The Problem with Kenya and Why I am for CORD

“What is the single problem facing Kenya today?” Let me look at the flipside of this question. “The single problem with Kenya is our misguided approach in identifying our main problem.”

If I gave celebrated Nigerian author  Chinua Achebe the same question, he would ask “When did the rains start beating you?” I am sure Kenyans will not have an answer to this question because no one saw the clouds gather and even if we saw, we must have thought our houses will shield us from its effects. Yes, that is the problem with Kenya.

The next three to four months will be hot in Kenya, hot because like I have pointed we are trying to solve a problem we have not identified. The probability of getting it wrong is so high that only heavens can come to our rescue, and thank heavens it is the year of ‘jubilee’ (50^th year of independence)- things have to be sorted. I have identified two main problems we need to look into, elections and our cowardice as a nation.

One, elections will never solve our problems. By waiting for five years to settle social and political scores, we always walk to the edge of the cliff and play poker. To add to that, we need to be courageous enough to form a habit of discussing, agreeing to disagree over any issue before elections. This is like school children waiting to settle grudges on closing day. It has to start from home and at a very early age; that we can always sit and discuss problems even if we don’t find a solution, we are halfway to it.

This will take away our obsession with politics and politicians. Politicians will not take advantage of our fears and misguided aspirations to rise into office. If we let elections solve our problems, we raise the stakes and when the stakes go up the risk is also high. Any high risk venture can go either way, very good or God forbid, very bad like id happened in 2008. The next general elections in 2013 are gearing to becoming high risk again, we are back in 2007.

Two, we need a leader who will clear the slate. The Kenyan slate is full of baggage, real, imagined and fabricated. In my conversation with the common man, I gathered some baggage that we have to clear. There is a perception among Kikuyus that Luos are out to get the presidency from them yet they don’t deserve it. To them, it is Kikuyus who fought for independence hence entitled to the seat on the hill, the Luos want to ‘eat what they did not work for.’

The last time I checked, Achieng’ Oneko was among the Kapenguria Six, Tom Mboya fought for independence through the labour movement and Argwings Kodhek through his law skills. I tend to think just because Luos did not go to the bush, like other tribes in Kenya, does not mean they did not fight for independence. Such misconceptions and entitlement are misplaced and should be cleared from the slate.

The other misconception is that the Jomo Kenyatta stole land meant for displaced common man so getting Uhuru Kenyatta into office is giving him an opportunity to protect this land. There is also the perception that the Kikuyu hoard resources among themselves. Yes, there are very rich Kikuyus but the poorest people in Kenya are also found among them. This is just a product of their proximity to the capital city which made their land prime and placed them near a good market for their produce and rental houses. The same as the old town Arabs in Mombasa, if they didn’t take advantage someone else would have jumped into it.

The third misconception is that only the big tribes can produce presidents. I don’t agree with this notion, the best president Kenya will ever get will come from the minority tribes and you can take that to the bank. This also comes with the misguided thinking that it is only some specific families that can produce leaders. The very reason why James Orengo could not stand up to Raila Odinga for long and why Peter Kenneth despite an illustrious track record as a member of parliament is still supposed to face ‘Mt. Kenya and say Uhuru Kenyatta for president.’

Historical injustices must be faced with a courage that cannot bat an eyelid. A courage that can scare away fear, fear that the old ghosts are better left to rest even if they come to haunt us every election year. This does not mean we have to open up old wounds, but acknowledge that there was an abuse of power by some people and people’s human rights were abused as a result. Then restitution can be progressive, because most of the affected people are long dead, so their children can be sorted going forward. Be it land, massacres, assassinations, detentions and other past injustices, we can face these demons courageously. I am tired of hearing about Wagalla massacre; the government should clear such once and for all?

I repeat that our problem is our inability to delineate our main problem. Our problem is not ethnicity, because there are countries with a boiling pot of diversity that our forty something tribes is a drop in the ocean. Our problem is negative ethnicity, and we fail to note that this is an industry that is making the political class richer with the single aim of clinging to power.

Going forward, I believe Kenyans need to do two things and do them fast. This will address past injustices and reassure others that there place in this country is secured. One, We must elect a Luo president and two we must elect a president from the minority tribes like El Molo, Ilchamus or Sabaot. The earlier we do these and not necessarily in that order, the better.

Why I will vote CORD;

I had started championing for a Peter Kenneth presidency but I feel he should vie for Nairobi governor and run for president in the next elections. He will get a chance to prove to all Kenyan societies represented in Nairobi what he is made of and so have an easy ascent to the presidency. 

This is the part I fought so hard to write but like I said above we need to stand up for what we believe in. I spent a few years trying to fight the injustices of KANU and paid a small price for it. Looking at the two major coalitions going for the polls next year, I see KANU in both but I see more KANU in Jubilee than CORD.

The forces of Moi orphans have been skimmed from the pool into the Jubilee coalition. I would rather make one step forward than go back a decade. My vote goes to CORD and it is not because I expect a big leap in terms of social development, but to safe guard the gains we have made. In the past two years we have had the new constitution, the Jubilee side has made many attempts to water it down and Isaac Ruto is the chief mutilator. I hope the people of Chepalungu will save this country from this man.

 If Jubilee wins, every effort will be made to change any law that is ICC friendly, a push that will be myopic because we don’t know if Kenya will have a Joseph Kony like character in future.

With that I pen off, asking Kenyans to look deep and identify our main problem, it is not ICC, neither is it Raila Odinga or Uhuru Kenyatta. Our main problem is our inability to identify our main problem.

I take a Christmas break from blogging…..

Kibera si Nairobi; The Kibera Perfume

I recently encountered a man who left me holding my ribs to make sure they are not cracked. The tale of a man who came to Nairobi as an adult left me eagerly waiting for the chance to tap his story into my computer keyboard.

