DISCOURSE

KIPS GRADUATION 2011

2012-01-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

RATIONALE BEHIND DEVOLUTION

2011-12-14T23:46:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia defines Devolution as the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government. However, the power to make legislation relevant to the area may also be granted.

Chapters eight, nine, ten, and eleven establish the structure of the Kenyan government. The government of Kenya consists of The Legislature, The Executive, The Judiciary, and The Devolved Governments.

Kenya is reeling from bad governance and unitary economic exploits that have been favoring individuals at the expense of the greater majority for 48 years now. The presidency has been very powerful and seen as a financial magnate to tycoons in search of favors and this has been a humble aboard for tribalism and nepotism. The political tensions that have been witnessed in Kenya are as a result of unequal distribution of natural resources which has contributed to high poverty levels amidst a high population increase in the country. Currently, the cost of living has sky rocketed behind a backdrop of high inflation rates. The situation has also been grim to the businessmen and women in the country as a result of the unstable shilling. The marginalization of other regions in the country such as the Coast and North Eastern provinces has reduced the residents of the regions to mere beggars and squatters in their own country. Bad governance has been a cancer that is eating up the country form Mandera, Malindi, Turkana and is now moving closer to the nervous system of the country Nairobi. The only way to trim this at the bud is through devolution in terms of political and economic decentralization to units at the grass root levels.

Before the constitutional referendum in 2010, there was much debate whether devolution will lead to a more equitable distribution of resources throughout the country. It was argued that a centralized, unitary system is more suited to equitable distribution and even development than a regional system, as the former collects and can distribute revenue and resources without the encumbrance of regional powers, politics and institutions. The practice, at least in Kenya, with the dominance of ethnic politics and of elites who fatten on state resources, does not bear this out.

According to Yash Ghai, former constitution review Chairman, Centralization had led to the concentration of economic activity in and around the capital city. A huge proportion of the GDP is produced in Nairobi, and a disproportionate expenditure and the consumption of goods take place there, certainly greater than the rest of the country put together. There has been little re-distribution to the poorer parts such as the North East Province (and potential of the development of economic activity, especially regarding the livestock industry, has been frustrated by favoring abattoirs further south). Nairobi continues to be magnet which draws investors and the unemployed alike.

In the absence of regional politics and institutions where regions can make them heard and taken notice of, the government and these elite have little reason to distribute resources away from their charmed circle. Both in the CKRC and Bomas, great attention was given to mechanisms of equitable distribution and even development through devolution—in the way taxation powers were allocated, the enunciation of principles of equalization and the design and functions of the fiscal commission with the primary responsibility for distribution. This scheme would have placed constitutional and legal obligations on the government to re-distribute state resources. The composition of the second chamber would have given regions clout in the central government through the representation of regional governments. The development of regional governments would exert pressures on the central government to pay more attention to the concern and aspirations of people outside Nairobi.

The redistribution that the scheme for devolution would promote is necessary not only in the interests of social justice but also for the promotion of a sense of nationalism. Nationalism is inevitably weakened or challenged if there are gross regional disparities. The people of the North East, who have suffered neglect or discrimination throughout the modern history of Kenya and consequently feel left out. Regional policies through devolution would integrate its people socially, economically and politically with the rest of the country.

Most recently, there is a push by some pockets of the legislature to weaken the devolution system tactfully by trying to put a motion to scrap of the senate due to its cost implications. Ironically, a good number of these MPs do not pay taxes as other ordinary law abiding citizens. From their spirited efforts not to pay taxes and to increase their salaries at will and wish, it is foolhardy to believe that these ‘honorables’ have the country’s interests at heart. I deliberately refuse to stick to such a discourse due to its myopic and gluttonous nature, instead take you through African states that have tried to embrace devolution.

