COUNCIL OF ELDERS CLENCHED IN THE RIGOR MORTIS OF DEFUNCT ETHNIC IDEOLOGY.

In Kenya today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They come in the form of the mushrooming councils of elders. They are the architects of hopelessness and ethnic sludge. Not long ago, they were respected by all and sundry. Their wise counsel was much sought after. However, something seems to have gone awry. Today, we bemoan the loss of moral integrity by councils of elders. They have increasingly become foot soldiers for the wealthy and influential. Just a week ago, the larger Kenyan public was shocked to the core when a tiny and closed fraternity of wizened Kalenjin men, elected by no one, spewed diatribe in defense of “their own.” This was no doubt an assault on the public’s conscience. It raised for the umpteenth, issues of ethnic bias and pure arrogance that are slowly obliterating our country. As expected, consternation ensued among the ethnically sensitive when these elders in their blinkered view of national issues brazenly maneuvered around the rules of morality to defend ambassador Kiplagat from allegations that have seriously dented his credibility. One wonders whether these elders were exhumed from deep down the bowels of the earth and are thus clenched in the rigor mortis of defunct ethnic ideology. Indeed, when a council of elders elects to fight an individual’s credibility wars and even goes ahead to erroneously opine that the public’s ire against him is misplaced and that at best, it is a testament to the pacification of the entire Kalenjin community, then what ensues is a collision between the interests of the larger public and the nauseating interests of elders out to eke a living through connivance. Apparently, these elders are less good at offering wise counsel but are extremely good at seeking favors from those financially endowed and would therefore not hesitate to fight against ideas whose dividends are extremely important to the well being of the country. Far from being the agents of healing and reconciliation, they have become architects of discord in the country. No wonder ethnicity is said to be currently worse than it was shortly before and after the post election violence. If these elders are not issuing press statements to denounce the government’s move to evict those who have illegally settled in the Mau forest, they are busy whimpering about the victimization of the ministers implicated in graft. And now they do not mind the acrimonious relationship with the public in their quest to sanctify ambassador Kiplagat`s dark past. We would be failing in our sacrosanct duties as patriotic citizens were we to allow these effete corps of impudent snobs to swim in the tide of lobbying cash and destroy our country’s moral fibres. Their behavior is as risky as it is irresponsible. Such skullduggery if not stopped would inevitably doom our country to gridlock. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

MARVELLING AT THE VICE PRESIDENT`S EXTREMELY WIDE MARGINS OF ERROR OF REASONING.

The glee by some legislators across the political divide over the current political disarray in ODM is understandable. Many PNU legislators and sympathizers think that they have hit a brilliant insight. Convinced that the political fall-out between the PM and the Agriculture Minister is quite unmanageable they think it is time to arm twist ODM not only in the legislative agenda but also in spiting the PM by amending the constitution through unsavory deals to mandate the president to appoint the leader of the Government Business in the House. Among those hopeful of exploiting this golden opportunity is the vice president Kalonzo Musyoka. He has in fact just stopped short of declaring himself the de facto Chairperson of the House Business Committee as well as the leader of Government Business in the House. This follows the omission of the name of the PM from the powerful House Business Committee (HBC). The Vice President has taken this move to mean that the PM has begun to trim his (PM`s) political ambitions. This explains why the Vice President has lately been ranting that he still has a letter from President Kibaki appointing him (albeit without consultation as is stipulated in the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008) to that position. The Vice President must not be hasty in popping the champagne bottle. This is because this kind of reasoning has extremely wide margins of error. To begin with, I am sure that the Vice President as well as his minders know that making such a move would be seen by many across the political divide as an irrefutable way of ensuring that government business is paralyzed by partisanship something parliament and the larger public presently abhors. Secondly, since the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008 is part and parcel of the constitution, it requires that any amendment to any provision therein must meet a two thirds threshold. PNU knows very well that even with the support of the renegade ODM legislators, it cannot presently marshal this kind of support. Thirdly, the vice president together with his ilk should realize that the PM may have just made a tactical retreat. ODM is indeed capable of pulling a fast one on the vice president. I will not be surprised if many of those legislators pursuing bipartisanship move a motion in parliament to amend the constitution to specifically mandate Parliament to elect the leader of Government Business. Such a motion is likely to receive overwhelming support from legislators across the political divide. In the event that Kalonzo is to face a neutral ODM contestant like honorable Dr. Sally Kosgei or Joyce Laboso, Kalonzo`s chances of actualizing his lofty dream would be blown to smithereens. This is because of parliament’s increasing desire to see gender parity triumph coupled with the fact that his presidential ambitions have so far, rubbed many (including those in PNU) the wrong way. Many may want to use that opportunity to spite him. He will simply eat a humble pie. In my considered opinion, instead of further paralyzing Government Business, the Legislators must embrace bipartisanship and allow the speaker of the national Assembly to continue to chair HBC as well as be the leader of Government Business in the House. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

PRESIDENT KIBAKI`S SPEECH IS A TESTAMENT TO THE ABSENCE OF BIPARTISANSHIP IN GRAFT WAR.

Quite conspicuous in an otherwise bipartisanship speech by President Kibaki during the official opening of the fourth session of the tenth parliament was the statement “We must not politicize or personalize the fight against corruption.” It is this statement that has had experts differ sharply as to the precise meaning of these words. Much as I may want to believe that the President was rebuking those implicated in graft for seeking protection in their ethnic turfs in order to avoid taking political responsibility for their acts of commission and omission, I am also cognizant of the fact that this statement may in itself be a direct admission by the president of his drooling inability to tackle the snowballing corruption in the country. His much touted hands- off approach that had him hitherto heavily criticized may have apparently become a safe haven to his erstwhile political foes now turned bosom allies. But perhaps a more convincing explanation would be that the president deliberately directed flak at the Prime Minister that was carefully designed to keep him off balance. This would not be strange. It is an undeniable fact that president Kibaki has never gotten over the 2007 sour grapes. It would therefore not be improbable were he to make it his sole preoccupation to torpedo the PM`s 2012 presidential ambitions knowing too well that revenge is a dish best served cold. Why for instance, would a president whose seven years presidency has been punctuated by stunning inaction and dead silence in fighting graft suddenly find the voice to denounce the PM`s suspension of the Ministers implicated in graft followed hot on the heels with a fiery speech in parliament whose unmistakable intention was to lambast the PM? This could only be a testament to the fact that the President is least interested in converting his rhetoric on graft into action and that his sole obsession is to render the PM kaput politically. He would therefore not hesitate to pursue partisan interests in the guise of bipartisanship if only to spite the PM. In order to forestall the PM`s ambitions, the president’s wild card, is apparently the triple “K” alliance that has the potential to offer a formidable challenge to the PM. On the face of it, this loaded statement could thus be nothing more than the ranting of a president whose intention is to protect this brood irrespective of whether it may be composed of those who are vile or corrupt to the core. What could make it even more appealing to the President is the fact that some among this brood are more than willing to be used as stepping stones to the coveted presidency as long as they are assured that their muck will be evenly sheltered from the prying eyes of the public. Perhaps that could be the reason why the President wishes that the fight against graft remains as obscure as possible. It could also explain the rapturous foot thumping by a section of the legislators following the president’s unfortunate statement. But as they glide and grin in this muck, perhaps the overriding question in the minds of many, is at what cost to the nation are those nursing such machinations willing to go in milking this country dry? I am sure that the President is not oblivious to the fact that it is this elephant in his government that is responsible for the suffering of the sea of humanity in this country. It is because of this that I beseech the president to let the will of the nation triumph. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

HACKNEYED POLITICIANS ARE LOOSENING OUR CITIZENSHIP TIES AND UNDERMINING OUR PATRIOTISM.