Here we go, this man had only watched Nairobi on TV and those days he claims our media houses only showed the good looking sides of Nairobi. To him Nairobi was the typical ‘green city in the sun’ that has been a figment of our imagination for long. The day he arrived in Nairobi his bubble was burst on his first night in an iron-sheet structure. He felt played but there was no one to blame, I have reasons to believe he was telling us this story as a self healing therapy.

The Morning After

He could not reconcile the picture he had of Nairobi in his mind and what he saw. I can imagine how he felt when he woke up that first morning. Too bad if it had rained and the small space in front of the house was covered with mud. A guy must have felt cheated, like a lady who woke up in a house belonging to a man she had sworn she will never give to his advances.  At this point, the morning after pill will never take away the mixed feelings.

The Kibera Perfume

He went ahead to tell us that when you board number 8 matatu’s to Kibera in the evening, you will be surprised by the expensive scent of perfumes from the commuters. You are bound to enjoy the ride as the conductors have also mastered their clientèle.

The music played will mirror the scent of the commuters. The stronger the scent, the more of soul, dance-hall  rhythm and blues are played. These are uptown sounds; Kibera residents are more inclined to roots reggae, and to some extent hip-hop and local urban music.

The shocker comes when you reach Yaya Centre or Prestige Plaza and the uptown side of commuters alight. You are left with the true, real and natural scent of Kiberans. You are now saying ‘Kwaheri Nairobi- see you tomorrow’ as you enter Kibera. The music will also be changed by the emotionally intelligent matatu crew.

This is a man I would like to probe more for tales from this side of town many people from Nairobi don’t know about. He made my day, and the people I was with may not know I chronicle my findings on Kenyan slums.

Oh yes, there is a big difference between Kibera and Nairobi. The simple one is scent, where as Kibera most people go natural, Nairobians have the power to determine how they would like to smell. Listening to tales from Kibera can leave you laughing to the core of your being.

Kibera si Nairobi Part 3: Kids, sex and family planning

The worst form of human rights abuse is to raise a child in a slum. I don't have a problem with the adults who chose to leave the comfort of rural life to seek the 'luxuries' our slums have to offer. In the time that I have watched and interacted with slum dwellers with my third backfired anthropological eye, I have seen the suffering of children, who go through it unknowingly.

 A pastor friend with a humour that was out of this world gave me a snippet of what slum life is . He was a part time pastor, doubling up as a driver as he looked after his flock in the Eastern side of Nairobi. He told me how he planted a church in Mukuru slums and lived there as the church grew. He left it to a young pastor he raised as he moved further east to a 'more affluent' neighbourhood.

Then came the punch line, in the five years he lived in this slum, he sired four children. He jokingly called it- "I had four accidents in bed." I laughed with him but at the back of my mind, I knew there was more to this story.

Take a walk in a slum or a low class housing estate. You are most likely to meet children of the same age and/or height playing together. If you follow closely, these children are neighbours.

According to my friend, when he went to bed which was as early as 8pm, he made love to his wife even if he had no plans to. This happened because the houses are made of iron sheets and the bed in the next room is most likely on the adjacent wall. When one person gets into the love making business, the man next door cannot afford to sleep, and the ripple effect is such that several babies may be born within days, nine months after this night.

 Baby Mama

The American term- baby mama must have had its roots in their slums or as they put it ‘projects.’ A girl from Kibera caught the eye of a friend; they fell in love and are happily married. He asked me to take him down there once and I saw many ‘hot chics.’ That environment can hide some beautiful stuff.

The denominator was that almost all these ladies, some barely a year into college while the rest were school drop outs had babies. Looking at the ages of the children, they gave birth in their last years in primary school. Let us say between twelve and thirteen years of age, when a girl gets into puberty- men are waiting to literary chapa ilale (The Nairobi slung for one night stands)

Combining the two stories above- reproductive health measures is complicated in the slums. Because most of the people can afford only one room, if the man next door can’t sleep, what about the children in the same room. They pick the sexual ‘undertones’ earlier than necessary.

By the time they get to puberty, they already know what they don’t know about sex. Here is a sexually charged environment and people without the means and will for proper reproductive health measures. I repeat, the worst form of human rights abuse is to let children grow up in slums.

There is no space left to play, so they either play along the slum alleys or inside the tiny houses. This exposes them to all sorts of abuse and infections.

A friend of mine called Tall gave me another good lead, the beautiful girls always end up with the bad boys. It is the bad boys who have money and the lifestyle every slum girl wishes for. It is made voluntary at first, but if the girl is adamant, she is forced into it.  It is a catch 22 situation for the girls, and may be a catch 23 (if it exists) for the boys. If you want the girls, get the money and crime is the easier way out.

To the men who decide to leave their families upcountry as they eke out a living in the city, it is not any better. The commercial sex work in the slums is as complex as it is simple. The women are always ready to lure a man, regardless of his age into their net for economic reasons as well as protection from errant men.

Condoms are a luxury to people who can’t afford food. Even if they had the money, if one needs it at night venturing out is risky. You have heard of people recycling condoms and all, yes, it is real.

For this reason, I support the efforts the government has put in to transform the slum environment and build highrise flats for Kibera dwellers. Getting the slum out of them will take time, but the new flats will have a positive effect on the social culture.

There are success stories from children who grew up in these slums. But the ratio of failures to success stories is still high. When a child grows up in the slum, there is a more likelihood, that he will end up in a slum somewhere.... We have to break the cycle!

Kibera si Nairobi Part 2; The Road to Migingo..

This is the second series of my Kibera si Nairobi blogs, I get to Soweto. Named after the famous South West Townships of Johannesburg in South Africa, this part of Kibera is getting a facelift. I will follow and bring you updates as soon as the face keeps changing.

The only housing estate hosting a United Nations office is Kibera. So Soweto area, is to Kibera what Gigiri is to Nairobi.