Decentralized governance is increasingly being favored by many African countries as the most suitable mode of governance through which poverty reduction interventions can be conceived, planned, implemented, monitored and evaluated. Many hope that the process of decentralization will facilitate greater participation of communities in problem analysis, project identification, planning, implementation as well as oversight which in turn will increase ownership and the likelihood of sustainability of such initiatives.

In some of the African countries, the rationale behind devolution was in response to the political and economic problems in their history. For instance, in South Africa, promoting local governments was aimed at “rebuilding local communities and environments, as the basis for a democratic, integrated, prosperous and truly non-racial society” following the trauma of apartheid in the country. In Rwanda decentralization was to “provide a structural arrangement for government and the people of Rwanda to fight poverty at close range, and to enhance their reconciliation through the empowerment of local populations” following the trauma of the genocide of 1994. In Uganda decentralization is “a democratic reform, which seeks to transfer political, administrative, financial and planning authority from central government to local government councils and to promote popular participation, empower local people to make their own decisions and enhance accountability and responsibility ”following the brutal and ineffective regimes of Idi Amin (1971 -1979) and the Obote II regime (1981-1986).

According to John-Mary Kauzya, the Chief of Governance and Public Administration Branch -United Nation, Political empowerment, economic development, improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of services, ownership of local programs by local people, participation of the people in planning and implementation of development activities as well as improvement in democracy and accountability are common household terms in the decentralization policy of the three countries.

Political leaders opposed to majimbo say that it would balkanize the country, promote ethnicity and ignite land clashes (which given their rhetoric, could turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophesy). Moi now opposes majimbo, although his own rise to political power was tied to the advocacy of majimbo at independence and KANU proposed strong provincial government to the CKRC. He says that the people had rejected the Bomas draft; whereas the truth is that it was the Wako draft, bereft of the devolution provisions of the Bomas draft, that the people rejected—and perhaps for that very reason. Mutula Kilonzo, on this point at odds with his leader, says that federalism would tear the country apart.

It is should be instructive for those elements in government against or unsure about devolution, to heed to the call by Kenyans who overwhelmingly supported the new Constitution that they are ready to pay the price for devolution in Kenya. They should follow the spirit of the new Constitution to the latter.

Farmer picking tea in Nyayo

Kenyan are aware that devolution can also lead to more rapid and more balanced economic and social development. The centralized system, with the concentration of all government institutions and decision making in Nairobi, leads to the concentration of economic activities in the capital city area. It leads, more generally, to uneven development and growing disparities of economic opportunities. This results in the impoverishment of many regions and communities—and the drift towards urban areas, particularly Nairobi. With regional and district governments spread throughout the country, there would be greater incentives and opportunities for economic and social development outside Nairobi, as these governments take their responsibility for the welfare and development of their constituents. There will emerge new centers of growth, in which people have opportunities of investment and employment.

A WEEK OF STREET ANTICS FROM KENYAN TEACHERS.

2011-09-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

HOW RAILA IS GRADUALLY BECOMING POLITICALLY STERILE.

2011-08-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

Raila could be having a great knack for politics but recent activities appear to be dimming this perception.. The premier has unparalleled wit and clout to maneuver enormous political turmoil and is the defacto enigma of Kenyan politics. His presence in the political arena has given political tyros the opportunity to build their political careers either through supporting the PM or hitting-out publicly at him. He is undoubtedly the benchmark for politico-standi in Kenya. Raila basks in the political limelight which a product of his charm with friends and foes alike.

However, since he joined the government, Raila has been losing his political support and charm by the day and it all started after the post poll marriage, then the environmental concern which had him play the messiah to nature( Mau Forest) and the hall mark was the ICC naming of his former allies particularly Ruto. This cocktail provided fodder for politically mediocre minds to lash out at the PM with a limited wisdom of hindsight and since politics is all about perception, they(politically mediocre) are getting mileage from like mindsets.

