AFRICAN BANKS : A BIG LET DOWN:BY GEORGE NYONGESA

African Banks: A big Letdown! Imagine what would happen if banks came up with a strategy to have our 800 million people in Africa to make a profit of one dollar a day for self development, after their daily expenditures. Collectively, we would make $ 800, 000, 000 and in a year, make $ 292, 000, 000, 000. Isn't this figure way above the total sum of foreign aid Africa receives?   In his Commonwealth Lecture in 2003, Professor Yunus, Economist and Creator of Grameen Bank contested that our economic theories and frameworks are responsible for perpetuating poverty. As is well known, banks in Africa do not service the development needs of the poor. African banks focus on the few and rich “large borrowers” but totally ignore the “small borrowers” who are the majority. Even if they reach out to the poor, the business is carried out with a paternalistic attitude.  Their cosmetic community activities that are dramatised before media cameras are a public relations tool meant to fool the society. Consider Kenya as a case in point: while banks are struggling with what to do with a big money reserve, 57 percent of Kenya’s citizens still live in extreme poverty, life expectancy at birth remains at around 48 years and 30 percent of the rural population has no access to safe drinking water. However, a wave is sweeping across the Kenyan banking industry that perhaps signals a unique opportunity. With large borrowers, such as the government, cutting back on their borrowing, banks are being forced to look elsewhere for business. The panic has pushed banks that traditionally ignored to advertise outside corporate circles to look for small borrowers, commonly referred to as the poor. It is startling that the poor are no longer begging the bank for money but the banks are begging the poor to take its money! It is sad that as this happens, most people’s mindset is not yet open to credit services. Without education on how to make more with money, are loans not trapping the poor into debts of un-serviced loans? Banks’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) remains a reactive response, treating poor people as liabilities and beneficiaries of public expenditure, in need for things to be done for them.   Africa needs banks that treat poor people as assets and partners in societal development; empowering them to seek solutions to their life challenges and supporting indigenous development. People are a resource and if well harnessed will inevitably be reflected as huge profit returns in their accounts. This paradoxical situation brings with it unprecedented regional and global opportunities to redefine banking and money in order to effectively serve our people and communities. Despite the credit-phobia amongst poor people, the banks’ paradigm shift is an acknowledgement that poor people can be as creditworthy as the rich. This will restore self confidence in them and precipitate the release of creative energies to improve livelihood. The shift should be followed by educating the poor on how money and banks work.  This is essential and crucial for development of our society, especially in the fight against poverty. If the panic in banking industry in Kenya is anything to go by, banking institutions in Africa must re-package themselves, contextualize their principles, concepts, and framework of business to fight off being outmoded. Africa needs banks that will give the poor a platform to develop capacities to make decisions and implement them, hence reducing their dependence on the elite. Banks should proactively reach out to poor communities to demystify beliefs that banking is a preserve of the elite or rich. The educated poor, with access to credit will easily turnaround their hungry communities into land of plenty. The growth and success of Bangladesh prototype, Grameen Bank, shows how banking can be turned from its current state of near irrelevance to helping poor people achieve self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship and self-employment. Grameen Bank offers some hopeful hints on the banks crucial involvement in supporting the poor to rebuild their lives. With the advent of IT development, banks could be part of information diffusion to the community. This would be a definite assault on information poverty and foundation for sustainable development. Some banks could come up with products that nurture the poor people to organize themselves into saving groups so as to improve their financial capacity. This might birth locally owed businesses and first-time savers. We need banks that hold public clinics on ‘how to make money’ alongside their favourite clinics ‘where to store your money’. We need banks that create forums where the poor can listen to “rags to riches” testimonies and even ask questions. We need banks that organize entrepreneurship lectures for school children. With this kind of social vision, banks can empower poor communities to develop their own safety-net-mechanisms.   African banks have answers to some of the poverty and underdevelopment questions. They indeed wield a potent means to move the masses of poor from obsessive struggle for sheer daily survival to larger humanity objectives: the right to liberty, equal opportunity, social justice, peace and spiritual fulfilment. By George Nyongesa grnyongesa@yahoo.com 254 720 451 235

