More embarassment as South Africa refuses to recognise Kibaki

Africa's leading powerhouse, South Africa, has refused to recognise the bandit presidency of Mwizi Kibaki, we can now report. This is embarrassing to a regime hanging by the straws. It comes hot on the heels of a rebuttal by Botswana, another promising economic promise in Africa, that it had never issued a congratulatory message to Kibaki on stealing the presidency. To date, only pariah states like Uganda and Somalia have recognised Kibaki. In diplomatic terms they are ranked below the clout of South Africa.

The diplomatic offensive between Kenya and South Africa played in the open soon after South African Businessman and renowned negotiator, trade unionist, and lawyer Cyril Ramaphosa was rejected by PNU team at the Annan mediation talks. The PNU accused Ramaphosa of being a close associate of ODM's Raila Odinga from who the presidency was stolen. The spat leaves Kibaki increasingly isolated in a continent known for kleptocratic rulers who don't give up power once beaten at the ballot. Meanwhile, it is widely expected that the UK will follow the lead by the USA and Canada to also issue travel bans targeting government officials in retaliation to the move by Government to ban former UK ambassador to Kenya Sir Edward Clay from visiting Kenya. The PNU camp has reportedly been taken aback by the travel squeeze with odm-K's Kilonzo crying that they were being intimidated by the visa bans.

Kenya has continued to lose diplomatic and business clout to South Africa with many multinational corporations relocating to Pretoria in a stamp of confidence for their better infrastructure and security situation. This flight of business and manufacturing interests led by Johnson & Johnson left Kenya as a shopkeeper's economy, a status which devalued it standing in the international community as a window to Africa. While South Africa was growing in leaps and bounds despite debilitating apartheid is an indictment on the pedestrian management of Kenya. It is known that Raila Odinga enjoys good international connections unlike Mwizi Kibaki whose elitist life left him with a select gang of golfing millionaires. It is no longer strategic to do business from Kenya because South Africa presents a better infrastructure and ernvironment for business. Even movie-making which was for long Kenya's specialty to Hollywood has ceased with South Africa replacing the struggling East African country.