Raila with his First lady in Hospital bed
PHOTO/newstimeafrica

The decision to drop the perceived rebel from the cabinet is a plus towards appeasing the ODM supporters, however, he ought to have done better ….if the possibility of killing two birds with a single stone is a real cliche. For instance if I were the PM, then in replacing the rebel MPs, I would have adopted a deeper approach rather than just a mere substitution. I would have upheld value and relevance to the portfolio dished to the loyal supporters in proxy to their constituents. I would have looked at what value my backyard [Luo] ministers are adding to my 2012 vision and do a serious polito-ethnic mix and come up with the near perfect reshuffle.

Kalenjins are not so much interested in education or EAC integration as much they are interested in land. Raila ought to be having advisors with great political intelligence that not only comes with great education but with wisdom of a hindsight and a meticulous eye for 2012. This should have given him a chance to wipe the wounds of his afflicted 2007 supporters by his passion for playing messiah for nature. Raila would have not lost so much by swapping James Orengo with Musa Sirma in favor of the later in the lands ministry.

Kalenjins are interested in land more than anything and by having one of their own in the portfolio , the premier would have systematically evaded from the Mau forest blame of landlessness among the evictees. The land ministry was a perfect goldmine for Raila ….[with the next year] – to redeem himself at least, for people who now perceive him as a traitor.

The son of doyen of Kenyan politics clearly missed out on this great opportunity to turn the Rift-valley tide to his side in . The reshuffle does not add value to his political stamina and he needs to work out more to regain the political muscle for 2012. In a nut-shell, the move has only appeased his die-hard fan base and done very little if nothing to the drifting supporters.

“THE HACKED WATERS”

2011-08-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

There is one thing that political and economic mindsets have in common- The need and use of information for manipulation to achieve their interests. Information has over the time been seen as power and he who has it, is empowered albeit relatively. The 4^th estate uses information to set the agenda as other disciplines such as the Science, use information to solve real life problems. In Kenya, the NSIS uses information for intelligence surveillance in quest for national stability. Information just like waters is multi purpose and can be used for cleansing, tainting and quenching-just like water information can be constructive or even destructive and once let out, can never be redeemed. As the river begins from a tributary and finally drains into the Lake in either contaminated or purified form, is a semblance of how information moves.

Richard Nixon, the 37^th US President who happened to be a Republican between 1969 and 1974 resigned after the infamous Water-Gate scandal that changed the political paradigm of the most powerful state in the world. The Watergate follow-up commenced from the time a popular paper-Washington Post-Sunday June 18^th 1972 published the story-‘Five held in Plot To Bug Democratic Offices’. This is the story that would convulse the Washington for months through the Agenda Setting function of the 4^th Estate, intriguing two young reporters on The Post's staff, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward who were called in to work on the story. As Woodward's notes show, he learned from police sources that the men came from Miami, wore surgical gloves and carried thousands of dollars in cash. It was, said one source, "a professional type operation." As the reporters found out, the burglars- James Mc Cord was on the payroll of President Nixon’s re-election committee. It was also discovered that Nixon ran a massive campaign of political spying and sabotage on behalf of reelection effort. This was a schematic and well calculated approach to gain access to information on the strategies of the Democratic candidates directly.

Richard Nixon, former US President.

Richard Nixon was overwhelmed by the evidence adduced at the jury against his aides which culminated to indictment, trial, conviction and incarceration of several his administration officials. The investigations revealed that President Nixon had a tape recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. Recordings from these tapes implicated the president, revealing that he had attempted to cover up the break-in. After a series of court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes; he ultimately complied. On sensing that he was facing a near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and a strong possibility of a conviction in the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. His successor, Gerald Ford, issued a pardon to President Nixon after his resignation

The thirst and fetish for gathering information in the most unethically brutal fashion saw the crumbling of the world's second largest media and Entertainment Company in respect to its credibility. The News International phone-hacking scandal, also known as Murdochgate or Rupertgate, is an ongoing controversy involving the News of the World, a British tabloid newspaper formerly published by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in hacking, police, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of publishing stories. Investigations conducted from 2005–2007 concluded that the paper's phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities, politicians and members of the British Royal Family. However, in July 2011, it was revealed that the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of deceased British soldiers, and victims of the 7/7 London bombings were also accessed, resulting in a public outcry against News Corporation and owner Rupert. Advertiser boycotts contributed to the closure of the News of the World on 10 July, ending 168 years of publication.