AFRICA DOES NOT NEED IMPORTED BRAINS:BY GEORGE NYONGESA

Africa Doesn't Need Donors   In spite of  over 20 years of numerous activities by “save Africa industries” like food distribution, cash- for- work, food- for -work, school feeding programs and  billions of dollars in aid, nearly 17 million Kenyans (57% of the population ) are  living in poverty.   Africa’s poverty stems from its laxity to break free from the opportunistic mindset of its so-called “friends in need.” Novocain statements like “Africa is a land of potential” are true because most of our people die with their virgin potential to create wealth. Potential energy is only useful in kinetic state. Why go a pauper to the grave while you are a millionaire within?   The primary law of human life is self-determination and self-preservation. Wealth creation is a primary way of securing and preserving the right to life. Wealth creation is a product of the mind that sets humanity a distinct notch above primal instincts. For man, survival is not just a hunting game for the present meal. Instead, man labors (self determination) to secure (self preservation) adequate “daily bread”. Wealth creation is a fruit of one’s self-determination while wealth accumulation is one’s self-preservation tact.   Life has its origin in an idea and the secret of life lies in the womb of ideas. If money makes the world go round, then ideas must be the axle! Whatever is dark about the continent of Africa is the passivity to the power of ideas. It is the fundamental reason why Kenya, and Africa by extension, cannot feed its people.   How did the West make the wealth they “generously” share with Africa? It is through innovative ideas that answered  to their needs and wants. Africa leaders' gallop to the West and the East to beg for money  implies that their lack of ideas can be compensated with aid.   Is Africa a child of the West or East? When will this child grow and be independent? Life’s phases are a linear motion; from dependence to independence to interdependence. The highest form of a truly symbiotic relationship is interdependence. Africa’s culture of dependence breeds death as long as it does not evolve into interdependence.   My catechist taught me: “no work no food,” “you harvest what you planted” and narrated how “God’s people perish for lack knowledge.” Would I be wrong to decipher that God has laid everything within us and it is up to us to exit from  hunger, homelessness and nakedness?   Why for God’s sake should Africa be perpetually fed, clothed and housed by others?  Did God put people in Africa and place their livelihood across the Atlantic or Indian Ocean? I  firmly  believe  that God hates our ritualistic bows to the West or East for “our daily bread.”   Whoever argues that awakening Africans to tap their latent wealth creation potential is a western game neither knows God’s love for free people, nor the virtue of free enterprise.  He is collaborating with those who are enslaving and annihilating the African mind through the condescending benevolence called aid or relief.   We need to equip our people with ideas to create wealth, as this will ensure their right to life. We need to awaken our mind to a new world where the right to life includes the freedom to pursue decent means of livelihood. Today’s world economy is not based on gold, diamond, or oil; but on ideas. With ideas we can make wealth. Wealth is health; and health is life. This is the game of life.   When we empower our people to solve their problems, we are in effect handing them their magna carta. We will gain respect when we fervently labor to solve our problems and bring a permanent halt to the aid dependency.   The essence of democracy is the fervent desire that free ideas determine and control the direction and speed at which man progresses in all facets of life. It is the power of ideas that will reform and invigorate the development of Africa, and set Africa free!   In Africa, we say that “the one who feeds you can beat your mother as you watch helplessly.” He is your master: you are his slave. Is this saying true in Africa today? Be the judge, considering the fact that all Westerners employed in Africa (irrespective of their education) are called “expatriates” while Africans working abroad are called “economic refugees.” Consider the modern day scramble for Africa euphemized as donors, investors or tourists without reciprocated courtesies in their countries. Can America or China allow Kenya to set up a radio station in their countries to tell African stories? Consider further the westward smooth lane that repatriates aid money in the form of expatriate salaries. All these are signs of a master-slave relationship.   This is our life. No one can solve our problems just as no one can live for us. Aid and relief packages from the West or East lack genuine goodwill to help African communities create wealth. No master has ever smiled at losing a slave. Aid and relief are painkillers as opposed to curative medicine for Africa’s sickness. We cannot stake our people on aid to deal with the shocks of drought, hunger, famine, disease, war and poverty. True aid does not stifle creativity. It allows individuals to decide their destiny. No matter the circumstances, with ideas that build skills, experience and confidence, a people can transcend the limits of money, natural resource, gender, race, class and situations.   