Is it possible for one to profess love for one’s country and in the same vein hate its citizens with unlimited passion? Absurd as it may sound yet this is the paradox that is increasingly defining the relationship between the electorate and the many diabolical politicians. They are so stone cold to the fact the contempt with which they hold this country is threatening to loosen the ties of citizenship and greatly undermine our patriotism. Hackneyed politicians are furiously and callously driving the country to a precipice. Sample this; honorable Zakayo Cheruiyot, is overheard in a political rally spewing incendiary remarks to the effect that “the Kalenjins will assist the police in apprehending those who will throw stones.” He only stops short of stating why and when this “turbulence” will take place. Yet the Government has not found it necessary to question him over his “prophetic message.” In another related incident, honorable George Thuo alongside a section of the central Kenya legislators are overheard trashing the prospective meeting between the Prime Minister and President Mwai Kibaki. With such theatrics, the public is left wondering as to who exactly stands to gain if the high political temperatures are sustained in this country. Curiously, the same legislators have been heard elsewhere opining that those currently fighting graft are engaged in a diversionary tactics to scuttle the constitution making process even though there isn’t any iota of evidence to remotely suggest an interconnectedness between the fight against corruption and the constitution making process. As the above scenarios play out, the country is now being subjected to the conjecture that conspiracy theories to discredit targeted political personalities and political parties have started being manufactured. I have a hunch that the public will be fed to more and more of this political conspiracies. From the above incidents, one does not need to be a professor of politics to be able to tell that unconscionable politicians are deliberately orchestrating a political disorientation. This political disorientation is a perfect smokescreen for this cabal to throw a protective ring around those implicated in graft. Secondly, they hope to use it as a reason enough to disembark from the Grand Coalition Government (GCG) and hope that President Kibaki will have the carte blanche to invite renegade ODM Legislators to form a Government of National Unity (GNU). Such reasoning is childish because the GCG is not about an individual as these Legislators seem to think. GCG was conveniently put in place to accommodate the disenchantment of a larger part of the electorate arising out of a flawed electoral process. That is why the National Accord and Reconciliation Act succinctly states that no side of the two political parties (ODM and PNU) can realistically govern without the other. Neither can PNU nor ODM undergo a mutation to become an acceptable ruling party outside the GCG. It therefore follows that any attempt at prematurely disembarking from this political structure must inevitably give rise to a general election failure to which another politically instigated blood letting will be ushered in. This is the chilling reality that must be accepted by these conniving politicians. Political leaders must therefore come to their senses and begin to appreciate the fact that the citizenship of this country needs and craves for better leadership. Such leadership cannot be demonstrated through their criss- crossing the country to hold political rallies with a view to spreading vile disinformation with overwhelming rhetorical force nor in manufacturing targeted political conspiracies. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

WAR AGAINST GRAFT IS NOT DIVERSIONARY.

Dear Sir/Madam, The PM`s directive to suspend Ministers implicated in graft and the resultant, dickering and dithering across the political divide has revealed a stunning inability of the Grand Coalition Government in combating graft in the country. It is crystal clear that politicians are bent on misrepresenting facts to score political points. With this in mind, political responsibility so to speak; has become a phantasm. Instead, politically motivated flak and unfounded fear mongering have officially become the main planks on the political platform. Take for instance, those who are currently harping on the ill conceived notion that any efforts at fighting graft at this point in time, is a diversionary tactic aimed at stalling the constitution making process. Such incendiary remarks must be treated with the contempt they deserve. It would be absurd for anyone to imagine that the country must take a sabbatical leave from justice, law and order to allow the constitution making process to reach its logical conclusion. If this thinking was allowed to take precedence then it would mean that the country turns a blind eye to all forms of crime at all the levels in the society. It would be akin to saying that in the spirit of constitution making; we open all the gates of our prison and let out all criminals. Still others have found it extremely difficult to make an official pronouncement over their personal or party position with regard to the fight against corruption perhaps with a view to eschewing the resultant short term political consequences were they to boldly denounce the influential corrupt. At such surreal moments, it is even more astounding to hear some political analysts and mavericks consider such admissions of cowardice as evidence of political astuteness. This kind of intellectual dishonesty is unfortunate and only serves to put our country in the imminent danger of becoming a failed state. Many have also opined that none among our current crop of leaders has the moral authority to fight graft. Like Ronald Reagan who believed that the great American recession was too big to take care of itself, so are many our leaders today. They think that graft is too big for anyone to stand on its way. Unfortunately, we would be willing victims of their political chicanery were we to allow them to coerce us into accepting that this fight is insurmountable. It is not. We must not therefore allow them to suck us into their overwhelming diatribe. Instead, we must insist that politicians across the political divide and especially the President and the Prime Minister, must strengthen the bond of trust between themselves and the Kenyan people by having the courage to tell hard truths and make hard decisions beneficial to Kenyans from all walks of life irrespective of the short term political consequences. The mark of true leadership does not entail the ability to hurl accusations and counter accusations at each other with overwhelming rhetoric, rather, it lies in the ability to articulate clear goals and consistently hold to such goals without fear nor favor. We must never allow our leader to fall short of these two requirements. The means to our socio-political and economic success is clearly in our ability to forever pursue sustainable solutions to fighting graft. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

PRESS RELEASE:KENYAN HRD NJOROGE WAITHERA RECOGNIZED IN DUBLIN.

DATE: 12 February 2010 For Release During Conference -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenyan HRD Njoroge Waithera Recognized at a Leading International Conference for Human Rights Defenders’ in Dublin 10th-12th February 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More than a hundred Human Rights Defenders from 90 countries worldwide are attending the “5th Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders”, in Dublin from 10th - 12th February 2010. The HRDs are joined by key officials from the EU, the United Nations and intergovernmental organisations and are looking at the current risks facing human rights defenders with a view to developing new strategies to assess and minimise those risks. Speaking at the Dublin Platform, HRD Njoroge Waithera from Kenya called on the international community to promote the respect and protection of human rights defenders by national governments by conditioning bilateral co-operation/assistance to governments’ demonstrable commitment to their obligations under the International Human Rights Law. Njoroge further called on the Kenyan government to institute speedy and impartial investigation for extra judicial execution of two HRDs, G.P. Oulu and O. Kamau on 5th March 2009 and demanded meaningful protection for HRDs facing similar death threats on account of their legitimate human rights advocacy. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethern Pillay paid tribute to the courage of HRDs who put their lives on the line everyday, to protect the rights of others. Also speaking at the conference, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin T.D. congratulated Front Line, the organiser, for their outstanding work. “Human Rights Defenders put their own lives at risk to break the deafening silence of indifference and complacency. Without human rights defenders, the voices of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society would not be heard” said Minister Martin. “Human Rights Defenders are people who make extra-ordinary sacrifices, often putting their own lives at risk. They are usually either on the move or on the run. They are the people who change society,” Front Line Director Mary Lawlor said. HRDs travelled from across the globe to attend: from countries where human rights violations are common place such as: Afganistan, Zimbabwe, Iran, Burma, Colombia and Haiti. HRDs are often abused because of their work on the trafficking of women and children, exploitive working conditions, the discrimination of ethnic minorities or the marginalisation of those from indigenous communities. Other guest speakers included UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Ms. Margaret Sekkagya and Front Line Chairman, Mr. Denis O'Brien. For further Information please contact: Jim Loughran, Head of Communications, Front Line Telephone + 353 1 212 3750 Mobile + 353 (0)87 9377586

ONGERI MUST KNOW THAT ABSURD ISSUANCE OF EDUCATION FUNDS IS CORRUPTION.