Rupert and Richard apart from sharing the 18th letter of the alphabet as their first letter to their first names, also share some form of rabid libido for control of information for monetary and power trappings respectively. Rupert had some of his employees sucked into phone hacking sprees to get first hand information for publication and as it were, journalists are not expected to name there sources-so they took a ride and spiffed off this privilege to maxima. The editorial philosophy of Murdoch’s media empire was sensationalism and his employees diligently worked to smoke out celebrities and politicians from their holes of privacy. Richard on the other hand, had a cowardly modus operandi on his political schemes where he piped in a structure to get first hand information about his political foes. This was executed with the aid of his allies.

According to Wikipedia, Information in its most restricted technical sense is an ordered sequence of symbols that record or transmit a message. It can be recorded as signs, or conveyed as signals by waves. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a dynamic system. As a concept, however, information has numerous meanings. Moreover, the concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, mental stimulus, pattern, perception, representation, and especially entropy. All the canons and artillery for information are regarded with utmost fear and equal respect due to their ability to change human mindsets and perceptions into logical or illogical assumptions. Politicians use this effect to woo followers as entrepreneurs use this to lure the public into making rapid decisions about product and service usage. The end result-the user of information in the most manipulative ways gets his/her way through riches and power as the financial and political lives of the two R’s can attest to it.

MURANGA 6 COUNTY EDITION-Trailer

2011-08-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

MUGATANA IS A WANTED MAN!!!

2011-07-26T04:09:00.000-07:00

A Nairobi court has issued a warrant of arrest against Garsen MP Danson Mungatana for failing to appear in court to answer charges of issuing a bad cheque.

Chief magistrate Gilbert Mutembei gave orders after police prosecutor Onesmus Towett informed him that the police have been unable to trace or arrest the MP since the investigations began.

IMPUNITY 101

2011-07-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

IF AN ORDINARY CITIZEN IS FOUND LEANING AND WORSE STILL STEPPING ON A BARRIER, JUST THE WAY THIS CITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL IS DOING, THE CONSEQUENCES YOU ARE LIKELY TO FACE WILL NOT ONLY BE HUMILIATING, BUT OUTRAGEOUS.

RAILA ODINGA- 2 REASONS WHY HIS QUEST FOR THE TOP SEAT WILL NOT BE A WALK IN THE PARK.

2011-07-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

Raila Odinga with her daughter during her wedding.

He has distinguished himself as an enigma of Kenyan politics having friends and foes alike. Recent polls have placed him ahead of the pack in the 2012 presidential race. He is the most experienced politician among all the potential presidential candidates having fought tirelessly for respective political processes in the country. It is instructive to note that he was pivotal to the uprooting of the KANU regime in which the economy was plundered generously and political assassinations were the rod of dissenting voices. His role in the 1982 has not yet been demystified. To the tyro politicians, demonizing Raila has been the order to political supremacy in their respective turf.

According to Dr, Badejo, the author of-"Raila Odinga: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics", the book is an excellent introduction for the uninitiated to the complex landscape of Kenyan politics.

Kenya’s recent history reads like a Shakespearian tale, full of dramatic intrigue, intricate conspiracies and king-making plots.

The political scene has been dominated by two figures in particular – Jomo Kenyatta, the country’s inaugural President, and Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, who was Kenyatta’s successor as President. The current president, Mr. Kibaki does not have much to write home as a key political player during his term apart from some of the political embarrassments he has had to face for instance during the election of the Speaker, Marende and the swearing in of MPS and the botched 2007 elections notwithstanding. As he is looking forward to exit from the political the most formidable of all the candidates eyeing the seat is the Prime Minister. However, that will not come by in a silver plate. Time seems to be running out for him as his advisers seem to be coming short of ideas to consolidate the ODM party.