Let us be courageous and address the root causes for poverty in Africa. Let us challenge the mindset that resists development and consequently traps our people in destitution. What is our defense for the largely misguided worldview amongst our people that hinders development and consequent liberation? What is our case against corrupt work ethics? Shouldn’t we be more worried at rooting out fatalistic mindsets that think "you die poor if you were born from poor family?"   For over five years, I have worked with community based initiatives powered by ideas to explore local resources for community development. I am convinced that we have enough resources to solve our problems.   The households in the Coastal region of Kenya are a living testimony of the power of ideas in shattering the shackles of poverty. Utopia you say? Consider Mzee Nzoloi in Chanzou village, Kwale district, whose kiosk initially contained stock worth US$6 but whose idea of helping his neighbors access maize floor, paraffin, salt, and sugar from his one roomed grass thatched house saw his stock’s worth grow to US$85 within six months. Talk about Mama Mwero of Mtuluni village, who has reduced the distance teachers in two neighboring schools walk to buy kales, tomatoes and onions for their households.   What of the Bofu villagers who faced dire water problems but have formed groups that dig surface dams to trap rainwater, saving their women and children six hours usually spent in search of water? Should I also mention households in Kibaoni village, who are fighting the arid conditions of Kwale district by nurturing trees and hawking them for KSh.10 (approximately an eighth of a dollar)?  The beauty of these community development activities lies in the ease of its implementation, ‘multiplicability’ and sustainability.   Entrepreneurs are the true heroes of Africa. Any African thinking that the answers to Africa’s challenges lie elsewhere is highly misguided. All people have an inherent capacity to conquer their context environment and create wealth. If wealth creation is rooted in tapping into our own mental faculty to give meaning to our lives, I say let the game begin! By George Nyongesa grnyongesa@yahoo.com 254 720 451 235

AFRICA DOES NOT NEED IMPORTED BRAINS:BY GEORGE NYONGESA

Africa Doesn't Need Donors   In spite of  over 20 years of numerous activities by “save Africa industries” like food distribution, cash- for- work, food- for -work, school feeding programs and  billions of dollars in aid, nearly 17 million Kenyans (57% of the population ) are  living in poverty.   Africa’s poverty stems from its laxity to break free from the opportunistic mindset of its so-called “friends in need.” Novocain statements like “Africa is a land of potential” are true because most of our people die with their virgin potential to create wealth. Potential energy is only useful in kinetic state. Why go a pauper to the grave while you are a millionaire within?   The primary law of human life is self-determination and self-preservation. Wealth creation is a primary way of securing and preserving the right to life. Wealth creation is a product of the mind that sets humanity a distinct notch above primal instincts. For man, survival is not just a hunting game for the present meal. Instead, man labors (self determination) to secure (self preservation) adequate “daily bread”. Wealth creation is a fruit of one’s self-determination while wealth accumulation is one’s self-preservation tact.   Life has its origin in an idea and the secret of life lies in the womb of ideas. If money makes the world go round, then ideas must be the axle! Whatever is dark about the continent of Africa is the passivity to the power of ideas. It is the fundamental reason why Kenya, and Africa by extension, cannot feed its people.   How did the West make the wealth they “generously” share with Africa? It is through innovative ideas that answered  to their needs and wants. Africa leaders' gallop to the West and the East to beg for money  implies that their lack of ideas can be compensated with aid.   Is Africa a child of the West or East? When will this child grow and be independent? Life’s phases are a linear motion; from dependence to independence to interdependence. The highest form of a truly symbiotic relationship is interdependence. Africa’s culture of dependence breeds death as long as it does not evolve into interdependence.   My catechist taught me: “no work no food,” “you harvest what you planted” and narrated how “God’s people perish for lack knowledge.” Would I be wrong to decipher that God has laid everything within us and it is up to us to exit from  hunger, homelessness and nakedness?   Why for God’s sake should Africa be perpetually fed, clothed and housed by others?  Did God put people in Africa and place their livelihood across the Atlantic or Indian Ocean? I  firmly  believe  that God hates our ritualistic bows to the West or East for “our daily bread.”   