Dear Sir/Madam, It seems to me that honorable Ongeri is illiberal or downright condescending or that perhaps he is both. That is why he still finds it difficult to clearly comprehend the enormity of his acts of commission and omission. Speaking during a political rally in Kisii, Ongeri roused the crowd with a high dose of ethnic populism and in the process brazenly admitted that he had engaged in absurd issuance of education funds in his constituency. Interestingly, the jolly old professor is still somewhat puzzled that the public thinks of him as being corrupt! For starters, Ongeri must acquaint himself with the definition of the term corruption. I guess I have to be sufficiently philanthropic as to provide one for his sake. According to the World Bank, corruption is “the abuse of power for personal gain or for the benefit of a group to which one owes allegiance. It is motivated by greed and by the desire to retain or increase one`s power.” From the foregoing, I firmly believe that Ongeri is now in a vantage point to clearly understand the folly of his actions and that he will therefore not continue misread the signs on the wall. I expect him to swallow the last shred of his pride and to honorably tender his resignation with immediate effect. In the event that he elects to continue ignoring the mounting pressure from the public, the president and the Prime Minister must sack him in the best interest of the public. I must also hasten to tell him that by his very own admission, his public ratings have taken a severe hit so much so that even his own constituents will find it difficult to spare him the agony of going down the path of political incineration. It should pain his conscience that he has incessantly lied to the public and to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education. We now know that there is a great mountain between what his heart knows and what his tongue has been saying. What we still do not know is perhaps the avalanche of truth that he is still withholding from the public domain. It is does not cease to amaze the public that there are still some Cabinet Ministers who continue to think that dishonesty serves a higher truth. It irritates the intelligence of many that such impropriety has to come from a man who claims to be pious. It is even worse when the same person is also a holder of the title “professor.” Ongeri must know that the unrelenting brushfire that has so far taken toll on Permanent Secretaries and other top civil servants in the Ministries of Education, Agriculture and Special Programmes has not subsided. He must know that the menacing flames are still soaring high. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

WHERE CORRUPTION AND HUBRIS ARE THE MANTRA, NATIONHOOD IS DEFEATED.

Dear Sir/Madam, There is an Igbo saying that states that a rock behind the sea does not hear rainfall even if it rains cats and dogs. This is because such a rock is always wet to notice the rain. Like this rock, some of our political leaders are absolutely drenched in corruption. No matter the torrential outpouring of complaints from the public about their corrupt engagements, such political leaders are tone deaf because their moral fibres have been numbed by the seemingly attractive and lucrative corruption. In the wake of the successive scandals we have heard them unleash cryptic utterances in their defense. Their obliquities and intrigues have always left the public more confounded. Amid all these, serious bribery silently takes place. Many legislators across the political divide have been hired to form a protective ring round the architects of these calamitous scandals. In fact, with Parliament`s recess coming to an end in less than two weeks time, I have a hunch that some unforeseen forces are already on the prowl for legislators who will help kill the anticipated censure motion against honorable Ongeri. As cynically chilling as it appears, yet it is not unexpected because where partisanship and ethnicity are the mantra, hubris defeats caution. Any keen observer would not fail to discern what this arrogance is all about. Politicians across the political divide are preoccupied with amassing huge finances in readiness for 2012. Many are using the incessant and discordant fiddling in the Grand Coalition Government as a smokescreen for them to pilfer from the public coffers. It is even said that an unnamed presidential aspirant touting about “generational change” has been heard brazenly bragging that he has already “amassed” over eight billion shillings just for 2012! In such circumstances condemning corruption becomes terribly frightening and unpopular even among the few honest politicians. They would rather see their profiles in cowardice grow than for them to fight this insidious evil. But they have a valid reason for cowering. This is because; corrupt politicians and their political hirelings will besmirch and plot the downfall of anyone who stands in their corrupt way. Power politics and corruption have truly become the diplomatic names for the law of the jungle. I am therefore not surprised that some politicians mainly from PNU have already cheekily called for the resignation of the PM for his alleged failure in supervising and coordinating activities in the Grand Coalition Government. But wait a minute; are these not the same politicians who have time and again formed impenetrable walls round those implicated in almost all the scandals in this country? It would be naïve of the public to expect politicians from a political party whose main plank of their political platform is to tear the PM into smithereens to support his course of action. It is ironical that in their populist formula they conveniently forget the President`s inaction in the fight against graft. It is time that they told the public why they are obsessed with directing the flak at the PM yet the President`s silence on corruption has been loud enough to be heard in all the four corners of this country! They seem to conveniently forget that under the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008, the ultimate political responsibility rests with the two principals. They have the power to dismiss any errant public officials below them. The public therefore expects these politicians to unflinchingly support the two principals in the coalition government in the fight against graft. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

ONGERI`S REBUTTAL OF THE PM IS A DESPERATE ATTEMPT AT SANCTIFYING HIS OWN GROSS ERRORS.

Buried deep in Ongeri`s rebuttal against the PM`s call for his resignation was the phrase “evil scheme to bring me down" presumably by his political nemesis.” Taken literally, Ongeri thinks that the snowballing corruption in his ministry is hot air. To him, it is just an orchestrated fight to oust him from his comfort zone. It also means that Kenyans are too benighted and are thus uncomprehending or deliberately misinformed. I dare say that there is no need for any right thinking person to take seriously Ongeri`s rhetoric for in so doing we shall only be sanctifying the depths of his errors and imagine (as he has done) that there are hidden motives in the PM`s call for his resignation. Contrary to what Ongeri believes, “this evil scheme” played under his very nose, threatens to bring down not him, but the future of millions of the Kenyan children and the future of the country as a whole. The fact that he was so inept not to have detected it early enough is the reason the public is demanding for his resignation. What is worrying though is the sad realization that some among our current legislators like honorable Walter Nyambati have taken this cue and are already accusing the PM of ethnicizing the fight against the rot in the public service. Does Nyambati imagine that the children of the Abagusii will be exempted from the suffering brought about by the Minister`s lackadaisical attitude to management of public resources? This to me is an unfortunate legislative condescension that we need to purge from this country because it is a tradition that has for generations impoverished the Kenyan economy, society and the functions of government. We must more than ever before say no to this apocalyptic tendencies. It must be understood that the fight against corruption transcends personal as well as ethnic boundaries. If this sobering message does not compel our legislators and the cabinet to set aside their quarrels long enough to address the problems facing the nation, then they deserve the contempt in which many Kenyans hold them. It is against this backdrop that I expect them to fully support the PM`s call for Professors Ongeri`s and Mutahi`s resignation for proper investigations to take place. One thing that must be clear to all is that the office sanctifies its holder thus there is not even the remotest possibility of thorough investigations being carried out while the two are in office. I therefore specifically call upon those who have expressed their ambitions for becoming the CEO of this country to condemn the scams in Government. Like the PM they should show the public that they have the penchant for promoting the country`s good. The PM has on several occasions risked his political career by running into burning buildings and trying to put out fires that are decimating this country. Whether he is framed by his conniving political nemesis does not matter because the electorate now than ever before is looking for someone who has demonstrated capability to fix that which is crucial to the well being of the country. I wish that in the same vein the President dispenses with his perennial gentility and cracks the whip on recalcitrant public officers. I do not know whether the president`s loud silence in the FPE saga is a "measure of leniency" towards the people under whose watchfulness the pilfering took place. One thing I know is that his reverberating silence is totally inconsistent with the zero policy tolerance on corruption and only serves to amplify his naiveté. This silence falls far short of what is needed to restore to our children the bright future prospects as our legacy. The sad truth is that until the President takes a lead role in the fight against corruption in the various sectors, the country will continue to pay the price. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

