INSECURITY/ELECTRICITY:BY GEOFFREY OMEDO ,ELIJAH OKWENA

RURAL ELECTRIFICATION GOOD IDEA BUT… I commend the government’s effort of ensuring that even rural areas are no longer in darkness by coming up with rural electrification exercise. The exercise of supplying electricity to every corner of the country is welcome unfortunately no all people will manage to apply for power due to the fact that it is too expensive. It is quite unfortunate that those who will slightly manage to ply for power will only be rural elites such as teachers and extension officers. Not rural peasants who leave in less that a dollar in a day. To apply for electricity on must put a side more than Ksh.60, 000! I wonder where all this money would come from. In this case only schools and dispensaries will benefit due to the fact that it has been said that the supply will be for commercial purpose. Those who spend dearly in kerosene will continue to suffer. Those who have small Kiosks with hope of getting electricity so as invest in major areas like welding,posho mill, carpentry, saloon among other things will never enjoy the benefit due to obvious reason-to drop a cable is too expensive. The government should know that to fight poverty rural electrification must be cheap and accessible to all people. Whatever little rural people get they spend in other crucial things like in educating their young ones who are in school or colleges, buying food stuffs, medical care among other basics. Why all these rates? Ksh.57, 000 for a cable! No. It is damn expensive. The government should be lenient and considerate. This is over exploitation to a poor mwananchi who is struggling to make other ends meet in each day. I’m not saying that the supply should be free, but fare. Let the maximum figures be Ksh10, 000 or Ksh15, 000.To be honesty rural peasants can not raise these entire amount at once. Most of them depend on peanuts which come out of tea, coffee among other cash crops. Unless the government increases their payments in these products, otherwise electricity will run through the plots of many but they will never have them in their premises. Alternatively, let the government supply electricity in the form of loans so that to allow people pay slowly. - To make matters even worse, it is long overdue for those who apply for power due to the fact that it takes long for Kenya Power to drop cables. FROM ELIJAH OKWENA NAIROBI . geoffrey omedo wrote: INSECURITY: ARE THESE SECURITY ADVISORIES REALLY FAIR AND ACCURATE? Being a Kenyan delegate at the just ended Governing Council Global Ministerial forum at the UN Gigiri complex provided me with a rare opportunity to look at Kenya from the International guests’ point of view, especially on the thorny issue of insecurity in Nairobi. It seriously left me completely unsure whether to defend my country’s record on security by dismissing the United Nations and USA embassies security advice to their international visitors, or whether to sympathize with their security concerns to the apprehensive delegates from the global community. But then, when I got a look at a copy of the Security Advice from the UN to the international delegates attending the forum, I was completely stupefied at the gravely blatant exaggerations within the document. For instance, on personal security, it was written that , “street muggings can occur at any time of the day or night in both Nairobi and Mombasa” Surely this is a clear cut case of implantation of unnecessary confusion through instilling fear in the visitors to Kenya. The security brief also went ahead warning the visitors to only visit the main parts of Nairobi, and to avoid any other places of which they are not sure of. This advice was well intended but then, which are the main parts of Nairobi and which ones are not? The visitors are further warned to be “particularly wary of people hanging around and outside hotels, since it is a favorite place to catch tourists and mug them”. This could be true, but what the advisory failed to advise the international visitors was the fact that all major hotels have gone to extra lengths of hiring their own security detail to guarantee the safety of their clients. This advisory automatically converts any one found around a particular hotel into a potential security threat hence subject for intimidation, and or unprocedural arrests. But perhaps the biggest misinformation provided within this security brief is on road travel. Apparently, the United Nation has only 3 companies of taxi cabs that they have accredited to operate within the UN premises. The criteria for selecting this three taxi companies is not the subject for discussion here. However, the assertion within the circulated security advisory document that, “the local unlicensed taxis are often unreliable, unroadworthy, and should be avoided: is both wrong and unwarranted. The advisory also strongly advises the visitors against traveling in matatus and buses however exciting that would appear. In the case of matatus, they are described as ” often unroadworthy, are usually bad driven and their accident record is appalling” The clincher is added on Kenyan matatus and buses as perfect targets for pickpockets and petty nuisance elements. On the road condition in Nairobi, the circular describes the Kenyan roads to be in a very poor state with some being completely impassable. The visitors are implored to “always drive defensively, expecting the worst and from unlikely sources” But perhaps the fact that the visitors are further advised to “open the car windows 10 to 12 centimeters particularly when stopped at traffic lights” seems to be the point at which one begins to question his loyalty to ones country and a desire for a truthful report of issues around insecurity as captured by such advisories. While most Kenyans agree that indeed the insecurity problem in the country has reached some grave proportions, it is important for the advisories issued by the United Nations and other foreign bodies in the country to be faithful to the need for moderate logical reporting. The truth remains that the largest fraction of Kenyans are not security risks, but rather the very victims of this rising insecurity. However, it is important for the government security apparatus to improve their intelligence wings in order for these escalating crime indices to be brought under control. Geoffrey Omedo.