In Nairobi, you can take a shower anytime, in Kibera you take a bath early in the morning or at night. I had to listen to a Tanzania Bongo Flava musician, cant remember his name, but I will call it the Oracles of shanty miseries to understand this. The artist sings about how one cannot take a shower during the day in a slum, he will be asked where he is going. All bathrooms are outside the house, or rather- the houses are not self-contaminated.  As I ventured into Soweto, I saw a man washing his feet, oh yes, he did not want anybody to know his mission.

Another joke I heard as I talked to Kiberans is that when a Lunje (Luhya) goes to look for a house in Kibera, he will check how far the posho mill is from the house, very important. So I got this pic to tell my lunje friends that they are welcome in Soweto.

Kibera citizens are not so thankful to the Prime Minister in Nairobi who claims to love them so much. We have been giving him our votes, so he decided to build for us flats in Soweto. Let me tell you the story, the inhabitants of Soweto were given money to move to Migingo across in Langata. This created space for another highrise flats project. Wait a minute- Kibera had its own flats long before some people thought of upgrading them, they upgraded themselves..

And this one...

Anyway, the next time you visit Soweto, these flats to the right will be complete...

 The road to Migingo

                                                   
Meanwhile, I will do my best to venture deep into the slum to bring you the stories you never knew about Kibera. There is a slum mentality that will take more than just upgrading settlements to change.

Kweli, Kibera si Nairobi....

Kibera si Nairobi; The road to Migingo...

Kibera or let me call it Kibra is a complex place to live in and even visit. The development industry (read NGOs) had told the whole world that Kibera is home to one million people, 2009 cencus put it at two hundred and fifty thousand. Reports had to be edited and grants revised but the truth was out, Kibera is a special place to the inhabitants and the interested parties.

One reason why I say Kibera is not Nairobi is because there is a new settlement called Migingo in Kibera. New because, there older ones come by the names Katwekera, Lindi, Makina, Mashimoroni, Laini Saba, Olympics, Ayany, Raila, Karanja and Soweto, where I fall but my neighbours will deny that we live in Kibera.

This is Saturday at 7:15 am, Kibera residents are streaming out of the Road to Migingo to go to Nairobi and look for work...

Then this is the road to my neighbourhood at about the same time 7:20 am where we all believe we don't live in Kibera,

we can afford an extra hour of sleep on Saturday because we dont walk to work like our 'hood mates.'

RIARA University tried to come to Kibera but shied off at the entrance...

The Mall; everything under one roof...

Even City Council knows; when you demolish illegal structures -all structures in Kibera are, there are some you dare not touch, but you can get as close as you can..

A street off the road to Migingo-

Maina Kageni and Mwalimu King'ang'i broadcast in Nairobi, in Kibera we dont have Kenya Dairy Association (sic) we buy our milk Live and Direct...

We also sell our water with a swagg..

Track with me, as I take the road to Migingo, to prove to you that Kibera si Nairobi..... Next week, I enter SOWETO......

Culture; our way out of tribalism to development...

I am a self confessed backfired anthropologist, backfired in the sense that I am interested in the area of study without formal training in it. I remember when I was studying a BSc. course, a local TV chanel aired a documentary on the Aborigines of Australia. Man, I followed the series yet I am not generally a TV person. I would then recount everything about it to my classmates the following day.

I am an extrovert who will mingle with people everywhere, from the matatu driver, mama mboga to an executive somewhere. My mind then tends to pick out social traits including the main features of their language. This came about as a result of being born and raised among communities that are not my own and so I grew up picking other peoples habits. When I was old enough to go to my rural home alone, I notice the difference and asked questions. That is how I ended up a backfired anthropologist.

Njonjo Kihuria in Weekend Star published on Saturday July 28/29 2012 writes about the uneasy calm among the Kikuyu living in Eldoret. I was not surprised, I interact with people at all low levels and so I have known that all is not well. I even wrote an open letter to Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto on my blog Political Rallies will not solve Land problems in the Rift Valley about the same.

Njonjo pens off with a punch on what I have always believed about in my heart. A sixty year old business man told him that cultural values and taboos might not allow the Kalenjin to walk the talk on peace and reconciliation. It boils down to culture, the imprint of our way of life that the 'white man's' religion, education and 'sophistication' has not been able to erode.

To solve our social problems and even develop our country; we must look at our cultures as ethnic entities then gear our people towards creating a Kenyan Culture. You will never do this from the ivory tower in Nairobi or from the podiums of political rallies. I read in the biography of former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew how he approached his country's development at independence by tapping into the Indians, Malay and Chinese- culture, fears, strengths and weaknesses. We all know where Singapore is today.

Kenyans of Asian and European descent have never felt Kenyan. No wonder some Kenyans in the social media fora were not impresses by David Dunford when he carried the Kenyan flag at the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics. They invest in Kenya then take their profits elsewhere because we have never fully embraced them.

Until we look at Kenya in the eyes of PLO Lumumba; "..give me the hard working mode of the Kikuyu, the loyalty of the Akamba, the athleticism of Kalenjin, the flair of the Luo...." -we will form another National Cohesion and Integration Commission- Reloaded, to solve our social issues.

I mentioned this in several blogs of mine, our fore fathers did it well and even came up with new social entities like how several tribes merged to form a luhya sub-tribe Kalenjin + Luo + Luhya = Tiriki. Another one is why Luos tend to walk to the cliff and are even ready to plunge in The Luo siege mentality in Gor Mahia fans. If we are to sort the mess in our social fabric, then we need to be proactive about our way of life.

Culture is our finger print, even those who claim they were born and brought up in Nairobi can never escape this. We have to decode the fingerprints of the units that make up Kenya and engage them from their point of view. If you understand where someone is coming from, you stop fearing him then you enter into a realm of discussion and not arguments.