The Nyanza- mafia- many political allies of the prime minister are scarcely impressed by how those coalescing around the president especially from Luo Nyanza are treating them. Some of the utterances of some of the Nyanza MPs who have undying love for the PM are not only retrogressive but a backlash to the PM’s efforts to exhibit a nationalistic figure. The Nyanza –mafia are a real threat to the cohesion of the country as their tone and attitude to political processes which is rarely popular to them is wanting. They are seen as mini-dictators and maxi-sycophants with the spirit for vengeance.

Running mate- the choice of the PM’S running mate will be a determining aspect to his successful candidature as the next president. Currently, the second favorite to the PM does not have a significant clout on his backyard and the sooner the PM underscores this, the better for him and his supporters. Perhaps if he picks a lady as a running mate, he is going to garner some extra political mileage since he will be seen to be following the spirit of the new constitution in as far as gender representation is concerned. And for history’s sake she will be the first lady vice president in Kenya-a remarkable achievement for women leadership.

This are the two aspects of which if he adopts an appropriate matrix, his shot for presidency will be easier.

UKAMBANI MP GRILLED OVER FORGED HAGUE LETTER.

2011-06-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

Mr Muthama was summoned to the CID headquarters on Thursday afternoon and spent at least two hours with detectives who wanted to know the authenticity of the letter.

The letter which Prof Nyong’o has denied authoring was allegedly sent to The Hague shortly before the ICC Six suspects made an initial appearance there.

“We wanted to know what the Member of Parliament knows about this letter. We have questioned him and the investigations are going on,” one of the detectives handling the case said.

CID director Ndegwa Muhoro said he had not been adequately briefed about the case which is being handled by detectives attached to the Serious Crimes Unit.

The letter in question was publicly read during the rally at Uhuru Park on April 11 - on the day Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto and Joshua arap Sang returned from The Hague - during which Prof Nyong’o was accused by several MPs of interfering with the ICC case.

More than 40 Members of Parliament including Mr Muthama were present at the rally.

Detectives who grilled Mr Muthama said he denied knowledge of the letter before he was allowed to leave but the officers have indicated they may require him after analysing his statement.

Detectives handling the matter told Capital News that they are acting on a complaint lodged by the Medical Services Minister.

The letter alleged to have been authored by Prof Nyong’o had asked ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo to detain the Kenyan suspects facing war crime charges at The Hague “for the sake of the country’s security.”

Prof Nyong’o said by reading a “forged letter” in public, the Members of Parliament had tarnished his name and subjected him to ridicule, odium, contempt and hostility from his peers, family, constituents and members of the public.

Detectives have indicated they will be summoning more lawmakers who attended the Uhuru Park rally.

Read more: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Kenyanews/Muthama-grilled-over-forged

WOMAN STRIPPED NAKED ON THEFT ALLEGATIONS.

2011-06-23T03:58:00.000-07:00

FEMALE FATALITY

2011-06-23T03:48:00.000-07:00

It requires less character to discover the fault in others than to tolerate them. Of the recent there has been so much razzmatazz about the swagarrific concert and other concerts where ladies translate feelings practically to removing their inner clothing and throwing them to the performers. Whether it is a sign of mad love or an, insult, that is left to the throwers. Most of the people feel that such shows are an open insult to the cultural heritage and values of the African society. However it is interesting to note that in a country with a culture and heritage portfolio, nothing has been heard from the Minister in charge on such events.

Freedom of expression-is enshrined in the Kenyan constitution and that is why I find it interesting on the amount of rage that such concerts have generated over the recent past. There are very many ways in which a person can express his/her frenzieness especially in an environment dotted with alcoholic episodes. What should be of great concern is who is allowed to express him/herself in a manner that was seen in such concerts-is it the teenagers, the single ladies, married ladies, divorced or the widowed ones? If a married lady decides to throw away her panties on stage would such an act receive the same reactions as to when a single lady does it? In view of such acts being done in public events, how will the society view the active participants?