NOW PSEUDO POPULIST WAMALWA BLAMES ODM FOR THE CANCELLATION OF SIMAMA KENYA RALLY.

Dear Sir/Madam, Going by what transpired in Bungoma this week, honorable Eugene Wamalwa has to quickly figure out what political tune to sing and how to effectively reach his audience or be decimated by the raging political undertones. Miffed by his political antics, the Ford Kenya stalwarts unflinchingly told him to first take Simama Kenya to his Saboti constituency before embarking on a political tour to the larger Bungoma region. In simple terms the genuine Ford Kenya stalwarts told him that it had become extremely difficult for them to recognize his musical or party affiliation. His democratic ideals were questioned when he resorted to using unorthodox methods to clinch Ford Kenya`s chairmanship. Couldn`t the Simama Kenya endorsement have waited for the conclusion of the internal democratic process in Ford Kenya? Why for instance would he opt to be endorsed as Ford Kenya`s de facto party chairperson by the nebulous “Simama Kenya” rather than the Ford Kenya party itself? These were the kind of questions that made Wamalwa dither and dither. He finally made a tactical retreat and conveniently blamed the police for the cancellation. After this brushfire that burned through his political fortunes he frantically searched for a political function that could help him escape the searing political heat in the Ford Kenya home turf. He later own found himself in the brigade of the Agriculture Minister William Ruto who was presiding over the opening of a teachers training college in Kapenguria. Predictably, politics took the centre stage. Honorable Wamalwa yet again transported the Ford Kenya wrangles to Kapenguria. Dispensing off with gentility, he was not only offending and condescending but also down right annoying. In what political pundits say is a strategy to chip away Raila`s popularity in the Ford Kenya`s political turf, honorable Wamalwa brazenly blamed ODM for the cancellation of the Simama Kenya rally that was to ostensibly endorse him for presidency. In an apparent reference to the Prime Minister Eugene said, “The politics of a half loaf are behind the cancellation of the Simama Kenya rally in Bungoma.” I bet that he himself was surprised that people believed this lie. Yet without adducing an iota of evidence, Wamalwa knows too well that he stands to be accused of peddling empty rhetoric. You see, rhetoric is cheap and because of its cheapness Wamalwa can afford plenty of it. Expect a lot of it from him. The politics of 2012 has no doubt given him a curse of opportunity to reveal himself ruinously. It is hard to imagine that the hitherto nice guy has fallen so low and is fighting tooth and nail to remain relevant in Kenya`s political theatre. In solidarity with the Agriculture Minister, they entered a pact that will ostensibly see them support each other to clinch the country`s presidency. And in this very function, a new buzzword found its place in Kenya`s political theatre of absurdity. Frustrated that Kenyans are not too benighted to wholly swallow the “transformational leadership” banner, they invoked the phrase “generational change.” I find this phrase illiberal in the sense that what Kenyans are yearning for is transformative leadership which is neither a preserve of the youthful politicians. Transformative leadership does not preclude age. I know so many among the current youthful political leaders who do not deserve to lead this country because they have nothing in common with the generation they fervently seek to be the voice of. I stand to be corrected but I believe that the reason for the change of phrase is based on the realization that few if any among them have transformative abilities. I do not begrudge Wamalwa (aka the boda boda MP) for his new found wisdom. However, I wish to remind him that in elective politics, images are symbolic, and symbolism matters when it reflects a deeper truth. His new found company bespeaks volumes. I doubt whether being a pseudo populist will do him any good. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

THE WRITER ERRED IN DOWPLAYING WAFULA BUKE’S REFORM CREDENTIALS.