Like Nelson Mandela said, "we are all born loving, we just learn to hate." The hardest thing I have realized at a personal level is to unlearn, I can learn anything but to unlearn a habit or way of life, is a fight that one has to fight from the depth of his soul. Our culture, is written in our souls, we never think about it, we are just who we are.

Good work Mr. Njonjo, and may NCIC begin to look at social integration in a new light. KENYA ni KWETU.

Are tears the secret to Luo men’s romantic prowess?

I am not a fan of radio but I confess to mixed feelings on ‘Maina and King’ang’I in the Morning’ show on Classic FM. I will appreciate that the professional chemistry between the two is out of this world. There presentation is top notch but I always have a problem with the content. One day when I listened to them speak about men and tears, this is after President Kibaki had shed a tear or two during an Equity Bank function. 

People may have been shocked when Miguna Miguna revealed that the enigmatic Raila Amollo alias Agwambo shocked his aides when he cried uncontrollably. Miguna must have thought that this would portray Raila in bad light but from the responses I have read in the media, it seems it is good if men cry once in a while. I cried a while back and since then I have learned to master my emotions.

Men also cry, but the society has made us believe it is wrong or a show of weakness if a man cries. It is even known in some cultures that men cry in the loo. Then again, when you see a man cry, know that something has touched his heart, for good or worst.

This is not about mean and tears but another take from my cap as a backfired anthropologist. I have come to note that our cultures shape our personalities as individuals. Luos tend to be extroverts and emotional, Luhyas are reserved and loyal, while Kikuyu men are introverted but shrewd. Does culture have a say in our personalities?

I know psychologists have gone to great lengths to group people in the introvert/extrovert groups and even further down into intuitive, thinkers and so forth. I will not dwell into that but will look at our social groups with a positive stereotypical lens. This is in my efforts to make Kenyans understand our diversity and embrace each other because what you will not fear what you understand.

I have spent time with the Maasai from Trans Mara down to Loitoktok to the South. The Maa men are reserved and respectful but will turn into a fit of anger on provocation. There are exceptions to the rules so don’t be harsh to shoot down my point of view.

We pick a lot from our environment, so genetics determines who we are but who we become is a product of our environment. This has made us turn to the default setting that is the stereotype associated with our ethnic entities.

I don’t have the answers here but will ask questions. It seems we are always inclined to adopt the acceptable traits in our families and societies and shun what our societies disregard. This in turn forms the basis of looking down on other people who are different from us.

For example Luhyas detest vocal, loud and robust people. People like Miguna Miguna will be exceptions among the Luhyas. The traits that tend to be appreciated are modesty and reserved nature. It is only among the Idakho and Isukha where you meet passionate people like Boni Khalwale.

Back to Luos and I can remember in 2008 when some ODM councilors broke ranks with their party to vote with PNU. Luo councilors were shedding tears before cameras when it was evident that their candidate was going to lose. What makes Luos so emotional?

The Kikuyu tend to have aggressive ladies and reserved men. There are exceptions though but the Michukis are not common among the Kikuyu and the few have been forced to knock off the rough edges. In the contrary, the ladies tend to be more outgoing and extroverted.

Luos are extroverted and robust a character that gets to cantankerousness (that is another word for quarrelsome, but do I say) on one extreme and a sanguine on the other. On the contrary we are also good artists, sportsmen and craftsmen; traits that are associated with melancholy and the keenness of introverts.

Then again, men who cry are said to be in touch with their emotions. Is this what gives Luo men the ‘kings of romance’ tag? The passion of extroverts and the thoughtfulness of introverts combine to make Luos men who they are? They will internalize and express themselves in ways that make the fair sex blush.

So when Raila cries and Miguna bursts out ‘come baby come’ is it just a trait that makes Luo men the most loving and lovable on one hand and unpredictable on the other?

The culture sensitive part of my brain is still processing all these, I will appreciate your comments may be in future It will crystallize in my mind and I will pen my findings. 

Meanwhile, let me put on my other cap, gossip about football. @ www.stuttistics.blogspot.com

Miguna Miguna; may the true reformer please stand up

Miguna Miguna was having his time in the sun then suddenly we hear he was last seen at JKIA on his way to Canada. The law of natural justice demands that I take his allegations with a pinch of salt until such a time when all parties have been heard. My take on Miguna is a man with immense intellectual prowess without a corresponding depth of character to go with it.

I will take time to go through the book to separate the sheep from the goat. Meanwhile Raila and his team have PR work to do. Miguna comes out as a brag, a bully who can’t keep his mouth shut.

The main jab of his allegations is meant to blow off Raila’s reform credentials. The ODM’s leader reform credentials speak for itself, but where did the rains start beating him or his team? There is one thing important in politics, numbers- in terms of people and cash.

Where am I going with all these? Politics being a big money business tends to lock out the common man. The true reformer is always a broke man who may never make it big in politics. To balance the act of being true to ones ideals and still navigate the messy waters of politics is something that few have succeeded in.

To quote Miguna; Otieno Kajwang’ quipped that he behaves like the Mau Mau who when they were told Kenya had got independence did not believe and walked back into the forest. This analogy summarizes what a Mr. Kinyanjui told me many years back (I am growing old) that where my interests are served the interest of the people I serve are also served. It is a thin line indeed between a true reformer and an anti-reformer.

In Long Walk to Freedom one gets a picture of a Mandela who was always broke, representing people in court pro bono. Looking at Mandela behind the picture of Julius Malema; the embattled ANC Youth League President who is a millionaire at the age of 33. You get the drift between the Oliver Tambo generation of politicians and the current generation. The younger leaders who served terms with Mandela in Roben Island Prison, the likes of Tokyo Sexwale, President Jacom Zuma among others have since amassed wealth and turned ANC into a den of corruption.