Whoever argues that awakening Africans to tap their latent wealth creation potential is a western game neither knows God’s love for free people, nor the virtue of free enterprise.  He is collaborating with those who are enslaving and annihilating the African mind through the condescending benevolence called aid or relief.   We need to equip our people with ideas to create wealth, as this will ensure their right to life. We need to awaken our mind to a new world where the right to life includes the freedom to pursue decent means of livelihood. Today’s world economy is not based on gold, diamond, or oil; but on ideas. With ideas we can make wealth. Wealth is health; and health is life. This is the game of life.   When we empower our people to solve their problems, we are in effect handing them their magna carta. We will gain respect when we fervently labor to solve our problems and bring a permanent halt to the aid dependency.   The essence of democracy is the fervent desire that free ideas determine and control the direction and speed at which man progresses in all facets of life. It is the power of ideas that will reform and invigorate the development of Africa, and set Africa free!   In Africa, we say that “the one who feeds you can beat your mother as you watch helplessly.” He is your master: you are his slave. Is this saying true in Africa today? Be the judge, considering the fact that all Westerners employed in Africa (irrespective of their education) are called “expatriates” while Africans working abroad are called “economic refugees.” Consider the modern day scramble for Africa euphemized as donors, investors or tourists without reciprocated courtesies in their countries. Can America or China allow Kenya to set up a radio station in their countries to tell African stories? Consider further the westward smooth lane that repatriates aid money in the form of expatriate salaries. All these are signs of a master-slave relationship.   This is our life. No one can solve our problems just as no one can live for us. Aid and relief packages from the West or East lack genuine goodwill to help African communities create wealth. No master has ever smiled at losing a slave. Aid and relief are painkillers as opposed to curative medicine for Africa’s sickness. We cannot stake our people on aid to deal with the shocks of drought, hunger, famine, disease, war and poverty. True aid does not stifle creativity. It allows individuals to decide their destiny. No matter the circumstances, with ideas that build skills, experience and confidence, a people can transcend the limits of money, natural resource, gender, race, class and situations.   Let us be courageous and address the root causes for poverty in Africa. Let us challenge the mindset that resists development and consequently traps our people in destitution. What is our defense for the largely misguided worldview amongst our people that hinders development and consequent liberation? What is our case against corrupt work ethics? Shouldn’t we be more worried at rooting out fatalistic mindsets that think "you die poor if you were born from poor family?"   For over five years, I have worked with community based initiatives powered by ideas to explore local resources for community development. I am convinced that we have enough resources to solve our problems.   The households in the Coastal region of Kenya are a living testimony of the power of ideas in shattering the shackles of poverty. Utopia you say? Consider Mzee Nzoloi in Chanzou village, Kwale district, whose kiosk initially contained stock worth US$6 but whose idea of helping his neighbors access maize floor, paraffin, salt, and sugar from his one roomed grass thatched house saw his stock’s worth grow to US$85 within six months. Talk about Mama Mwero of Mtuluni village, who has reduced the distance teachers in two neighboring schools walk to buy kales, tomatoes and onions for their households.   What of the Bofu villagers who faced dire water problems but have formed groups that dig surface dams to trap rainwater, saving their women and children six hours usually spent in search of water? Should I also mention households in Kibaoni village, who are fighting the arid conditions of Kwale district by nurturing trees and hawking them for KSh.10 (approximately an eighth of a dollar)?  The beauty of these community development activities lies in the ease of its implementation, ‘multiplicability’ and sustainability.   Entrepreneurs are the true heroes of Africa. Any African thinking that the answers to Africa’s challenges lie elsewhere is highly misguided. All people have an inherent capacity to conquer their context environment and create wealth. If wealth creation is rooted in tapping into our own mental faculty to give meaning to our lives, I say let the game begin! By George Nyongesa grnyongesa@yahoo.com 254 720 451 235

WHAT IF KIBAKI DOESNT SEEK RE-ELECTION-WILL RAILA BE THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE?:FWAMBA NC FWAMBA