Recently a section of the media published an article which was written by one Ongoro wa’ Munga.The article which according to me and those privy to real struggle for second liberation is full of malice and lies aimed at tainting Wafula Buke’s reputation.wa’Munga’s article is intended to distort history by praising the cowards at the expense of real heroes of the second liberation. I first learnt about Buke’s heroic acts in late 1980’s when he was expelled from the university because of his views against Moism.It was an act of courage that many dared not to stand and be counted. He had a strong position about what he stood for and that is why the system feared him more and jailed him for five years while others like Miguna were acquitted. I was young but my dad and elder brother always helped me to go through the newspapers and some magazines like the then Hillary Ngweno’s weekly review and Gitobu Imanyara’s Nairobi law monthly. When I joined the university of Nairobi in 2000, it happened that one of my lifelong desires was achieved; meeting Wafula Buke whom I still consider one of the greatest and true Kenyan heroes to date. My knowledge of Buke as a the most sincere pro democracy crusader , a resilient, independent minded, strong willed mentor and a freedom fighter of our age that can hardly be compromised. In the article, the writer tries to mitigate Miguna’s supposed credentials in the struggle as superior to Buke’s when he knows very well that Miguna is only known to his campus colleagues of that time. Though I wasn’t part of that group, my familiarity with Buke informs me that the writer was inaccurate in his imaginations. There are many reasons why I agree with Buke when he said that Miguna’s struggle for change ended in 1987 at the University of Nairobi . The writer fails to cite any significant argument other than the good English .Wafula Buke’s name is synonymous with the struggle for change in this country and at no point has Buke been a sycophant. it must be known that Buke’s contemporaries who chose sycophancy over principles are the ones who enjoyed during Moi’s time and are still enjoying the fruits of corruption even in the current government; an opportunity Buke denied himself because of what he stood for .given his position as SONU chairman then,Buke would have chosen the easier way of getting compromised or selling out his comrades and avoiding prison or playing sycophancy to western powers in order to earn a refugee status or foreign citizenship like Miguna.but Buke must be lauded for he avoided this temptation and still got involved in the liberation politics even after leaving prison.Buke continued to play a major role in the struggle and his efforts and those of the likes of George Anyona,Koigi wa Wamwere,Njeru Kathangu,Wanyiri Kihoro ,Dr.Willy Mutunga,Mwandawiro Mghanga,Dr.Mukaru Ng’ang’a and others are the ones that have taken us this far as far as growth of democracy is concerned. The writer’s hero Miguna Miguna plays an obscure role in this if any. The writer seems to have been around for quite some time since he claims that he was at the university of Nairobi a little time earlier than Wafula Buke and Miguna Miguna.What he doesn’t tell us is his(the writer’s) own role in bringing change in this country. He looks like a new entrant .he falls in the category of spectators and therefore has no moral authority to talk about the discomforts of being in prison. He doesn’t know what prison is. He is a coward who never dared take the central part of the struggle for change and he now seeks relevance by claiming that he knows both Buke and Miguna.Not all those who got expelled by university authorities fought for justice. Its interesting that the writer’s misguided analysis fails to explain his own lack of political presence despite claiming that he was expelled from the university at some point before the same fate befell Buke and Miguna. It’s primitive for Mr.wa’Muga to insinuate that anyone is jealous or envies Miguna’s supposed academic achievements. Academic achievements only have value to individuals who posses them. Whatever the so called achievements are; they serve purpose to the individual who posses them and have little benefit to the nation as compared to the struggle for freedom justice and equality. The freedom that Buke fought for is what has made Miguna to come and reclaim Kenyan citizenship and even get a job which he couldn’t get under previous circumstances that he ran away from. No one cares whether he has a million degrees; that is for his own personal benefit, not the nation’s. Let it be known too that there are many people who are more educated than Miguna.Let it also be known that education is different from leadership, diplomacy and wisdom; qualities that I find scarce in Miguna as a person. He is just one of many professionals in his field. If that is what informs Miguna’s belligerence and self importance attitude, then he is totally misguided. I happened to hear about Miguna Miguna for the first time through reading a number of his articles on some blogs during his days as an armchair activist in Canada.Miguna must know that there is a very big difference between writing from a safe distance and operating on the frontline.Buke’s credentials are evident through the works he did including mentoring and helping many young student leaders into developing ideologically oriented leadership. I can authoritatively say that Buke mentored many of us while Miguna was busy writing to imaginary audiences in Canada.Buke played a significant role in even assisting students who were expelled and suspended. Apart from giving us political education, he together with Professor Kivutha Kibwana helped so many suspended and expelled students including providing accommodation for over 20 students at a time. Where was Miguna then? He was in Canada writing articles and developing the character of drowning in his own megalomaniac imaginations which is the syndrome he suffers from to date. Some of the people Buke mentored to student leadership include the likes of Ndolo Asasa, Mwengi Mutuse, Otieno Caleb David, Isaac Mukenya, Moses Oburu, Irungu Kang’ata,the late comrade Oulu GPO, Makokha Wanjala, to name but a few.Buke sheltered many comrades who couldn’t be welcome anywhere else after being suspended. It was through Buke’s mentorship that despite the meager resources, I was able to contest and win SONU Vice Chairmanship in 2003 .Where was Miguna at that time? Living in the comfort zone of what he called political exile? Where was Miguna when Buke joined together with other pro change activists in the struggle for the new constitutional order under Muungano Wa Mageuzi? During our days in SONU,which was as recent as 2003,mentioning Wafula Buke,Tito Adungosi,James Orengo,Wanyiri Kihoro Mwandwiro Mghanga ,Chelagat Mutai,Kabando wa Kabando,Otieno Aluoka;gave automatic votes to any candidate who was able to quote the said names in his/her speech. Those names gave impression that the candidate knew the history of SONU. Those names to date define the true lineage of SONU leadership. I dint hear anyone mention Miguna Miguna. What kind of personality is this Miguna Miguna?he is a person whose main ideology is self righteosness. its a pity that he opts to insults whenever challenged or whenever he differs with anyone in ideas. Since this Miguna fellow got an opportunity to be known to Kenyans he has been making uncivilized moves every time he does anything. He is rubbing everyone’s shoulders the wrong way. he is an intolerant person who doesn’t deserve a position like being the advisor to the Prime Minister. I doubt if the Prime Minister relies on the advice of this intolerant character that happens to send around offensive and unprintable text messages to people who disagree with him in principle. It’s shameful that out of so many competent Kenyans, the Prime Minister appointed him as the chief advisor. Miguna’s self righteous attitude drove him to even send unprintable insults to human rights activist and playwright Okiya Omtatah Okoiti just because they had a differing opinion on some political issue. Wafula Buke is an icon of the struggle for the second liberation and that is why those who envy his moral political achievements are out to taint his name. History will honour Buke and shame on them who want to mitigate their absence in the struggle by downplaying Buke’s sacrifice that eventually highly contributed to the democratic change that we attained. The writer wants us to Google Miguna as the founding coordinator of the committee of democracy in Kenya . The struggle for change is not about the elitist .the grassroots don’t know how to Google and that informs how out of touch the writer and his friend Miguna are. it is also wrong for the writer to seek legitimacy by linking whatever he claims to be Miguna’s struggle to the sacrifices the likes of Dr.Willy Mutunga made to help us get to where we are.Miguna can not fit in the league of true pro-democracy activists like Dr.Mutunga.Miguna’s irrationality, self importance, self righteousness and the know it all mentality is the opposite of the values that people like Dr.Mutunga espouse. They cannot be in the same league. If you ask majority of Kenyans, they will tell you that they only came to know Miguna, after him exposing the awful character which included him trying to derail the constitution review process when he walked out of the consensus meeting. There is hardly anything positive to say about Miguna. The writer has given an example of Govani Mbeki and Chris Hani as having brought about change while in exile. if find this out of context and cannot apply in the struggle for second liberation in Kenya.ANC was fighting for freedom fro colonialists while the second liberation was about saving Kenya from an African dictator; Daniel arap Moi. The writer also forgets the recent contribution Buke made in their ODM campaigns. were it not for Buke’s personal effort the ODM presidential candidate wouldn’t have got the number of votes that he got in Bungoma.I witnessed Buke’s campaigns firsthand when he tried to campaign in what was perceived to be a PNU zone in 2007.Buke managed to help a number of ODM parliamentary candidates into victory and a surprise performance of the presidential candidate who got over 40 percent of the vote in the larger Bungoma.what votes did Miguna take to the ODM campaign?Miguna must be happy that its because of the efforts of the likes of Buke that he enjoys the comfort of working in the Prime Minister’s office, otherwise there couldn’t be such an office in this country.Miguna owes Buke gratitude. I am yet to see Miguna’s credentials in the struggle if at all there are any. FWAMBA NC FWAMBA 0721779445 NAIROBI fwambanc@yahoo. com

FUND SCAM: DO NOT PLAY POLITICAL PING PONG BY SHORTCHANGING CHILDREN.