Gender Equality-The United Nations has been pursuing women’s rights on a global scale since the Universal Declaration on Human Rights over fifty years ago. There are also many non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) such as Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch that investigate human rights violations including those against females, and try to encourage change on a national and global level. The woman in the society is a symbol of hope, dignity, purity and continuity and that is why before marriage there had to be proof of chastity and purity. With such events which compromises on the women’s character and reputation it is interesting to see whether the human rights being pursued by the UN will be of great significance on outcome. However the strength/power of a woman is only felt by the ladies who know that so much depends on reputation and according to the 5^th law of power by Robert Greene, one has to guard it with all her life.

Cultural fog-nothing encapsulates a person with zero identity much more than that who is ever aping others. Even though a good number of people would be hawking their opinions that it is very normal for a lady to drink, get high and do the unnecessary after, it would also be wise to note that any normal man would not want such a character as a mother of his future children. Those who so wish to be in cooperated in the marriage institution have to uphold significant t amounts of self worth and dignity. However there is that category of ladies who feel that they are independent as they have their own careers and pay bills and not necessarily need a man yet they go out throwing their panties to these very men. They do not understand that being independent does not necessarily translate to being complete.

Liberation has to be exercised with responsibility for it makes sense and positive impact to the person. Liberation comes in the form of respect, recognition better education equal career opportunities and treatment in all life aspects. It is said that what a man can do a woman does best-but most importantly, to what direction.

'YOUTH DEMAGOGUE'

2011-06-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

They have been used as a political tool for hooliganism, mass action, demonstrations and other forms of civil disobedience. A good number of them lack substantial economic, political or religious agenda whereas a section of them lack the discipline and common knowledge to differentiate between good and bad. This is a phase of self realization and foundation building for an individual towards his/her future. There is nothing much that brings together and defines the youth much more than age. However, this group has several demographic dispositions that make them different from each other in more than one way. Basically the youth are classified into five cadres

The Educated Youth:

They have University education and always keep abreast with the socio-political and economic discourse of their country in various capacities. They are very well informed, successful individuals and productive in the corporate sector. A good number of them are excellent communicators and use logic and rational thought in solving problems. The village envies them and sees them as arrogant and boisterous people. They have independent minds and have a thirst for knowledge. They always disassociate themselves from the unlearned and this is evident in their drinking partners and even invitees in their weddings. They are passionate about constructive debates and are hardly intimidated. They do not receive anonymous calls and have very few names in their phonebooks. In most cases, they consume media products selectively and critically-watching documentaries, news, talk shows and parliamentary sessions. They concentrate so much on their jobs at the expense of their families.

The Spanner ‘boys’

These are boys and girls with very humble academic backgrounds and selective exposure. Most of them are those who were referred to as escorting others during their school days. They are very aggressive, violent, gullible and rarely visionary. They focus too much on current survival at the expense of the future. They have a fetish for freebies and quick money without necessarily working hard for it and blame the government for all their predicaments. They can even undress, howl, and wail as a show of solidarity to their politician who has had a brush with the law. They are physically abundant and always present in political rallies assuming the role of body guards even when the security of the politician is not threatened. They hardly reason and resort to physical confrontation whenever the refree in the field does not award a penalty to their favorite team. Generally, their sycophantic nature enders them to the politician during campaigns only to be damped after winning or loosing. He/ she has the phone number of waheshimiwas but ironically is jobless and sleeps in the popular slums.

The Eternal Job Hunter

These are individuals with average academic exposure but with little lack in job attainment. They are very humble, introverted but very emotional. They attempt to reason in congruence with the modern day challenges albeit in futility as they marry at an early age even with little or zero financial security. They know very little about the political discourse and would take up any odd job irrespective of their academic qualifications. They are always apathetic to the current systems and rarely vote during elections.