According to Nicolo Machiavelli, The social and political world of the The Prince is monstrously unpredictable and volatile; only the most superhuman calculative mind can overcome this social and political volatility. He argues. Its now six months to election if the election timetable is upheld in precedence since the repeal of section 2a that lead to holding a general eletion under a multiparty democracy in Kenya. As many Kenyans are still evaluating the said development records under the leadership of president kibaki, the latest events within the political circles are indicative of a very speculative opinion on whether president Kibaki will be seeking re-eletion later this year. Apart from the president denying that he ever committed himself to serve one term and asking people to judge him by the development record  he is yet to convince his supporters that his re-eletion bid is a big issue within his line of ambitions. The presidents’ supporters seem to be more ambitious for him than himself. At the rate which his supposed opponents are moving, it’s foolhardy to imagine that campaign time is still too far and Kenyans will easily buy the development record theory. Going by latest events since the government spokesman told Kenyans to shun activists ‘with questionable characters’ masquerading to be campaigning for the president, many individuals or groups purporting to support the president are left guessing since the head of state either doesn’t wish to be re-elected or he is the proverbial dancer who doesn’t respond to drumbeats no matter how skilled the drum player is. The examples of these circumstances include the presidents turn down of Democratic Party chairmanship, and his imaginary distant involvement in Narc- Kenya activities. At sometime the vice president Hon. moody Awori confidently said that the president fully supports the Narc-Kenya initiative and the president campaigning for its pioneer members of parliament in a by-election. The campaigning for the party parliamentarian for Nakuru town then could only be translated to the sympathy to Hon.Mirugi Kariuki’s family and not necessarily for the love of Narc- Kenya as a party. the president has never authoritatively involved his efforts in building Narc Kenya apart from a few of his friends who would like him to run on its ticket due to the controversies involved if he decided to seek re-eletion on the Narc party which is now defunct considering that one of their component parties the LDP is fully in opposition.Narc-Kenya, the party on whose ticket the president is expected to seek re-election held elections recently while claiming that the party has no funds! as a result and poor management of the elections, the party had elections which were more of appointments that do not necessarily reflect the existence of officials whose popularity on the ground can help  the president in attaining enough grassroots support during the general election. While central province suspended grassroots elections, other parts of the country which claimed to have elections, no actual elections were ever carried out just like the Naivasha Member of Parliament had earlier predicted. At this juncture, Kenyans and president Kibaki supporters must start thinking of what to do incase the president decides that he wants to be a respected statesman like nelson Mandela by leaving power voluntarily. To do that the president only needs to leave a legacy of less talk and economic prosperity. Under the president, the government faces two main issues to deal with; the mungiki menace and the allegations of rampant practices of tribalism in public appointments. Apart from the two issues that currently look like a cancer in the government, the president’s performance record is above average and that is why if he contested; with a serious and well organized campaign he will win the second term. The political landscape is likely to undergo radical political changes and realignments incase the president decides not to run for the second and last term constitutionally. That will totally complicate the existing so called horses’ and donkeys’ race. Some donkeys will automatically become horses while some horses may become donkeys. The main political players and those who had suspended their ambitions for the 2012 race because of their support for president Kibaki may as well decide to make this their time. That automatically brings the frontrunners in bid for Narc-Kenya chairmanship into the field. Individuals like Prof.George Saitoti, Kipruto Kirwa.Dr.Mukhisa Kituyi, Kiraitu Murungi, amongst others will automatically become major players and possible candidates.Uhuru Kenyatta’s candidature on whatever ticket will obviously get a boost because of the tribal equation and the central province vote. This scenario will also become a battle of influence of individuals and not necessarily political parties. Without the president contesting, the ODM-Kenya’s intention of being together automatically ceases since their main and common agenda has been to defeat president Kibaki in the elections. Some of them who are facing corruption cases in court may through the ECK be barred from contesting according to the regulations thus they may be thrown to political oblivion if the electoral commission takes such a move. That will mean that fresh coalitions will be formed with some of the ODM-Kenya members supporting the Narc-Kenya presidential candidate, while some Narc-Kenya and ODM-K people will run on their own. The so called third force under Ngilu and Kombo may gain relevance too. In this scenario, it will be difficult too to tell if even the likes of Raila, Saitoti, Kituyi, Kalonzo, Ngilu, Kombo, or Uhuru will be able to become Kenya’s next president. As expected president Kibaki and former president Moi will have a big role to play. However going by the president’s way of doing things he may not necessarily support anyone aggressively. On the other hand, if he is set for re-election, then the president’s unpredictability may harm his campaigns.   FWAMBA NC FWAMBA Box 41046-00100 NAIROBI +254721779445  