Dear Sir/Madam, The implementation of the Free Primary Education (FPE) and Subsidized Secondary Education (SSE) programme was seen as a final bright star falling into alignment. The public as well as donors hailed the programme and supported it morally and financially. However, eight years down the line, this dream is on the verge of being shattered. A huge chunk of the funds injected into this programme have instead been embezzled by corrupt bureaucrats in the Ministry of Basic Education. Regrettably but predictably, the Ministry deliberately failed to have in- built mechanisms of monitoring and evaluation that would have provided Kenyans with consistent information regarding the state of the FPE and SSE. Everything just went awry. Amid all these scandals, it is perhaps the ability of top technocrats to brazenly deny the obvious that is startling. Already, the Permanent Secretary and the Government Spokesperson (aka, the spin doctor) are furiously spinning strange tales in a bid to evenly cover up this muck. They are wondering why a donor who contributes less than five percent of the FPE and SSE should complain when corruption rears its ugly head in the Ministry. To them, these donors are akin to an outsider who sheds more tears than the bereaved. The worst is when they allege that the money stolen did not even come from the donors. These gentlemen seem to think that stealing donors’ money is what constitutes theft; however, stealing from the Kenyan tax payers is not theft at all! By the way, it doesn`t matter whether it is FPE or SSE money that was stolen; the bottom-line is that a punishable crime was committed. It is therefore sickening to see some top civil servants play political ping pong by shortchanging our kids. For how long shall such individuals continue to hide behind ethnicity or party politics while destroying the future of our children? It is even worse for the public to be subjected to a tirade by some MPS for merely calling upon the resignation of the Minister and the PS. These MPs know that the Minister and the PS cannot be investigated while in office. Don`t they know that the office sanctifies its holder? Moreover, it is nauseating for the PS to tell the public that it should not worry since the FPE and SSE programmes would be unaffected by the scandal that has docked in the Ministry. Could this imply that the Ministry has somehow backfilled its budget deficit? Where did all this money come from? Could treasury have used the consolidated fund in frantically filling the gaping budget holes in the Basic Education Ministry? Or were there budgetary cutbacks from other sectors? Were such action(s) approved by the full cabinet and parliament? In my considered view, such an action would only make treasury a partner in crime. If that be the case then the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) must censure the Finance Minister for operating outside his jurisdiction. Yet it is the President`s loud silence that has perhaps had the public wondering whether he still has the welfare of the Kenyan child at heart. Like many other Kenyans, I have prayed that the president takes a decisive action to save this country from this cancerous growth that is cutting a swath through his brainchild. To begin with, the Minister for Basic Education and his “Permanent” Secretary must have their services suspended, if not terminated. As Kuan Yew Lee opines “once a political system has been corrupted right from the very top leaders to the lowest rungs of the bureaucracy, the problem is very complicated. The cleansing has to start from top and go downwards in a thorough and systematic way.” TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

SOCIETY MUST CULL SEX DEVIANT TEACHERS.

Dear Sir/Madam, By virtue of their profession, society has placed much trust in teachers. They are expected to inspire freedom of thought and expression and a rigorous pursuit of knowledge among pupils. In such a crucible, ideas are supposed to be wrought. Indeed each and every one of us is a proud product of teachers. The environment within which knowledge was churned gave each of us an equal opportunity to shine according to his or her gifts. However, this enabling environment has since then drastically changed. There have been unfortunate reports that some students have been sexually assaulted, touched inappropriately or courted in suggestive manner by their teachers. It is also worrying that the cases so far reported may just be a tip of the ice berg given that many offenders are not reported because their targets do not want to alert their parents or relevant authorities. This trend spells doom for the children as well as the society bearing in mind that the children`s chances of achievement in life is seriously compromised from the first minute they set foot in the classrooms of these perverts. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has had to suspend, dismiss and even deregister such pedophiles in accordance with the code of regulations. The fact that there has been an increase in the number of teachers found guilty of misconduct should be seen as an encouraging sign that TSC has detection systems in place which are having an effect. It must be noted albeit sadly that any occupation with children as its clientele will attract a proportion of people who are predators or simply morally weak. And, since these people do not have permanent tattoos on their foreheads, detection and prevention mechanisms will never be 100% effective. Hence, reports that TSC has tolerated endless deviance from sex pests are inaccurate. The day the mainstream media reports that no teachers have been interdicted, suspended, dismissed and even deregistered is the day the country should truly be worried! Having said that, I must quickly add that there is genuine concern that the punishment meted to pedophiles by TSC is not deterrent enough. In my considered opinion such teachers ought not to be disciplined by TSC alone. After dispensing with them, TSC should then haul such offenders before the courts of law to be culled. However, in calling for stiffer penalties, it must be understood that there are two sides for every story. So until and unless the claims have been corroborated beyond any reasonable doubt, it would be naïve for anyone to expect TSC to hastily take punitive measures (other than an interdiction pending investigations) against any of its employees. We have seen quite a number of teachers terribly suffer from false accusations. Moreover, suffice to say that it hurts the lot of the over 240,000 teachers who are doing excellent work when the public and the mainstream media make unfortunate generalizations about teachers in entirety. Such ill informed comments will only serve the purpose of demoralizing the many diligent teachers. We must accept the fact that individuals roused by pubescent desires are not only a preserve of the teaching profession. They are everywhere. We have seen priests, policemen, doctors, lawyers, businessmen among others. Rather than engage in selective criminalization, it is time that the Government and all stakeholders came up with far reaching policies to stamp out this malady in the society. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

PLEASE, PLEASE,NOT ANOTHER FLIGHT TO INCINERATION.

Dear Sir/Madam, Judging by what transpired in a political rally in Kipkelion this week, it seems as though the maverick brigade that presided over that rally is determined to once more put this country on a flight to political incineration. Otherwise why would they be so much interested in taking the nation back to the painful memories of the post election violence? Their incessant and callous talk about incited youths having killed, raped and maimed in the name of the Prime Minister does not augur well with the conscientious public that is reeling from horrendous post election violence. This brunt of politics is brutally dishonest and only serves to expose the brigade`s comprehensive incompetence. It must be made abundantly clear to them that they cannot hope to gather public goodwill to propel them to the helm of this country`s political leadership in 2012 through such unfortunate emotional trickery. We have not forgotten that some among this servile brigade are today obsessed with misusing “truth and reconciliation" to evade justice. Some among them are probably fully responsible for the multiple debacles currently going on in the country. The least we expect from them is remorse and for them to spearhead a genuine healing campaign. However, it appears as though hubris has defeated caution once again. We are again witnessing parochial politicians traversing this country on a mission to magnify distrust among the people of this nation. Do they think that Kenyans are too benighted to understand what is good for them! I expected that since some among them have already declared their presidential ambitions, they would be prudent enough to preoccupy themselves with selling their vision to the electorate. Instead, it appears to me that their ambition to presidency is hinged on their venomous hatred against the PM and by extension other ethnic groups that seem to be gravitating towards the PM. Hatred alone can never be reason for one to seek the presidency of this country. The worst mistake that the electorate can do is to allow such an individual to take the mantle of leadership of this country. Rather than divine healing, expect revenge. Expect discrimination against certain individuals and ethnic groups in the country. Consequently, there would be skirmishes upon skirmishes ad infinitum. It is also totally absurd they are squandering a tremendous opportunity of advancing their political ideology by using threats to try to buttress bovine obedience from a section of MPs from Rift Valley Province who are supposedly not in their camp. Inciting voters against a popularly elected leader just because he does not champion one`s political cause is a very shameful act. Finally, it is pathetic for any elected leader to spend his every waking hour trying to get even with the PM instead of dispensing services to Kenyans. Such obsession will only make them dither and dither and finally self destruct themselves. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

ABSENCE OF GUIDING AND COUNSELING IN SCHOOLS PORTENDS DISASTER.