When the struggle for freedom or reforms takes long as it did for Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt since 1928, many things happen. The brave soldiers die because they take the battle to the opponents. Their families may live to hate the liberation struggle just like the family of Dedan Kimathi when they are meant to sacrifice more after the death of the liberation hero. 

The remaining soldiers come in many sheds, the committed few, who have inscribed the struggle in their hearts, will remain standing when victory is finally won. The majority joyride waiting for a kill, but they can’t be thrown out because it is still a game of numbers. These are the people who bridge the difference between the two ideologues leaving a thin line between modern day reformers and non-reformers.

Raila has had to change in his quest for the Kenyan presidency. He even worked with Moi, that is not the Raila of the eighties, in working with Moi, it did not mean he approved of his misrule, but he used it as a means to an end. He has had to work with people he may not have been comfortable working with. They may have watered down his reform credentials, but as someone told me, sometimes you have to lose battles to win the war.

Reform minded or transformational leaders in most cases never care about wealth. When they die of ‘enemy’s fire,’ their families are left in destitution. It is the conditions of the Adungosi, Anyona (George), Kaggia (Bildad) and Chelagat (Mutai) families’ that make the current day reformer to waver between the ideals of the struggle and selfish ambitions.

The Kenyan group of ‘young turks’ who spearheaded 2^nd liberation in the nineties turned into hungry hyenas upon getting into power in 2002. The very people who used to ‘hustle’ became instant millionaires. In a country where people with means- regardless of how you get it are revered- every nose is always sniffing for a quick buck.

Kenyans make matters worse by asking for ‘facilitation fees’ from political aspirants. Our politics has become too expensive that politicians must work extra hard to remain relevant. The rest who have political ambitions but still cling to principles may never get the chance to go to parliament. A principle is not a principle until it costs you money.

Some of our politicians may have the best of intentions to diligently serve and give Kenya their best. As they do this, their social status changes to fit into their new found titles. When five years elapse, they stare defeat at the hands of selfish anti-reformers who are always wealthier with old-money connections. To beat this network needs money and you can never make such money in a day.

Have you asked yourself how George Aladwa has succeeded in making City Hall quite without the evidence of improved service to Nairobi residents? Under his watch, the councilors from both sides of the political divide are 'feasting' unlike in the days of Majiwa.

The reformer-turned-vulture may be worse off than the real anti-reformers. May be we should start electing people on their character and social strengths rather than deep pockets. This is a culture that must be fought from the top and finished off at the bottom. May be our reformers will keep to the straight and narrow, meanwhile- very few can pass the acid test. One man said just because you don’t care about corruption, does not mean corruption does not care about you.

Gone are the days when Martin Shikuku, JM Kariuki, George Anyona and James Orengo were elected to parliament without bribing voters. Today they would be left standing with their eloquence as a ‘Mr. Money Bags’ gets into parliament.

 It is Kenyans who will decide to lower the cost of doing political business in Kenya. I have never known a politician (may be a rookie) who used his hard earned money in political campaigns. This explains why our politicians –even sons of peasants are billionaires in their fourties something that takes businessmen two generations to achieve.

I am not trying to defend Raila or pour water on Miguna Miguna’s book. I hope more people will have the guts to give us a candid glimpse into their times in the corridors of power. 

Until we reduce the price of doing politics, the Miguna Migunas of this world will never miss fodder for their next book.

Luo Customs; more of good food and good sex.....

There is a man who had the gift of the gab that could make Barack Obama green with envy-the late Sr. Chief Ayoki Nyawanda. Let Obama shine in English but when it came to dholuo, Ayoki marvelled the people of Uyoma with words. As the area chief, he had the responsibility of announcing events and introducing government guests, a responsibility that left mourners tickled and  masses trickling to listen to him.

His humour was out of this world, at a funeral he once tore into a section of mourners who were busy feasting as is the custom. He bemoaned his prize bull which he asked the mourners if they will slaughter and feast on when he dies. He urged the locals to reconsider eating at funerals in this harsh economic times. Ayoki past away a few years ago and I bet he peeped out of his coffin to see if his bull had been slaughtered. Oh my, people feasted at his funeral, weather he approved of it or not.

I am bringing these tales in lieu to the reactions in the press recently in regard to Luo customs. A widow in Alego had been banished as an outcast for refusing to be inherited. A good samaritan built her a house after it was highlighted by the media. Then followed the fiasco of former Assistant Minister the late Orwa Ojode's brother. He wrote to the Speaker of National Assembly on behalf of his mother requesting that the insurance benefits should not be paid to Ojode's widow.

My empirical and rational analysis of Luo customs took me to the core of the Luo mind. I have said before in my blogs that I regard myself as a backfired Anthropologist, so I look at people with a different lens. Being a proud Luo who marvels at how we a great people- have  shaped the socio-political landscape of Kenya, Uganda,Tanzania and the USA (but do we say.) If you go North, you can add the Nuer (other sub tribes) of South Sudan.

I came to the conclusion that Luo customs; the do's and dont's are all about good food and sexual pleasure. You will hear blood must be shed (an animal must be slaughtered) then that evening, be assured a woman will be laid.

I dont have a problem with the customs on honour. That I must not do something that will in a way dishonour my father or elder brothers. My problem is when I am obliged to indulge in pleasures as a means of fulfilling social obligations. I am not against enjoying the pleasures of these world; we all know that positive pleasures is a by product of responsibility. 

Wife Inheritance
I like spending time picking the brains of elderly people whenever I am in the village. I get wise counsel from these men, especially on the processes that preceded ter, as wife inheritance is known.

Only a married man with his own homestead was allowed to inherit another man's wife. He would only do so with the consent of his wife. The widow would approach the wife to the man she feels is responsible enough to take responsibility over her and float the idea. It is the wife who will discuss it with her husband and agree on the terms of reference. Not all inheritances came with conjugal favours from the widow.

