Jicho Pevu

Parliamentary committees are, in my opinion, quasi judicial in their business and ought to hold themselves in the seriousness and professionalism this demands.
The PAC committee questioning the devolution CS should have had a real statement of misappropriations, itemizing specific details of mis-deed and these should have been provided to the media (the media too should have requested for these if not voluntarily supplied)

The interviewers should have exhaustively delved into each and every item of concern and insisted on clear answers from all concerned-the CS and /or her ministry's PS either as individuals or as guilty parties.

Hearing a member of the PAC stating "…they said she has a flat screen TV costing so much money,.." and not having anything to substantiate this claim-e.g. showing a picture of the item in the CS's office-is tantamount to conspiring to misguide the course of justice. They should have had pictures of the said items that had been over-priced, copies of the auditors' statements, etc.
Holding the committee session without such is like a prosecutor taking a case before a judge leaving all evidence at home thereby causing a mis-trial. Remember the 'he says she says' scenario? The investigators did not even take a picture of the alleged piano in the office?

I take issue with the fact that nobody is mentioning any name to attach to the monstrous crime that has been committed. Who is the Principal Secretary in that ministry? No one seems courageous enough to name them, not the CS herself, not the PAC committee legislators, we are not even sure who is the boss of who in the ministries! Who does the accounting officer in a ministry answer to or do they operate ministries as personal fiefdoms? If a cabinet secretary cannot oversee the financial accounting of their ministry then what are they there for?

The media is wondering why Kenyans are not in the streets en mass protesting the ills the government is perpetrating. How can they be angry if they don't know what is really happening? The happenings of government are like a private members' club and the public is only fed-by the media- pieces of half truths-outbursts resulting from disagreements on who is eating what, what is there to be eaten and who is being starved. When the protagonists are all satisfied and happy, we never know there is a country being plundered. That is why today's opposition was yesterday's government and it might be the reverse come 2017.

Every news bulletin today has a piece about fraud and misappropriation of public funds- yet the same media propagating these are not keen enough to collect, collate, collaborate and present credible evidence for the layman in the village who does not understand the technical jargon or lingual acrobatics, the common mwananchi is lost in the semantics/syntax and is left to judge by whoever shouts loudest or meanest, among the accusers/accused.
One media house actually quoted a competitor's online edition regarding a circular from the President which was published in December 2014. They asked their viewers to google it!
Woe betides you in Suguta valley,  if you've ever wanted to know the truth. so watched the TV news.

Kenya. In The Cold Season

Recently I was privileged to have had the opportunity to visit my motherland end of June and stayed there till end of August. It was a somewhat sweet/fearful experience especially after recent events related to insecurity. I was quite apprehensive as the day to land there drew near and as we approached Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from the Ngong hills, I couldn't help but notice the vast expanses of well lit residential estates and streets in areas that would have been covered in darkness a few years ago. The land surrounding the airport has been swallowed up by homes and all sorts of buildings which unfortunately brought to mind the 'cancer' of land grabbing and impunity as I wondered if the airport land had been infringed upon like that of the small sister airport of Wilson,  but all that was swallowed up by the blissful feeling of happiness as I stepped out of the customs area at JKIA and was surrounded by family members who had arrived to welcome me home. There's no words to exactly describe the feeling of 'home sweet home'-Not Shakespeare, not Ngugi wa Thiong'o, not even Philip Ochieng can capture that feeling in words.

As always, I had a harsh reminder that east or west, none is like home by some traits that will always cling to us like the common catchweed bedstraw, the one that always brushes against your clothing as you pass by and hikes a ride un-invited. The smell of engine exhaust fills the air, I was pretty sure had it not been night I would have seen the dust and the foul smelling exhaust, but the curtain of darkness took care of that. On the highway out of the airport, I was again reminded that this is home by the drivers who never keep to their lanes and never use their flashers to indicate intention to cut right in front of you onto your lane. My experiences away from home soon disappeared and I started living at home again-driving on the left side of the road, using my right hand to indicate direction of travel and the left hand to turn on the windscreen wipers.

Two or so years after the general elections and two or so years before the next, one cannot help but notice the general ease Kenyans are with each other and tangible too is the confidence the common mwananchi is going about doing their thing. It is a feeling that one wishes is more extended and un-interrupted by the so called democratic practice of electioneering that we undergo every five years. Everyone I had the privilege of interacting with; from the mLuhya at Kawangware who made my furniture, the jaLuo mechanic at Roaster's who fixed my car ball joints every time they went loose, the mKamba artisan who would fix my leaking roof, the mKikuyu/Maasai goat seller at Limuru who knew (even before I told them) the goat I needed for ngoima. 