KIBAKI TEAM SHOULD NOT CELEBRATE ODM-KENYA DISINTEGRATION:FWAMBA NC FWAMBA

Sometime last month I wrote in this column that ODM -Kenya unity will never be realized due to the lacking of a common ideology among the leaders apart from their thirst for power, greed, hypocricy and selfish ambitions. The latest developments within the party indicate that I wasn’t far from right. It’s so much of conspicuous evidence that these leaders have nothing substantial to offer Kenyans. It’s just a bunch of politicians driven by blind ambitions with theoretical visions seeking to reside at state house. Some of these politicians are finding it difficult to cope with each others ways of politicking due to their political backgrounds. While Raila’s background is associated with what some may refer to as socialism or communism, the rest of ODM-K candidates are products of the former oppressive KANU regime. Thus above all there lies an ideological conflict between the chief government critic Raila Odinga and the kanulets.That could be the main borne of contention in ODM-K.While Raila Odinga happens to be admired by even those people who oppose him in public due to his charisma the rest happen to attract mercies of people associated or related to kanu a party that was at the helm of power for four decades since independence. Many foes and friends alike regard Raila as one of Africa’s 21st century Fidel Castro or Hugo Chavez. Such a presidency is one that the analogical Railaphobics who include his fellow ODM luminaries dread. For Railamaniacs and anti-Kanu dynasty crusaders that (Raila presidency) will be regarded as a great gift to Kenya. For that reason I still believe that even with ODM-K disintegrating, Raila remains the greatest threat to President Kibaki’s re-election than any other candidate. If elected, crusaders of change who will vote against president Kibaki will only have a reason to replace him with Raila and nobody else since the rest of the candidates are products of Kanu. That is a presidency some voters may want to experiment one that represents a break from a kanu dynasty, just like voters in 2002 undertook a political experiment on how the country can be without president Moi and kanu in power. If voters develop such an attitude as to how different Kenya can be with a Raila presidency or how Kenya could be without a Kibaki presidency, then the Kibaki team needs to factor such in the campaigns...The much  anticipated disintegration of ODM-K  and the expected emergency of more coalitions should not  be reason enough of victory celebration for Narc-Kenya.If voting patterns of Kenyans; (which are tribal) are upheld by precedent then the looming fallout within ODM-K may end up affecting president Kibakis re-election bid negatively. The reality of Kenyans voting along tribal lines should not be downplayed. for that case,Uhuru Kenyatta’s or Kalonzo’s candidature may end up working negatively for president Kibaki than for Raila Odinga.Raila’s candidature may get a boost if Kalonzo or Uhuru contested on their own since the tribal arithmetic for president kibaki will be divided. With the support of Musalia Mudavadi and William Ruto, it will be an uphill task for president Kibaki.The supporters of the president riding on a notion that Raila is unelectable should know that that notion is no longer holding among many Kenyan voters apart from central province. It’s an alliance of Ruto, Mudavadi and Raila that may be more threatening than such alliance including all the current ODM luminaries. Emperor napoleon Bonaparte of the French empire once noted that what unites men is summarized as interest and fear, once people do not face a common fear and interest it automatically becomes difficult to unite. the scenario as per now is that the odm leadership face a common fear of being in opposition for the coming five years while their common interest of attaining power is threatened since all of them are keen on getting presidency even when the seat can only be occupied by one person at a time. Therefore room for uniting doesn’t exist due to this conflict of interest. For any Kenyans intending to vote change, individuals like hon. Kalonzo Musyoka do not represent any thing new; Raila becomes a strong candidate for he is the only one less associated with the kanu dynasty. Therefore for any significant difference in government, whether positive or negative, the electorate may favour Raila for he is believed to be the epitome of the struggle in Kenya having been the longest serving political detainee during the Kanu dictatorship. The much talked about development record achieved by the Kibaki administration should not be used as novocaine (a painkiller) to blind the president’s campaign team to think that the votes are going to be