Today, if you check back in the villages; young single men are inheriting widows left right and centre. Even the married men are doing so without the knowledge of their wives; who get to know of it from the grapevine yet it is a process which the customs bestowed some responsibilities on them. This to me has reduced wife inheritance to sexual relationships at the expense of the dead man's fortunes. In most cases it is the widow who feeds the inheritor who may happen to have other widows in his harem. 

Feasting at Funerals
When it comes to the rule of slaughtering animals to signify an occasion, I have my reservations. As a community we are not inclined towards major celebrations. Initiation was phased out and it is the generation X who picked up holding church weddings. This left only funerals as the only gathering that brought people together. Funerals are more than just mourning ceremonies but social gatherings. This is what promotes the feasting as a means of catching up with relatives you may meet at the next funeral.

Post Burial Fueds
It is time Luos changed with the times and chose to embrace a way of life that is in tandem with the times. Death is as definite as sunrise for everybody. If you look at Luo Nyanza, most homes have a single benefactor. It does not matter the social status of siblings, there will always be one who will tend to shoulder the economic burden of a Luo homestead. This happens by default, rather than design.

You will find that Ojode has left many orphans, not just his son Andrew. These are people he used to support in various ways when he was alive. Not only his siblings and their families but across the whole village. When such a man dies, many peoples ambitions and aspirations go with him. It is such circumstances that has led Samuel Awuodi Ojode to write to the Speaker. Now that sirkal is no more, his widow may not be obliged to shoulder everything her husband used to do.

I will not dwell much into this, but to say that Luos should look at economic independence of family members as opposed to over reliance on one person. As we make transition to this new social way of life, we are bound to hear of hue and cry from the older generation. The wise way is for widows  to look at ways of supporting their mother-in-law if they are in a position to. Even if it is not their responsibility, it is good to approach it as a woman who will end up as a mother-in-law in the near future. The rest of the dependants, can sort themselves out.

In conclusion
Culture is dynamic and it is good if we approach matters of culture pragmatically. What works can be retained, what does not work should be discarded as soon as possible. Meanwhile kanungo e teko but with moral and social responsibility...

Other posts on Luos

Women will save Luo Nyanza

we stopped removing six teeth, we can stop others

http://otienokenyatta.blogspot.com/2012/03/gor-fans-manifest-luos-siege-mentality.html

No body bag when you die in the trenches Dr. Willy Mutunga.

I am not a conventional person, the common man in the street inspires me than the stacked up men. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the ‘BIG’ man and woman. I have learnt that still waters run deep. This will help me speak about body bags for trench casualties.

Recently when Chief Justice Dr. Willy Mutunga was swearing in the Kenya Police Oversight Board he said something that echoed in my ears. He reminded the committee that their job will be hard, punctuated with threats and opposition. He then did a ‘Joshua’ declaration; as for me I am ready to die in the trenches of reform, chose today which trench you would like to die in. History has taught many Kenyans that it is not worth to die in the trenches, will the committee transform our police force?

I know people who have died in trenches of all kinds and it is never good. The trenches are always dug at the battle frontline, where the crossfire is hot. It is painful because most of them die at the prime of their life as it is the best in society who usually take positions at the front of the pack.

Long before Barack Obama electrified the world with his oratory skills; I met Ayoki Nyawanda and Prof. Okoth Okombo. Obama is a good orator but Mr. Ayoki, my former village chief is a man who could leave a grieving widow in stitches of laughter just before burying her husband. The guy had a good command of dholuo that made his humorous straight talk hilarious. Prof. Okombo is a professor of words, an intelligent and gifted speaker. I am always astounded by people who God gave one gift he felt I don’t need so let me keep writing.

Sorry for the digression, it is good the CJ wants to die in the trenches as much as he is no longer a foot soldier. I respect Paul Kagame,  the only head of state I follow keenly, not only on twitter but in the world media as well. My profile pictures on social media are all of this great African who is way ahead of his peers in Africa. But, my war hero against the 1994 genocide is a man called Captain Mbaye Diagne.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgdU1B2bzxw

Captain Mbaye Diagne was a Senegalese soldier who did a sterling job as a UN peace keeper during the Rwandan genocide. Nobody knows how many people he saved, when his employer the UN was not interested in what was happening in Rwanda. He smuggled Tutsis out of the country and protected some in the safe zones he created.

One day on his way back from a mission, Hutu extremists stopped him at a check point and shot him dead. Know what, there was no body bag to put his remains in. The United Nations did not have body bags in Rwanda- this is what gives Koffi Anan the goose bumbs he gets nowadays when he hears of romours of war in Kenya, Syria and other countries.

Captain Mbaye Diagne’s remains was packed in UNICEF plastic bags and flown to Senegal. This is what caught me while watching a documentary given to me by my Pan-Africanist friend Genza- who knows that If I ever get expelled from Kenya for subversion, I will be a proud Rwandese the next day. Meeting Paul Kagame is in my bucket list, and one thing I will ask him is if his government has ever honoured Captain Mbaye Diagne and others of his kind.

He was courageous even when his commander and colleagues were rendered helpless by lack of support from New York. Taking the matter in his own hands to fight from the trenches, kicking armed Hutu extremists to clear road blocks as he drove Tutsi’s out of Kigali. Dr. Willy Mutunga, this is what it means to die in the trenches. Remember, when you die; there may be no body bags to put your body in- you may be delivered home like stale beef for disposal.

When you pick up a cause, fight it like Captain Mbaye Diagne- I would rather die like him than live to be haunted like Koffi Annan. Don’t get me wrong, Annan also has his story to tell. Captain Mbaye represents many other anonymous heroes the world over, who choose to die for the good of others. Rwanda government officials always say that the world cannot lecture them on anything when they stood and watched leaving the burden on people like Mbaye.

There is a man who had a toothy smile in a grim situations, smoked a lot- to calm his nerves and got the job done. Despite risking his life he remained a soldier by obeying orders from a disinterested UN in New York not to carry a gun. Mbaye Diagne is my hero!

