Arise Kenya Arise....

Arise Kenya Arise....

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

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.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

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


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

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 2nd 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.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

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