The game wardens in the Mara who wanted to know if I had paid to have the animals look at me, the police manning the million road blocks I crossed as I travelled; all had this debonair way of interaction that reminded me how wonderful it is to be in Kenya.

During this stay, I had to-because of the latent politician in me- figure out a score sheet on which to judge the jubilee government which I have all along held in my cross-hairs. I have never been an UhuRuto apologist or sympathizer nor have I ever been a bosom buddy of the CORD outfit. I had the first hand opportunity to see the changed face or phase-if you may, of rural the electrification program. This has stretched out to thereto un-imaginable areas, word on the ground is that having no money is no reason for not getting a domestic connection! This scored high on the score-card. I renewed my driver's licence at a cyber cafe in Nairobi without having to go to the dreaded Times Tower where I did my last renewal. The Huduma centers; the mobile clinics being distributed by the first lady, the roadsides in the rural areas without bushes, the sanitized informal settlements in Nairobi, Kisumu and hopefully other urban centers following soon. While I was in Kenya, an Obama visit, a Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a First Ladies' (African) summit happened in Nairobi and there is talk of a Papal visit and WTO summit coming soon (to a theatre near you?)

For all these, I could easily give the Jubilee government credit for aiding and abetting. For some things to happen, there has to be a conducive environment and the government of the day has a paramount role to play in this. The Jubilee outfit does not need a propagandist to narrate all these-yet they are behaving as if ignorant or are they just plain modest?

eCitizen, ejijiPay and KRA internet portals are another godsend for government services. Utility companies and service providers have eased payments by employing the M-Pesa facility.

The Nairobi county government (and probably other counties) is still in the snail-pace when it comes to revenue collection. One has to apply to be entered in a rates/rent payers' roll (at a fee of course), then they create an invoice which the applicant then picks up at a later (much later!) date to pay land rates or rent. 

As I drove from home back to the airport on my way back, I took the wrong turn twice on the Thika highway which I wholly blame the authorities charged with putting up signs on the roads. Signs should be advance information for visiting travelers but I found that it's not the case at home. They assume one knows where one is and that one knows where the next turn leads to. Driving at night can be treacherous due to the poor state of roads-potholes polka dot the surfaces, no pilot marking on the tarmac and one is never really sure where the road edge is especially on being blinded by oncoming vehicles' full beams. I was held up in stand-still traffic jams twice and I could see the window for boarding the plane slowly closing shut. It was as if I was being sent a subtle message by the Oracle---You are home! Where are you in a hurry to?

Let The Man Speak

As we ready ourselves to welcome guest number one for the Republic of Kenya, the president of the United States, there's all sorts of feelings being expressed in the media and in the (mtaani), street fora mainly to do with what he's expected to talk about.
Other concerns are to do with where he's going to visit, who he's going to meet etc. It is very obvious that Kenyans have not had such degree of interest on a state guest and it is obvious the feelings they have towards their 'prodigal son', Mr Obama.

Mr Obama is definitely the highest level opinion shaper we have had in the recent past and it goes without saying his opinion on any issue would be scrutinized with a microscope and some in the policy making positions might be tempted to treat his opinion(s) as sacrosanct, such polarizing issues like LGBT rights is bound to prick sensitive nerves and the heat therein is already being felt judging from the demonstrations being held in opposition/support of imagined preferences expected of the POTUS.

We, as a nation have suddenly forgotten that we have more pressing issues that Mr Obama would be better off addressing, issues that he might deliberately ignore or forget, issues that might be masked or blanketed out by the non-issues we are raising;
- What role is the US planning on taking as innocent Kenyans face the wrath of US' enemies in its proxy wars fighting against Islamic extremists?
- As poor people globally continue suffering from the extremes of the weather, caused by global warming, is the US-a major contributor to the causes of weather changes, doing enough to cushion the marginalized populations?
- Does the US acknowledge its role as a co-conspirator in global corruption? A major cause of the prevalent abject poverty among the most vulnerable populations?
- As he pushes for the finalization of the TPP-TransPacific trade Partnership, does he agree that Africa would benefit from an AGOA that is more tilted towards giving African production more advantage than US consumption?

Whatever Mr Obama believes as far as LGBT rights are concerned are his personal opinion and should remain as such. We already know his position from past proclamations and we should not be flustered by repetitions of such views. We know our own convictions and all we need to do is be alert  and vigilant that our institutions don't get swayed by foreign ideologies while formulating policy or the law.
Entrenched in our constitution is the freedom of speech and expression and these freedoms ought to be afforded to all-the POTUS included.

What to do?