A corruption of Koffi Annan

Ruto and Uhuru; To bring peace in Rift Valley sort out land issues not holding rallies

I was going through the Sunday Nation of 27^th May 2012 the following day(yesterday) just to catch what I could have missed. I had not read the entire column on William Ruto’s rally in Nakuru so I indulged myself. Many things disgust me about Kenyan politics but few tickle the bug that makes my fingers itch for a key board to punch. Here I am; my good pastor spared a whole month to teach me about honouring my leaders so I will be as civil and sober as I can be.

Ruto is reported to have said he will hold peace rallies across Rift Valley with his new found ally Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta. I almost busted out- MADNESS! Then I remembered I am alone in the room. I put the paper aside and stared at the ceiling. It is only a fool who does the same thing over and over expecting different results. The two ‘kings’ are definitely naked- tough not exposing what the artist from South Africa imagined Jacob Zuma exposes. Who will point it out to them?

I don’t have their personal contacts so I will indulge myself on this medium that makes me a third rate scribe. Central and North Rift Valley is mainly inhabited by the Kalenjin as a majority and Kikuyu as a minority. The Kalenjin regard the area as their ancestral land which the Kikuyu ‘grabbed’ part of by the help of the Kenyatta regime ‘Kiambu mafia.’

Let me try to be candid but wise in a way, land is so emotive in this country. Whatever happened in the seventies happened and the people moved on. They never thought that by settling people in the Rift Valley they were creating a problem that will take generations and more resources to solve.

In my local ‘Baraza’ every weekend where I always spot some NSIS agents hovering around like vultures, I heard one thing that made stop in my tracks. The few Kalenjins in the group told us what a circumcised Kalenjin boy is taught. Now that they are men, the community expects them to guard and protect three things; land, family and cattle.

To them Ruto and Sang are facing crimes against humanity charges at The ICC for their peoples cultural obligations. Land is at the core of Kalenjins life that not even a political agreement can take that away . They even warned us not to dare buy land from a Kalenjin in the Rift Valley- they will claim it back at some point.

Back to my two good ‘kings’- the problem with peace in the Rift Valley is land, not politics. You don’t solve land issues at a political rally; you do it in a board room or a court of law. If politics would solve this, then all should have been well after the 2002 general elections. Moi as a Kalenjin elder and president tried to hand back the presidency to Uhuru- a Kikuyu. It did not, so politics will not bring peace in the Rift.

Preaching peace is good and encouraged but it will not bring lasting peace. According to these Kalenjin members of the ‘baraza’ -not  Kalenjin IDPs from Mau Forest still live by the roadside in Rongai and the Kikuyus displaced from Eldoret are settled nearby with several police posts to boot. These Kalenjin IDPs are then given land to settle in Eldoret far from their ‘home.’

I know the ICC case has brought Uhuru and Ruto closer but let them not lie to themselves that the problem in the Rift Valley will be solved by mere talk. It is prudent that with the new land policy in place, measures should be taken to sort out the Rift Valley land mess. Historical injustices must also be seen to be acknowledged even if they can’t be reversed.

Going into the general election, one issue that is catastrophic to leave to politics and the people who dispense politics is LAND. Talk about peace, you have a constitutional right to do so but it is not enough. After the rallies, sit and sort this out. It is not a walk in the park, but that is what leadership is all about. Even if you both fail to clinch the presidency and no matter the outcome at the ICC, if you manage to sort out this, your legacy in this country is secured if you care about it.

On a flip, the growing number of youth in the rift valley is a time bomb. As the land is divided further into smaller un-economical portions, the people hit hard are the young people. These are the ever ready gang for hire or community’s rapid response team.

Land is not everything. The Asian community own strategic land, enough to give them maximum economic returns. The rest they lease, get their investment returns from it and return it to the owner when the lease expires. These are the same people who run our economy and employ a majority of Kenyans. This will only sink in if these youth are exposed to the other side of economics that is not directly related to land.

It is time as country we learned to take the tough road if it means it will solve some of our social problems once and for all. This problem of election year evictions in the Rift Valley is what spilled over and gave birth to mungiki in Central Kenya. If we sweep hard decisions under the carpet, they will come to haunt us soon.

Leadership is desired by many but few know its magnitude. The problems in the Rift Valley will not be solved at political rallies and political arrangements that do not take into account the core issues on the ground. As we go into elections, let us remember to Live and Let Live. We will not solve all our problems, but we can agree to keep the peace as the matters are being sorted.

LIVE and LET LIVE

The Tiriki of Vihiga County can teach us how to finish tribalism

                                             Tiriki circumcision dance- vukhulu

I had decided to quit blogging on social issues but the backfired anthropologist in me won’t allow. I am not a historian so my hypothesis is a result of my interest in people and their well being. When the writing bug bites, it gets too itchy to brush aside.

 I have been commenting on issues in the social media to quench my writing thirst. The vitriol targeted at Mr. Ngunjiri Wambugu from his kith and kin kept me busy. Though it could not quell it all together so I come back stuttistically to express my new found (but adopted) slogan of LIVE and LET LIVE.

wambugu

I grew up among the Luhya in Western Kenya. I first learned the Idakho dialect in lower primary class at Musingu Primary but grasped Tiriki from my interactions out of school as Kaimosi Friends Primary was as cosmopolitan as any urban primary school. I spent ten good years among the Tiriki including four high school years in Maragoli land. Vihiga County is made up of three Luhya sub-tribes of Banyore, Tiriki and the populous Maragoli.

Watching Ikolomani MP Boni Khalwale go through his motions in and out of parliament brings memories of my time among the idakho. The walks to Khayega for bull fighting and the passionate isikuti dance thereafter. The song ‘mkangala’ was a toast of the only Luhya sub-tribe that according to me is spoke with passion and zest. Listening to Kimaragoli is cool, while the Tiriki to me are a balanced lot of passion with restraint.

