Last week all the internally displaced Kenyans were asked to return home (and very kindly given an armed escort - just in case they decided they did not wish to return to their burnt homes and ravaged farms).
The civil service was put onto the list of "Who will we steal money from in order to afford the compulsory armed escort to take the internally displaced home?", along of course with the army.
Our government very kindly donated this money to the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), and made sure only to take it from those with a salary below the $300 per month line, so that all those above that line - such as of course the MPs who desperately need their cash (in order to have those smashing homecoming parties of their own!), and so therefore all those with the salaries of the $10,000 minimum PLUS expenses per month - didn't have theirs touched.
Like to keep it fair and equal in the government you know. If you've got nothing in life, then best give some of that away to those with less than nothing and then the big boys can sleep better at night!
What I really DO NOT understand is how the hell these people can seriously think that all Kenyans are that unfazed by this whole divide. Surely over the month of January, it became very obvious to everyone - including the outside world - that Kenyans are very unhappy with their lot and this incredible divide we have of the 'haves' and the 'have nots' has to come to an end, and solutions have to be worked out to lessen this gap. But no, imagine after all that bloodshed our politicians have the audacity to sweep it under the carpet pretty quick smart, blame it on someone else, and then get on with "Business As Usual"......
Why are we taking this???
You know there's a brilliant publication that has come out in the last week that outlines all this unfairness. It is called "Wajibu" and is produced by a few Kenyans who are really fighting for the rights of ALL of us. (If you click on that link, one of the members of the 'task force' that produced the magazine tells you how to get hold of a copy.)
The magazine identifies itself as "A journal of social and ethical conduct", and it highlights all these issues that our country has been through over these last few months, what we are still going through, and has some great articles on how ordinary Kenyans see the way forward from here.
What it does show is that there is definitely "Optimism about the possibility of a new Kenya", but it really is about time that our current politicians stopped their 'business as usual' and got on with developing this sanguinity.
As the editorial in the front of this journal quotes;
"This Kenya can only happen if all of us take our responsibility as citizens seriously and if our politicians strive to be the kind of leaders who put the welfare of the nation AHEAD of lust for power and greed for material benefits."
So let's go for it people, 'normal service' is not OK with us any longer.
Let's go with Obama on this one (seeing as he really is a Kenyan in American clothing!), and tell our government what we really want .....
"Change we can believe in"!
9 comments:
The major problem really is the fact that we take our politicians too seriously and give them too much attention and expectation. Alternative form of leadership is what we need.
On Obama: A letter writer to the Irish Times yesterday mentioned the media speak of Obama as "likely to be America's first black president". He then surmised that if he were running in the Kenyan election the media would peg him as "likely to be Kenyan's first white president".
Great! Now my country is burning!
Politics in Africa sucks. Big time! And, unfortunately it is always the poorest of the poor who suffer the most...
Only when goverment truly becomes accountable for it's actions will there be meaningfull change - and this does not only apply to Kenya but any goverment anywhere in the world.
After the whole fiasco of who will take what in the government what happens:-
The Agriculture Minister (AM)deregisters some sugar importers...sugar is the easiest and biggest source for the AM to "eat", profits from this especially when you have a license to import duty free are in the Kshs Billions. I know from a reliable source one Mombasa based company already has 40,000 MT enroute.
There is already a scandal in the Immigration ministry on passports and IDs. There are always a large number of "rockets" (indians and other asians working in EPZs and other places) looking for citizenship. 10,000 rockets by Kshs 100,000 an ID /PP hmm... pretty sum.
The Minister of lands has yesterday decreed that all lands leased before 1909 will revert back to the gov't. If you are looking to buy alond River Road and Grogan sides of the city; or some the large farms in Likipia etc look out. What will they do with this land, I wonder ???
Generally this is all about lining the politicians pockets the rest of us kenyans can go burn in hell, just until 2012.
Emm.. IDPs... Who ??
Odegle - so right there
Primal - exactly. He's white when convenient to us. He's also from the lakeside (although I think he's only been there once in his life).
Emil - Pole sana fellow. We're keeping an eye.
Billy - so right hun. ALL politics sucks really, no matter where you are in the world.
Baba W&M - If Orengo gets it right - personally I think it's a good thing for Kenya, but as you say, chances are it'll be yet another scam to line their own pockets and stuff the rest of us!
Arre yaar vy cant u ewen get the fekts rite abart Wajibu? It is a 'journal of social and ethical CONCERN' and it NOT NEW!!!! It is 23 years old. Pliz!
Oddhrvize eweryting is ok
Kilulu - pole for that then. Was just trying to encourage some buying of NEW issue!
Will honestly try and get facts right next time for you!!
Hey thanks, also for releasing me out of my kul akshent. Didn't mean to be sandpapery. The interesting thing about Wajibu is that very few people have heard of it, but it is full of materials for research and historical record and analysis... all on Kenya. It was founded by Gerald Wanjohi, once the Chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Nairobi, and the editor is his wife, Wakuraya. They started it when they were in their late forties and celebrated 20 years with an anthology. On the brink of letting go the dream of offering a definitive journal that addressed contemporary Kenyan social issues they decided on continuing the work when several people came out of the woodwork to help them continue their work, notably, Donald Thomas. I am delighted to note that the writers in the last issue are celebrated authors and look forward to the editorial team bringing back some of the quiet researchers of yore to look at Kenya with fresh eyes. Thanks for this space, and there ends my song on Wajibu (which means 'responsibility').
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