When the blunders/incompetencies of government agencies manifest the way the Jubilee government is fumbling along, it is not enough to just direct people to "step aside"

Endangering the life of a head of state by his/her subject(s) is read 'High treason' by right thinking minds. We know the penalty of treason.
On the other hand, 'aiding and abetting' by endangering or causing the deaths of innocent citizens by state agencies; either by commission or omission is an act of mass murder, in my dictionary. What's the penalty for murder?

Riddle me who, riddle me why...

I believe I have an answer to one of my own questions; Or I will try to answer myself.

'Why do we only honor mashujaas after they die?'

I have always accepted this notion as an obvious due to my upbringing in line with my people of Gikuyu's saying that " Īīragwo yaarī iria yakua. " This directly translates that ' it is praised for its high milk production after its death ' this referring to a cow. I want to believe that the Gikuyu being a superstitious lot held it that praising a cow while alive would bring misfortune or bad luck to it and hence to the owner. The Swahili believe that " Mgema akisifiwa, tembo hulitia maji " So I can generalise and claim that it is an accepted norm regionally. We are hard-wired to do so. It's in our genes.

We have probably held our heroes and heroines like the proverbial cow and would not want to preempt the gods and/or demons and bring them crashing down from the pedestals. Be that as it may, I have also realized that most of our heroes and heroines are of the rapid reaction, rapid dissipation kind, that is the type that hold true only for a short time, they come out guns blazing, spitting fire and brimstone left, right and centre, then die off to a deafening silence, not even a smoldering amber visible in the darkness left. 

These ore the most prevalent in the lists of our living heroes and heroines. They have lost their place on the stage. They are deep in the decadence that is stifling the mwananchi, they have been assimilated by the enemy. Most have come crashing down from the high table and my new question of what causes this demands the answer-GREED and SELFISHNESS, pure and simple. We are in short supply of such heroes like the late Mandela who was a hero in his own lifetime, who stay the course, who hold true despite the odds stacked against them, who prevail the test of time. The other problem we have, and which we perpetuate, is the fact that we look up to non-heroes to declare the heroes. We entrust the onus of bestowing glory to those who robbed the heroes their glory in the first place. The quasi-heroes of today, who were villains just the other day, or the fallen heroes of yesteryears who have nothing but shame and self-deprecation to offer. This is a self defeating exercise. It's an exercise in futility.

It is true our heroes have continuously found it too easy to entangle themselves with unnecessary baggage. They have continued to stumble on 'the via dolorosa', not because of the weight of the burden but because of their own greed and selfishness. They have taken advantage of the mwananchi's ignorance in the absence of effective and constructive civic education and in their rush to grab a quick handful of the spoils have found themselves in compromising situations. They have fallen prey to their own affinity to riches and in celebration of our national pastime of gross impunity.

The doyen of our opposition politics, the respectable Jaramogi had an (unfortunate/fortunate?) brush with one Paul Kamlesh Patni, and like the dominoes do, several of his disciples and lieutenants in the so called second liberation struggle, too. His first vice chairman in the mass movement that was FORD got himself into the same mud-pit. It is said the fruit does not fall far from the tree, his son got into some form of arrangement with one of the most ruthless rulers Africa has had and though theirs was touted as a constructive engagement, it came out as a man's ways and means to grab power for himself.  It had nothing to do with the liberation of the common man. Today, he fronts a movement dubbed 'Save Kenya' and a school of thought has it that it's the man's newest attempt at power-grab. One of the only politically active of the then infamous " bearded " septet-heroes in the late 70's and early 90's continues to waltz with Jaramogi's son- who has coalesced a number of political novices, products of our political decadence and corruption notwithstanding, and they claim to have the solution to Kenyans' problems. True heroism, that respect reserved for true heroes eludes him. He has however, the chance to reclaim and redefine self, another of the septet, Koigi, whose name aptly translates to the "sayer"-reminds me-although in the wrong sense of the word-of the 'praeco' in ancient Rome, only time will tell of his impact in the liberation struggles. He too has the chance to live up to the call. He has written several books (a rare one) and runs an FM radio station which could be a good tool for civic education. The list does not end here.

This same infection has continued to plague our scholars and experts who have tried their hand in politics. Very respectable gentlemen and ladies from the intelligentsia have found their way into parliament due to the high esteem they are held in by the masses only to fall far below the 'regular guy' as far as their contributions in parliament and outside is concerned. Some have actually paled and faded into oblivion once they set foot there. The water there should be tested. 