The’Blingie’

They are obsessed with the showbiz industry in a bid to get attention and self realization. They have attended 90% plus of all the Jamaican concerts and have downed almost all the alcoholic brands. They have the flashiest china handsets, the heaviest neck chains and piercings to their navels. They are wholly obsessed with oversized clothes trying to match up with the hip hop trends. They buy and sell phones and other gadgets in a bid to raise money to release their first album, their talent or lack of it notwithstanding. They have little or literally no time for the national issues. They are always smart and broke as a result of spending so much of their little pocket money on facebooking and tooth grilling. They flaunt their many girlfriends and boyfriends during the day only to lose them at night to pot bellied sugar daddies and obese sugar mummies’. They always dream of moving out from their parents houses without necessarily getting the means to and even if they move out, they always come back to their parents and brothers to pay their rent and electricity bills. They are not proficient in any language including their own mother tongue and compensate this damning inadequacy with ‘sheng’. They are the heaviest consumers of media products and wholly depend on media to mainstream their thought process and lifestyle. They have awkwardly void ambitions of becoming the global top model, famous rapper or producer with scarce knowledge, creativity and blank talent. They will be willing to be rained on waiting for that flashy matatu driven by the flirtatious driver. They spot an engagement ring without necessarily envisaging its meaning. Ask them who is the minister of foreign affairs and they will say something laughable.

The Entrepreneur

They have limited academic exposure if any but have vast investments. He/she is the owner of the first barber shop in the village, the first carwash in the estate, and has significantly risen to own the best restaurant in town. He is now or in the future planning to become the Member of Parliament and counts on the voters in the area for he has created employment for many people hand helped out in many funerals. He has the top of the range vehicle to compensate his/her inadequate academic exposure. However he is quite emotional sometimes crying whenever the county council demolishes stalls around the estate. He is less informed and operates on rumours, propaganda and shies away from applying wisdom (if any) during conflict. He/ she has archaic conflict resolution approaches especially in marital issues. He/ she has worked hard for it and would not like his/her children to go through what he went through thereby investing heavily on education and not necessarily moral upbringing of the children. They speak so much whenever there is so much noise and commotion but will stammer and fall short of words during moments of silence. He/ she would do everything within his powers to protect his/her property.

Every sub group of the youth has its own limitations and strengths at varying intensity levels occasioning them to have special needs different from the other. Each sub group has its own values, beliefs, attitudes, priorities and visions. They engage at different symbiotic levels. Anybody who wonders why the greatest population otherwise referred to as the youth never support their own youth in a political process has all his/her answers above. It is not only laughable but least wise to see how politicians use the ‘youth’ as a tool for self gratification in keeping with their political expediencies coated in promises for youth liberation, employment, emancipation and recognition. The sooner we realize that there is no uniqueness on the problems facing the youth, and that there is no cohesive problem shared across the youth, the better for the society.

WHY MARTHA CAN BUT WILL NOT MAKE IT TO PRESIDENCY IN 2012

2011-06-23T03:21:00.000-07:00

Hon.Martha Karua. MP-Gichugu.

If society expectation is anything to go by, then Martha Karua shares one thing in common with Nancy Baraza and Willy Mutunga. Apart from the fact that the three have adequate academic backgrounds in their areas of specialization, they have incomplete nuclear family backgrounds. It is common knowledge that a complete nuclear family consists of a father, mother and children. For Nancy and Willy, it is on record that they are divorced, however, for Martha it is not clear whether she was once married or not.

