na Vasco ili kupata mawazo yake kwa kuwa ni kiongozi wa kiislamu ('muslim leader') katika maandalizi ya mkutano wake yeye Obama na viongozi wa kiislamu / viongozi waislamu duniani utakaofanyika Cairo, Misri. Period.

Obama is very close to Raila long before he became the US president, and Kenya must still be dear to him. Vasco's visit is being blown out of proportion by the media.

Or is the US still trying to set up the Africom HQs in Tanzania? God forbid!

Halafu bwana Vasco kwenye informal talks alikuwa na Desa! Teh! teh! teh!

pole pole na mazarau na kiongoz wa wenzio

hebu fafanua udesaji uliwezekanaje kwenye informal talks?

 

[mwakatojofu]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............ jamaa akipeleka bakuli ngambo, mwampa hongera, makuu hayo.. kusema kweli ni wakati wenyu wakuzungusha bakuli, haya, yaja lini huku kwetu tuwape mapeni pia sisi,ingawa tuna shida.

Dark city, mambo ya kilimanjaro ya kukera kweli!! Hebu jiulize imewachukua miaka ngapi mkipiga domo ati twajaribu kuchukua kilimanjaro, na hamfanyi chochote? Miaka mingi tu! Mwajua mlima uko Tizedi, all you need to do is market the Mountain to favour your tourism, its not rocket science, uswahili hausaidii.

wala hatumpi hongera akienda kuzungusha bakuri. hata sis inatuuzi ati! na pia hapa kila mara tunasema jamaa kazid kuzunguka zunguka. au husomi posts za humu?
any way. akienda nje si lazima aende kuomba omba. inawezekana ni kula gud time tu. inawezekana ikawa mambo mengine pia.

kuhusu knjaro hapo umenena. tumelala na nadhani tutaendelea kulala for so long

 

[LeoKweli]

By BENSON AMADALA and ELISHA OTIENOPosted Monday, May 25 2009 at 19:56
In Summary

• Region now depending on maize from Tarime district

Most of the maize being eaten in southern Nyanza is from Tanzania, a survey has revealed.

Large consignments of the cereal are entering the country through Isebania in Kuria West District.

The staple food is obtained from farmers in the agriculturally rich Tarime District and is brought in lorries.
This has become necessary to cushion Kenyans from the effects of the prevailing food shortage.

A 90kg bag is going for between Sh1,900 and Sh2,000 and is later sold to consumers in Migori, Kuria West, Kuria East, Nyatike, Uriri, and Rongo districts at Sh2,450.

Orphanages, schools, and colleges also buy maize from Tanzania.

Enough supply

Mr John Mokami, a trader, said there was enough maize in Tanzania.

"The Tanzanian government had advised farmers not to sell their maize to foreigners for fear of food shortage in that country. But the farmers do not want their brothers and sisters in Kenya to starve," he said.

The cost of maize flour is expected to go down soon following the arrival of duty-free maize at the port.
Agriculture permanent secretary Romano Kiome said the maize was bought for between Sh1,800 and Sh1,900 per bag.
The National Cereals and Produce Board currently sells a bag of maize to millers for Sh1,700.

Reports have indicated that farmers are harvesting their maize before it matures to feed their hungry families.
The government has warned that this might trigger another round of food shortage in the region.
Migori district commissioner Julius Mutula asked the farmers not to harvest green maize.

"I must feed, cloth, and pay school fees for my children. I cannot wait for harvest time if I have nothing to eat today," farmer Lawrence Otieno, 52, from Kadika Village, said.

Elsewhere, the government has been blamed for the current food shortage.

Major Marsden Madoka, the vice-patron of the Agricultural Society of Kenya, said poor planning was to blame.

He told the leaders of the Grand Coalition Government to explain to Kenyans what had happened to the national strategic food reserves.

"Any government that cannot feed its people has failed in its mandate to govern," said Mr Madoka during a harvest festival service that preceded the Kakamega show at ACK's Christ Church in Kakamega Town

 

[JUZAMO]

Hapa ndio nimegundua na kuhakikisha ujinga na upumbavu wa wa tnganyika na si shangai kwa nini hawalitaki jina lao la tanganyika.Baada ya kujadili mambo ya maana wanajadili kikwete kukutana na Obama stupid.!
kikwete mwenyewe mpumbavu hanachamaana alichmwabia obama zaidi ya kuomba msaada ata ukiangalia picha kwa umakini utaona jinsi obama alivokuwa akimdharau na kumuona hopeless.
jk wenu hakuonesha kabisa kujiamin,mumemuona wapi raisi akaenda kuongea na mwenzake na risala mkononi hii inaonesha raisi wenu hamna kitu.anashindwa kujiandaa na kupata cha kuongea mpaka aandaliwe risala ahalafu mnajisifu.hahahahaha...!

 

[MzalendoHalisi]

But the farmers do not want their brothers and sisters in Kenya to starve," he said.

Huu ndo ujirani na undugu wa kweli! Tunashirikiana na kupendana ktk shida na raha!