got just by Kenyans seeing the development projects. In self analysis it’s imperative for any leader willing to win an election to focus more on how to counter his weaknesses than just getting contented with the achieved strengths. The paradox exists within the incumbent for believing that Kenyans will selectively focus on the development projects, economic growth and give a blind eye to inflation rate, insecurity, allegations of high level corruption, tribalism and the gap between the rich and the poor. Most of the people in government seem to be slowing the campaign process with a great focus on the government’s strengths than weaknesses. The president needs to step up a spirited and intellectually run campaign for re-election since even the development facilities that have been realized during the Narc era are not uniformly distributed in the whole country. For example the development realized in Bungoma is not on the same scale as moyale.It must also be noted that the conditions under which the president was elected in 2002 are quite different from now. It’s therefore important that the president’s team focuses on the obvious weaknesses of the incumbent government. Inasmuch as the president is a committed nationalist none tribalistic a lot of tribalism is being practiced by junior officers in his government. This is likely to affect his government negatvely.its evident that these people who practice such vices do it in such a cunning way that the president happens not to knowe.with the establishment of the office of the ombudsman, the president will be able to get direct information from citizens. apart from psychological perception that unity of odm will bring them victory, there is little that Uhuru Kenyattas kanu supporters will take to ODM-K unless if its him who is running. That’s the same case with Kalonzo.that is why they have to fight hard to maintain their relevance at least within the media circles. For that reason Kenyans should be advised to vote for president kibaki for the hypocrisy of ODM-K leaders has been exposed through their inability to agree on one candidate. That is an indicator that none of them can be a worthy leader for this country. FWAMBA NC FWAMBA BOX 1176, BUNGOMA +254721779445

ODM-KENYA:THE REVOLT OF PIGMIES BY CYPRIAN ORINA NYAMWAMU

''Mtumishi Orina has captured the issues we ought to face fairly more candidly. There are only two areas he ought to have delved into, which I will do. The struggle in ODM-K is a continuation of the pre independence tag of war, where the home guards went away with our Independence. Those who genuinely fought for Independence, never even enjoyed that fruit of their struggle. They were shown the doors, and the home guards, and their side kicks ruled until 1992, when again, Kenyans were denied the chance to elect a true reformer. This time around, children of privilege ganged up and made sure that there was no united opposition. Ironically, the coming together of these children of privilege, helped derail the chances Jaramogi had of ever becoming the president of this country. When we had the best chance in 2002, again the battle was between two non reformers. One, a child of privilege, the next, a son of privilege. All the two front runners never knew what it took to liberate Kenya from the colonialists, and they were also not involved in the second liberation. They did not know what Kenyans wanted, and all the same, they all wanted to be president. When we elected one of the two, it was business as usual. He promptly forgot all the promises he made to Kenyans. About what Kenyans desired in his presidency, he did not know. So he never bothered to do anything about tribalism, corruption and the burning need to have a new constitution. This is basically what is playing out again now in ODM-K. The chicken are coming home to roost. The children of home guards and the children of privilege have re group to continue in their plunder of Kenya. They all have one thing in common; they are non reformers. They all believe in the status quo, and it is only Kenyans who will stop them in their tracks. Kenyans MUST now come up and say enough is enough. We must now look at all these individuals, and place them accordingly. We must not abort the struggle again when we have a bridge that will cross us to the Kenya we all want. Odhiambo T Oketch Komarock Nairobi orina Nyamwamu wrote: ODM and the revolt of the pygmies Apart from President Mwai Kibaki, there is no other politician still active in the national stage, in the country who has engaged national issues more passionately and intimately than Raila Odinga. The other wannabes currently making a case for candidature as president are mere political pygmies who real stand for nothing but for power as a means for more wealth. The pygmies think that mere appointment as vice president or minister by Moi or Kenyatta make them a national leaders. The men and women who have rolled their sleeves to gun for the ODM-Kenya Presidential candidature except for Raila Odinga are political pygmies who hope that the windfall may make them occupants of the state house and therefore access unlimited power. While Raila Odinga has in the past few years drifted towards embracing a conservative agenda and deemphasized the