Dear Sir/Madam, The public relies entirely on teachers and educational institutions to provide the basis for a fully functional society. Schools have therefore to constantly grapple with providing for a diversity of cultures and learning styles. The physical, social and emotional needs of students have to be effectively addressed. These accelerating social and cultural dynamics within the educational system continue to have a huge impact on the working lives of teachers. Amid all these changes, the parents` “magic touch” on the lives of their children has increasingly become a missing link. Once parents literally damp their children in school; they heave a sigh of relief and from there on they become absentee parents. Even after schools close for the vacations, parents will hastily arrange for their children to be enrolled in various private centers offering holiday tuition thus limiting the chance of spending quality time with their children. They mistakenly think that more classroom instruction would some how make up for their absence. This behavior is observed in both boarding and day schools. In day schools for instance, there is not much time for the children after the parent(s) arrive home from work. They are tired, and therefore the homework and other concerns of the child are often neglected or done in haste. This is trend is obviously doing a great disservice to our youth. Given that they will be the future of this nation, many of them will be ill prepared for the real world of work, bills, and household duties and responsibilities because of a poor education and poor role models. What parents and teachers fail to understand is that classroom instruction is just but a piece of a jig saw puzzle in the provision of a holistic education. As for teachers, very few of them have received essential skills in guiding and counseling. A look at the education courses offered in the leading public universities and primary teacher colleges reveal that the graduates in education do not take guiding and counseling as a core course. This means that when they are absorbed as teachers in schools, the child is no doubt expected to struggle alone to find a footing amid the numerous vulnerabilities. Indiscipline and the resultant underperformance in examinations cannot be avoided in such an environment. Cognizant of this challenge the government must quickly come up with a tailored programme that will see to it that all teachers are trained in guiding and counseling so that they can in turn reverse this trend and encourage parental involvement. This will be the first step towards creating a more positive attitude towards teaching and learning. In so doing, teachers, parents and students will ultimately be helped in achieving their goals of a top quality education without unnecessary distractions such as excessive indiscipline. Some diligent teachers are already going back to universities and other colleges to horn their skills, but most of them are struggling with families and high costs of living and cannot therefore afford this essential course. Suffice it to say that no amount of policy reforms in education will effectively work without first addressing the component of guiding and counseling in schools. The Government should therefore commit itself to putting proper money and time into training the existing teaching workforce in both primary and secondary schools in guiding and counseling. It should partner with universities and primary teacher colleges to offer this course through school based programmes that can be offered in selected centers countrywide. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

PSCs PROCEDURAL CYNICISM IS CATALYTIC OF THE COUNTRY`S CONSTITUTIONAL IMBROGLIO.

Dear Sir/Madam, A couple of weeks ago, I was satisfied with the fact that the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitution (PSC) regarded with great respect the guaranteed constitutional rights of the electorate. However, going by what is transpiring in the Naivasha grand retreat, I have now modified my position, changing it so slightly so that "satisfied" becomes "dissatisfied," which is just a difference of three letters, but of course with a gulf between them. In its hurry towards the thrill of a “breakthrough” it has left the public in a catatonic stupor. PSC is exhibiting its arrogance and malfeasance by brazenly frittering away the draft constitution. We have seen it arrogate itself the power to determine the number of MPS that this country needs. (I am informed that PSC is wagging hopeful on a figure of 325!). It is also ominously aiding the miscarriage of article 35, to mention but a few. Shifting attention to that which is beyond its mandate is exactly what is making the public gripe about. Given that it has allowed political fiefdoms to hold it at ransom, it would have been difficult for it not to dither. That is why it is not surprising that after the counterfactual discussions and concessions it has come up with a Hobson’s choice; a pure presidential system of governance. That is democracy- the PSC style. Whereas I have no qualms with those who support the pure presidential system, I feel that an equally large section of the electorate has been terribly disenfranchised by being denied the constitutional right to vote for a pure parliamentary system. It would be naïve of the PSC to try to buttress bovine obedience in the electorate when it is very clear that their over- the- counter prescription is unconstitutional. It smacks of dictatorship. According to the constitution, national sovereignty belongs to the people; not a 26 member PSC. Not even to the 222 members of parliament! Under the principle of universal suffrage, the constitution gives the electorate the right to exercise their political will in periodic elections and referenda. Therefore, in order to avoid this unfortunate disenfranchisement, parliament should vouch for a “Yes- Yes” referendum. This will ensure that either a parliamentary or presidential system of government is adopted by the country depending on the outcome of the referendum. This will of course mean that parliament amends the Constitution of Kenya Review Act, 2008 to allow IIEC to present two draft constitutions to the electorate; the pure presidential or pure parliamentary systems of Government. The argument that presenting two draft constitutions to the electorate would paralyze the country flies in the face of logic. A referendum, whether based on a single issue or multiple issues is not a wedding ceremony. Acrimony and even paralysis is not unexpected. However, the worst form of crime is the deliberate disenfranchisement of a section of the electorate. This will create a perfect flight to this country`s incineration. We must refuse to be made the butts of PSC`s procedural cynicism. Neither should we allow it to leaven its strategy of gerrymandering. It is now time that the conscientious public repudiated PSC`s actions. What pray thee will happen if we fail to garner the necessary threshold on a single draft that would have been subjected to the much awaited referendum? It would mean that we head to the 2012 polls without a new constitution. It would mean another round of an acrimonious election. We must avoid this pitfall at all costs. We can't get this halfway right or three-quarters of the way right. We have to get this really, really right. Unless this is urgently and meticulously done, I have no doubt in my mind that the unsuccessful decades long constitutional imbroglio will persist. We must as a country learn from the 2005 referendum. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

HON. WAMALWA AND THE ART OF SPINNING TALES THAT ARE AN ABYSS OF MYSTERY.

Dear Sir/Madam, With 2012 nigh, the electorate should expect many a politician to spin tales that are an abyss of mystery even to a seasoned psychologist. In fact, I do not think that there will be an appropriate scale available with which to weigh absurdity in Kenya`s political theatre. Already politicians have begun spinning strange tales to the electorate to win their favor. Never mind whether such tales are invalid, illegitimate or absolutely meaningless. One such politician scrambling into this political gravy train is honorable Eugene Wamalwa. Not only has he joined the rank and file of those who have placed their faith in creative imagination rather than reason, but he has also fast and furiously outdone the rest. You see, it is understandable for him to discard gentility and embrace opportunism in a bid to remain afloat rather than risk going to the bottom with his burning political ambitions and principles hanging around his neck. Nonetheless, his modus operandi to State House is hilarious as it is wanting. As part of his scheme to endear himself to the electorate; he dresses, walks, talks and even smiles like his late brother. But more importantly, he now wants to inherit a political pact ostensibly made between his late brother and the incumbent as his most valuable ticket to state house! And therein lies the rib cracking humor. It is hilarious for a person of his stature to entertain the notion that he is his late brother`s heir apparent. (Perhaps, it is time the electorate demanded to see the last will and testament of his late brother. It would be interesting to see whether such a claim is part of the will or is codicil). The will and testament aside, I can bet with certainty that the much hyped pact is not binding to the electorate. For if it were then it would presuppose an end to democracy! It is with this in mind that I have to be brutally honest with him. I wish to remind him that such rhetoric is likely to ruin his reputation. But I am also not oblivious to the fact that one has a democratic right to talk himself out of reputation. As one among the few youthful politicians whom the electorate thought to be a transformational leader, I am surprised that he is unaware of the fact that the Kenyan electorate is itching to break out once and for all from the discredited straight-jacket of the past. He must therefore know that no amount of cajolery nor seduction can eradicate the deep burning hatred that Kenyans have developed against political pacts and ethnic liaisons. The electorate will view anyone with such vile intentions to be as “intelligent” as one who thinks that hanging the baby on the clothes line to dry rather than changing the diapers, is a worthy innovation. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

TEACHERS ALONE CANNOT SOLVE SOCIETY`S ILLS.