THE CONSTITUTION:BY FWAMBA NC FWAMBA

LEADERS SHOULD NOT ABUSE THE ROLE OF THE CONSTITUTION In his speech after the failed april 2002 coup attempt against him,President hugo chavez of the bolivarian republic of venezuela compared the country's constitution to the book of the mayas;the Popol Vuh which is described in the wikipedia free online dictionary as thus:The Popol Vuh (Quiché for "Council Book" or "Book of the Community"; Popol Wuj in modern spelling) is the book of scripture of the Quiché, a kingdom of the post classic Maya civilization in highland Guatemala. .Hugo used this example to contextualise the importance of this document to the campesinos.The Mayas have great respect for the Popol Vuh because its regarded as the writing entailing the cradle of the Maya people of Southern America.The book is a unifying factor amongst these people and to them it symbolises unity,equality and brotherhood.According to President Hugo and I too agree with him,the purpose of the consitution is to unify a people while providing equal rights and equal application of the law to every subject of the respective country.Thus Kenyans too should rise up to the occassion to understand the role of the constitution and make sure that as we advocate for reforms whether radical or minimal,we end up with a document that is synonymous to the welfare of every Kenyan regardless of tribe,political affiliation,gender or race. Its very unfortunate in kenya that the constitution and the constitution review crusade has been reduced to a document meant for a hide and seek within the political circles for a small number of politicians with selfish ambitions and undisclosed intentions that do not necessarily reflect the true wishes of Kenyan people at the grassroots. As kenyans brace for general elections,democracy as a way of governance through majority support has pushed a number of leaders to develop strategies that can make them relevant to play national politics or create opportunities to win them parliamentary seats. its so unfortunate that instead of leaders formulating methods of making sure that kenyans rid themselves of tribalism,poverty and endless oppression to attain equal rights and access to justice,they have instead turned out to use this as their main weapon of being politically relevant to use people at the grassroots as bargaining chips for power.This is all through hypocricy and false promises.As the world moves towards greater levels of civilization,its prudent that even the kenyan leaders wake up to this reality and stop divisive politics based on tribalism.The reality of this game is that the tribal sentiments used by leaders to get political sympathy from their kinsmen are only used as most opportunistic fall back plans when such leaders are unable to gain support from their people by having worthy ideas.With such crop of leaders it will be very difficult to realise any form of national unity in Kenya.At this rate as long as we are allowing such people to be elected into public offices,tribalism,nepotism and even racism will never cease. When you see them talking about the constitution,they only focus on political leadership and how''one of their own'' can get it;thus they want the constitution to be made in such a way that at least a person of such and such tribe is included within the national political leadership. The main role of leaders at this stage in Kenya is to promote national unity through advocating for policies that ensure national and individual citizen development without any form of descrimination.If they are sincere,then they should agitate for a constitution that ensures freedom justice and equality for every citizen instead of singing the constitution of ''one of our own''. It is the greatest time that politicians advocated for formulation of a constitution that addresses such issues as workers' rights,farmers,and other common folks of this nation.Many issues in this country are downplayed just because most of our leaders are only focussing on their personal interests than the interests of their electorate.Its a well known fact that many Kenyan workers are languishing in despair and mental torture and even illegal confinements at their work places and no-one ,even the Ministry of Labour or COTU national officials is ready to pursue this matter seriously.An example is the Libra house disaster where lives were lost because people had been locked inside the building.I have personally established that such a trend is very common in most manufacturing companies at the industrial area.It is also public knowledge that such companies suppress workers who are therefore not allowed to have unions to defend their rights.If such employees demand or attempt forming unions or joining they risk loosing their jobs.I have also heard where a casual labourer was assaulted physically by his employer.Due to the scare of loosing his source of livelihood,he couldnt launch any formal complaints to relevant authorities.This is serious neo-colonialism and 21st century slavery going on in this country and yet leaders in different sectors are only concerned about their selfish interests which only translate to their election into big offices.Committed true nationalists should rise up and fight these evils through ensuring a strict law that protects the interests and rights of every kenyan equally regardless of his societal stature.There is need too for the government to initiate a radical enlightment programme about constitutional rights.The kenya human rights organisations have tried this but I stongly believe that more is yet to be done. As pro reform protagonists starategise to help Kenya realise a new constitution,I strongly believe that there is need too to enlighten Kenyans about the contents of the current constitution,the importance of the constitution and what is supposed to be changed.As President Hugo puts it,let the costitution be to us like the Popol Vuh is to the Mayas. Fwamba nc Fwamba +254721779445 BOX 41046,NAIROBI