need for fundamental social transformation, which some see as a betrayal of the more progressive even radical ideas he stood for at the height of the struggle for a democratic Kenya, he still remains the only worth candidate worth the consideration by Kenyans. No one in the ODM Kenya bandwagon deserves the right to rule over the people Kenya. Those of us who come from the progressive and activist tradition in Kenya find it difficult to accept that the political dwarfs and anti democratic politicians who watched as the country was plundered by Kenyatta and Moi’s rule have now found a platform to cheat the people that they are the real alternative to President Mwai Kibaki. To be honest, it is only Raila Odinga who deserves to present an argument against Kibaki. The rest must be put in their place. The ODM-K has now acquired a special talent for revising Kenya’s history. ODM-K wants to present Kibaki as the biggest national problem. They want to present the removal of Kibaki as the new Kenyan struggle. He is not. The biggest national problem is the lack of leadership for uncompleted struggle to make Kenya truly independent and democratic. That leadership is what President Kibaki has failed and is incapable of offering. But I doubt whether the pygmies in ODM can actually offer the leadership Kenya is looking for. The only person who can present an application for the presidency against President Mwai Kibaki that is worth studying remains Raila Odinga among others who have not declared their candidature but are qualified. They include James Orengo, Micere Mugo and Maina Kiai. The pygmies in ODM have positioned themselves as the stock holders of certain shares called ethnic votes. They want to force us to bargain with them on the basis of stolen goods –ethnic votes. But this is not a measure of leadership. We can not allow political pygmies to subvert reason and arm-twist us to accept the argument that the number of ethnic votes you represent translates to leadership. Ethnic votes can not be turned into a qualification for leading Kenya. Leadership qualification must remain the ability, reliability and evidence of siding with the struggles of the people of for freedom, development and social justice. These credentials are elegantly missing from the ODM-K political pygmies. While President Kibaki has done a good job of helping the country recover from the destruction and hemorrhage the Kenyatta-Moi tyranny wrought on the nation assisted by the same ODM-K minnows and Kibaki himself, the next five years in Kenya’s history can not be about recovery. The country now must be put on a path to social transformation. Only those men and women who understand the meaning of and are spiritually committed to the cause of social transformation need to be listened to. If we were to be honest, the visions of the various candidates for president should have only had one chapter – a chapter on social justice and social transformation. Period! President Kibaki does not have the capacity and passion to institute social transformation in Kenya. He is an actor with vested interests in the current status quo is incapable of facilitating significant progress and change to the current socio-economic and political structure. It is important for Kenyans to in the mean time know that the limitations of President Kibaki can not be made a license for any politician to package himself as a messiah. We must permit only capable and reliable nationalists to lead this nation. In that respect it is correct to suggest that the real choice for the people of Kenya in the forth coming elections is between President Mwai Kibaki’s recovery record and Raila Odinga’s promise to bring about social transformation. Note that it is not possible to talk about political parties since there are none. The outfits being cobbled together for purposes of elections 2007 must be seen for what they are- mere special purpose vehicles. In selecting who to vote for it must be remembered that President Kibaki has done his recovery assignment averagely but now the required leadership for the country is the leadership to facilitate social transformation. The recovery assignment had four components namely the economic recovery, institutional re-armament, national reconciliation and renewal, and social systems. Kibaki has failed the national reconciliation and renewal and has not liberated institutions of governance from the tragedy of personal rule. This is because he failed to help Kenya make a new constitution and he blocked the formation of a Truth, Justice and reconciliation process. The next team of leaders must understand the assignment well. Kenya needs a leadership a commited and courageous leadership that will offer the poor a support system to lift themselves out of poverty, overhaul the current constitution, deal with the gaps between the rich and the poor and the inequalities- gender, regional, intergenrational, social classes, etc- that are the hall mark of our nation and facilitate economic transformation, not growth only. Kenya should therefore working through the elimination method to ensure that they do not end up voting for a product of the revolt of the pygmies in ODM-K that is currently underway. Cyprian Orina-Nyamwamu 970 Words unedited June 22, 2007