The Tiriki speak Lutirichi (or Ludiliji) and occupy the West of Vihiga County bordering Nandi County. There is a Kalenjin sub tribe of Nandi called Terik which has sometimes led to comments that Tirikis are not Luhyas or Teriks are not Kalenjins. That is a point to note but I will hold the Teriks constant (to do justice to my Mathematics lecturers now that I am a self confessed admirer of Anthropology) and differentiate the Tiriki.

Tiriki is sub divided into several clans which include; Balukhoba, Bajisinde, Baumbo, Bashisungu Bamabi, Bamiluha, Balukhombe, Badura, Bamuli, Barimuli, Baguga, Basianiga and Basuba. Thanks to my former school mates- I am a ‘Musuva.’ I write this as an adopted Tiriki in the order of the clan of Basuba (Basuva). Don’t take offense when I used ‘b’ and ‘v’ confusingly in Luhya words. I have never understood the use of the two but my own definition is that idakho use ‘b’ while Tiriki use ‘v’ in written and sometimes a gliding ‘b’ in spoken.

I chose Basuva because I am a Suba and it is believed that the Basuva are originally from the Luo sub-tribe of Suba. According to a Tiriki, Mr. Lusasi- it is believed that only two clans- Baumbo and Balukhoba are the original Tiriki clans. Baumbo are believed to have come from Luos as the word ‘Bambo’- is Tiriki for Luo. The rest were adopted from Kalenjin and other Luhya sub-tribes.

Another point to note is that all these clans regardless of their ‘origin’ have adopted the Tiriki culture most of it picked from their Terik grandfather. Like the five year boys’ initiation cycle called itumi. Then a circumcised Tiriki man cannot eat food that has fallen to the ground and many others. 

Here comes my point, if our forefathers could adopt and integrate people from different social origins why do we find it hard to integrate? Has development and education eroded our social side and taken us back to the olden times as prehistoric (before the written word) judgment finds us with no defense.

This is the case with almost every African tribe. I believe the prisoners who escaped from the colonial Mageta Island prison may have found a home in current Bondo district. My workmate who hails from Murang’a is a proud Kikuyu but accepts that his grandfather was a Maasai whose nickname Abaiya (Maa for a man with a family) evolved to his current name Kibaiya. 

The late political activist Oulu G.P.O who died fighting for the rights of Kikuyu young men- mungiki was a Luo descendant of a Luhya grandfather. His grandfather had a bone to pick with his Luo neighbours. He went to follow up and in the settlement he got land and he chose to live among his ‘former’ enemies. His children and grandchildren are as Luo as Jakoyo Midiwo and the Suba in me.

Education and the recent global village initiatives have left us more closed than open minded. We have failed where education is meant to replace a closed mind with an open one. In terms of social integration, our ancestors beat us. Negative ethnicity is not only primitive nor even prehistoric but primeval.

We are getting into the election mode and the best we shall do is to appoint some people tribal elders as we demonize the Ngunjiri Wambugu’s of our times. These are people who have decided to fight the tribal prejudice associated with our country even if it means standing alone. The problem is to fight tribalism you have to associate with it, you cannot do it in a vacuum. This may bring some backlash but focus will sift the chuff from the grain. If we do not do something- the next ‘presidential referendum’ will end up in Pyrrhic victory for whoever wins.

To push my agenda further I will write about the Kikuyu like- Kasiemba clan from my ‘cosmopolitan’ home of Uyoma Naya in Siaya County. The development and social growth of someone else does not necessarily mean a depreciation of the same on your side. Live and let live, there are lessons to learn and an opportunity to build each other by bridging our weaknesses with our strength in diversity. LIVE and LET LIVE.

A short break from what I love...

It has been a journey, one that I did not know how it will turn out. Since 18th November 2010, I have posted 74 blogs, an average of 1.5 blogs a week- I cant believe I am such a writing junkie, I thank God for it.  If you blog or write you can identify with me. Thank you for taking time to read the blogs, you have been walking this journey with me unknowingly. I hope, you have enjoyed, been enlightened and even found the grace to excuse some of my sub standard works.

No piece of work is ever good enough. I keep editing my past posts everyday and it is not about being a perfectionist, English is foreign to so I work at it daily like my walk with Christ. I have grown, so sometimes I read a post and ask myself what was going on in my mind when I wrote it, then I forgive myself and write again. I know I will never write as well as I would like to especially where I am the editor as well.

I started out with my name as the blog title, then changed it to Blocks and Sttuts- blocks is my most dominant mode of stammering/stuttering (depends if you are British or American)  while stutts is short for stuttering. Today, I take leave with the blog titled Stuttistics, a corruption of statistics. You see, my creative right side of the brain has gained some muscles too.

I have been using this blog to develop my writing skills as I aspire to be a published author in the near future. One of the things I have noted is that I am scatter brained but I love it. I don't write along the same line, I am a Steve Biko type of 'I write what I want.' If you read my blogs regularly, you will realize that I am a Christian, a backfired anthropologist ( I always blame my teacher who told me in high school that its a bad course so I ended up studying rocks) and a Sociopolitical (whatever that means) conscious man.

I will appreciate if you would take time and give me feedback on how I can improve the blog. You can leave a comment or do it on my facebook wall.  I do not know how long the break will take. I don't want to lie about writers blog, I have some work simmering on Turkana and Rift Valley youth, so I am fine. Do not be afraid to be as blunt as you can be, I will sugar coat  it my way and swallow it. It is time to listen to outsiders as I gossip about Kenyan football for Kenyanstar http://www.kenyanstar.co.ke/ and The People Daily.

I hope to hear from you- and may God bless you.

You are the reason why I write, Thank you and see you soon or rather, you will read about me soon.