Our heroes and heroines, both living and the dead, we should find open and fair mechanisms to tap them, nominate them and bestow upon them the honours they deserve, this should be an ongoing exercise sweeping the whole nation because heroes are made every day and everywhere-not wait till the 20th of October in the year to just chant "Mashujaa", listen to patriotic songs, speeches by politicians, eat drink and make merry and move on. No wonder to this day, we don't know(or do not care to know), where Dedan Kīmaathi wa Wachiūri is buried, who was responsible for Pio Gama Pinto's, Bishop Kipsang arap Muge's, deaths among many others. We don't even care to find out who is responsible for such atrocities like the clubbing of Reverend Njoya like a common thief or who ordered the beatings and mass displacements of poor Kenyans in subsequent elections through the years. Who have played roles in economic plunder/sabotage bringing our national economy to it's knees?

Are we to blame? 

All Blacks Haka (Ka Mate & Kapa O Pango)

More, Mr President. More please...

Every situation should present moments for reflection, correction and learning for any thinking creature. As a nation, Kenya has had a myriad of these to build upon and to mature politically. The recent summonses to appear in the international court in The Hague for one Uhuru Muigai Kinyata, would not miss a space in this list.

Loud noises were generated around the issue by the political class, each trying to appear most loyal to the presidency and few having the nation in their thoughts. They did what they do best- make every opportunity that arises an issue about them, and only for their benefit. So they shouted themselves hoarse about how the European masters are disrespecting the nation of Kenya and her presidency, how Mr Kinyata would not be let to take off from the airport by the demonstrating, loving multitudes of citizenry, how they needed to remind the said masters that Kenya is a sovereign state, etc.

So they mobilised and accompanied Mr Kinyata to The Netherlands where they proceeded to demonstrate to the ‘wazungus’ that they are a respectable people, with a respectable leader and that they deserved the respect. Unfortunately they could only demonstrate to the police employed to guard the court and the few passers-by who may not even have been aware of what was happening in the vicinity. Only a handful of them were allowed in the courtroom and we can only hope they were able to articulate their displeasure.

Their colleagues outside the court were only able to express their dissent by varied street theatrics, dressing, singing in their languages which only themselves and fellow Kenyans would understand and just generally being unruly. They did not even realise that their respected leader who was inside, facing the court and was not even expected to raise one word of protest for himself.

Be that as it may, the whole incident presented a case in point which ought not be blurred by the hullabaloo from the sideshows.

In the recent documented chronicles of political happenings in Africa, a sitting president handed over the reigns of power to another individual and stepped out of the country. This is now a historical fact. It may not be forgotten to those older observers that Milton Obote of Uganda lost his seat while he attended a summit in Singapore, and more recent in Kenya, former president Daniel Arap Moi would declare that there was no one else fit to lead Kenya- this while at the airport being welcomed by his ministers including his vice president, from a foreign trip. President Uhuru signed himself out of power and flew out of the country as ‘a mwananchi wa kawaida’!

Cleared at the departure terminals like everyone else flying out that day, boarding a commercial flight with other passengers and left.

On returning, Mr Kinyata who had by then re-acquired his official status as president made a number of statements and one of them in particular was my take. He stated that Kenyans need to trust each other and that we should forget our ‘ukikuyu’, ‘ujaluo’ and ‘ukalenjin’, that all that is ‘bure kabisa!’ He went on to say that we should trust one another the way he trusted his brother Ruto and left him to take care of his office, that we should realise that when that other person is in control they are taking care of all of us.

I would like to echo these sentiments because I know we as Kenyans have so far fallen into the pit of mistrust and generalised misplaced mutual suspicions that we even mistrust our own clergy if they don’t share our mother-tongue. We have nationalised the notion that unless one of our own is holding a particular office then we are never going to benefit from the services that office delivers. That is the reason we tried to capture it in our constitution that we need ethnic balance in government. I am yet to see the definition of the said term ‘balance’.

We cannot accept the fact that we can get adequate services from strangers yet we are so trustful of foreigners! Simply illogical and preposterous!

We have locked out the fact that in any given circumstance, there will be a person of a different ethnic descent holding a public office as a public servant. It is a calling for all Kenyans to trust one another and know  that those servants are not their kinsmen's guardian-in-chief, custodians or trustees of their ethnic populace, appointed to grab all resources and deliver to their peoples.

We desperately need to get out of this mindset and embrace the fact that most able bodied Kenyans are appointed for their expertise and are charged with delivery of the said expertise to the nation as a whole.

President Uhuru Muigai Kinyata will have scored a hat-trick in my term, if he qualifies these sentiments by going after public looters and malfeasances with the urgency he displayed that day. Go get the perpetrators of Anglo Leasing, the public land thieves of Lamu, Karen, Mau forest, sweep out all speculators pitching camp in Turkana county, prosecute all county governors and constituency financial mis-managers. In fact, if he clears any one of the above listed from the ‘pending file’, he will have made a complete legacy worth my praise.