The intensive and incisive vetting by the Judicial Service Commission of the top two judicial candidates has emancipated the public on how to vet the capabilities of their MPs and even Presidents to be. The further vetting by the parliamentary committee on the candidates went a stretch ahead to indicate that the parameters that determine the suitability of a candidate rests not only in the echelons of his/her academic history, past achievements and integrity but also their moral standing in the society. This will be determined by his/her principles, how well one manages his/ her family among other personal issues. It is crystal clear that anyone who aspires to be a holder of the highest office in the land, must be ready to have his/her personal life scrutinized by the public. Whether Martha is comfortable being asked questions about her personal life and some of her past encounters that compromised on her moral standing is left for time to tell.

Test run

Martha’s luck in the presidency will be determined by how well the top judicial candidates will positively transform an otherwise lame and hypocritical yet crucial arm of the government (Judiciary). However the assessment of their success will take time thereby putting Martha’s candidacy fruitful, if earliest in 2017. The public is well aware that no one can be perfect and therefore chose to overlook the morality queries leveled against the top judicial nominees an instead focused on their proven track records and past experiences in their respective fields. Should they fail this test, then even the trivial of issues including their hitherto questioned moral standings will be blamed for their squandered opportunity and the public would in the then future take precaution on such nominees either in Presidency or other top government positions.

Botched elections

At one point, she was seen as the ‘man’ in PNU during the election tallying process at KICC. She stood-up for the incumbent President during the process and even during the peace accord negotiations. Even though the electoral process was heavily faulted by most local and foreign organizations she did not budge out of her stand. It was interesting to see her quit cabinet citing sabotage and no-inclusivity in critical decision making processes that touched on her docket for instance the appointment of the High Court Judges. This was a subtle admission of betrayal from the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The scenario is rich in irony as the man Martha was fighting-Raila is working with the President. It can be loosely seen that Martha does not have the political knack to fight a political system that is full of treachery, backstabbing and sabotage. She does not know when to quit and when to hold on. She ought to have learnt something from the Prime Minister that if you want to rock a boat, then do it from within just the way the latter drenched KANU and its stalwarts and more so how suspended Higher Education Minister is doing it to bring ODM to its knees. Kenya is a frontier for economic and political progress in the region and one who wants to maintain and even improve the status must be very calculating, tolerant and decisive as opposed to temperamental and reactive.

Africanisation of civillisation

Apart from the chauvinists who exist in a near extinct form, Africa in general has not fully embraced the idea of a lady President. The cases are very minimal like Sierra Leone which had limited options. I would like to know why Nancy Baraza did not apply for the position of the Chief Justice and went for the deputy. Interesting to note that there is only one lady judge in the Supreme Court, there is no lady Deputy Prime Minister or Vice President and there is no aspiring lady governor. It is not further from the truth that Kenya just like most African states is not ready to embrace the idea of lady African president. However, the constitution has provisions on the gender parity in as far as distribution of the public positions is concerned, though the implementation of the constitution is gradual so once more this will take time.

Battle with the media

Martha is on record to have been in and out of court seeking compensation for damages that arose from defamation allegation that were perpetrated by some media company in Kenya . Defamation arose from a kidnapping incident in which Father Wamugunda was a co-victim. Whether the media sensationalized the incident or not it is still left for the two who can author the events that unfolded, before, during and after the incident. But what remained is that her character and self was depicted in a questionable way to the public. Developed countries and civilized institutions are well aware of the power of the media-the power to shape perception of its people, set agendas and mainstream the people. I know of no one who has ever fought the media and survived-ask Mutahi Kagwe.

Anyone with Martha’s intellect knows well the political matrix involved in trying to clinch presidency in 2012, however, it is also imperative for one to create a political foundation to set base that would propel him/her to presidency in future. Kenya suffers a great deal of tribalism, nepotism, propaganda, barbaric political machinations among many other issues. It is also relieving for the likes of Martha that the public is immensely becoming very critical of the political process with a knowledge base. The political paradigm is shifting each day with more and more people becoming more interested in a candidate’s intellect, profile, reputation and achievements as opposed to tribe and monetary stamina. By 2017 and towards 2022 this group of people will be a force to reckon with but as at now, we still have to grapple with what we have.