Dear Sir/Madam, There is little doubt that most public schools are failing the poor. They are producing exam results that we ought to be ashamed of. Consequently, society has unflinchingly blamed teachers in entirety for the long tail of underperformance. But is the society really justified in lambasting the teaching fraternity? I personally believe that such a stinging indictment is rash considering the fact that the dramatic social and economic changes that have taken place in the last decade or so have had a great influence on schooling in Kenya. More and more Kenyan families have slid into grinding poverty. Such changes have profoundly affected the context in which schools are expected to "meet standards". Many teachers in public primary day schools attest to the fact that pupils do not do their homework because there isn`t electricity nor fuel for lighting homes. It would therefore be naïve to wish away the strong correlation between the millions of children living in abject poverty and the nose-diving academic performance especially in public primary schools. In the same vein, because of the hustle and bustle of life, very few parents ever have quality time with their children. It is even worse when such a family has no one with any meaningful work experience. In the absence of any role model in the family, parenting is almost entirely left to ill equipped teachers who have increasingly found themselves unable to cope with the rising psychological and physiological needs of students. Sadly, society has always imagined that teachers alone can overcome "social, cultural pressures and aspirational gaps” its children are faced with. It would be fallacious for society to expect teachers to play the entire cast. Society must therefore take a bigger share of the blame in the "long tail of underperformance". Ironically, the Government too has been seen pointing an accusing finger at its teachers. Yet it has played very little if any in addressing these dramatic changes. It has simply buried its head in the sand and believed that somehow public primary education will find its own footing. What is even more disheartening is to see the dalliance between Government and the private affluent. The Government has been seen idolizing private affluence by openly ignoring the public`s demand for quota based system of admission to the best secondary schools in the country. This has unfortunately resulted in the majority of students from private academies securing a huge chunk of the limited admissions in the leading secondary schools in Kenya. To justify this stinking inequality, the private affluent have gone to a great extent of hiring academic gurus to come up with glistening discourses that laud the yawning socio –economic gaps between public and private schools. We have heard them opine that given the necessary push (in our context, FPE) socio-economic status does not affect the academic performance of a child! In my view, this is akin to taking up some cast-off item and imbuing it with unsuspected beauty and mystery. The effect of such colorful discourses is to condemn the victim`s malnourishment on the victim`s feeding habits and to ensure that no attention at all is given to the nutritive value of the morsel given to the victim. The same trend is replicated in secondary schools and the universities where competitive courses are taken by the children of the rich. Yet this is not surprising at all. Ab initio; attempts at social mobility have been discarded and the poor condemned to perpetual poverty. This is what Free Primary Education (FPE) is doing in its current state. In fact, its euphemism is “Failed Public Education”. From the foregoing, it is abundantly clear that the aims of education cannot be achieved by teachers alone. It would be more profitable for the society to give attention to how resource allocation and partnerships might be achieved in order to better the academic performance of children in public schools, rather than expecting teachers to compensate for society`s failures. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

MAU CONSERVATION: LEADERS MUST STOP EMBELLISHING POLITICAL BIGOTRY AND DIATRIBE.

Dear Sir/madam, Absurdity is fast unfolding in Kenya`s political arena. First, we saw how a section of the political class obsessed with self elected to engage in diplomatic diatribe in a bid to block the President from taking a leading role in the protection of our national heritage. Shortly after, some dilettantes demanded that the Prime Minister must resettle the illegal Mau evictees first as a condition for them participating in the Mau tree planting exercise. (As if the PM has to resettle them on his personal land!). And now the same cabal disparages the PM for showing the courage to do that which the president is constitutionally mandated to do but for reasons only better known to the president and themselves; he is somehow not doing it. Yet this is not unexpected. In the words of Lillian Hellman “truth made you a traitor as it often does in a time of scoundrels.” Her words lend a sharp poignancy in the Kenyan political landscape. In their quest to turn the PM in to political mince meat they have robbed off politics any decency. Have we not continually witnessed them brazenly engage in chicanery in a bid to asphyxiate the Mau conservation efforts? After all, such crime never seemed impossible in retrospect. And neither will it be now that they are hell bent on ensuring that the PM becomes political mince meat come 2012. However, the PM has on the other hand shown all and sundry that unlike these politicians, he is steadfast and well meaning. He knows to well of the ecological disaster that awaits this nation were we to rest on our laurels and let havoc continue to visit on our national heritage. He also knows too well that there is nothing immoral or unjust in eradicating evil. What is immoral is allowing evil to fester and spread when it is within our power to oppose it and defeat it. For this reason, he has clearly demonstrated that he has placed himself at the service of the public as opposed to the cabal that wants to place the nation at its service. Indeed, all his energies and planning initiatives alongside his management style have won him broad favor in the opinion of the conscientious public. As for those embracing political bigotry somebody must tell them now that their cause smacks of betrayal to the common good of this country. What they are doing is far from heroism. It is reckless foolishness. And public opinion shall just hang them when the right time comes. This country will never waltz into their kind of music. Never will their odious political side shows triumph over the good of this nation. The public will therefore regard their diatribe and dilettante as unfortunate footnotes in this country`s political history. As many a politician can spite the PM but that will not sway the conscientious public from whole heartedly supporting him over the noble conservation exercise. Kenyans are dog-tired of politicians who want to continually let their selfish political fears and desires hold captive the collective conscience of this nation. Let these politicians realize that Kenya is more important than the sum total of its politicians. In the meantime I salute Prime Minister for showing what true statesmanship is. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

PROSPECTIVE REFERENDUM EMBLEMATIC OF KENYA`S PROCLIVITY FOR PARTISAN POLITICS.

Dear sir/Madam, That the prospective referendum is emblematic of Kenya`s proclivity for partisan politics is obvious. This being the case, we expect the politics of the referendum to be big and murky as party interests ominously play out the Kenyan style. Forget about the constitution making process being about ideological struggles. Instead, expect to see politicians hurl colorful insults at each other. With the referendum nigh; duplicity, treachery, impatience, spinelessness and sheer lack of integrity would henceforth be the hallmark of our politics. A horde of terrible blunders would be committed all in the name of party loyalty. That we risk flunking for the second consecutive time if snowballing partisan interests are not in abeyance is undeniable. Unfortunately, that is the price we pay for being naïve as to leave the sacrosanct duty of mid-wifing a new constitution in the hands of callous politicians. Thomas Jefferson could not have been more judicious when he stated that “every country degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositories.” And true to his words, politicians are more often than not the bane of our nationhood. Ever since the country expressed desire for a new constitutional order, politicians were hell bent on crafting a constitution that would best serve their selfish interests rather than that which would dispassionately serve the country. Time and again they have made it their collective passion to spread confusion and deceit in order to achieve their selfish ends. At times I am tempted to believe that they have the ingenious knack of doing everything the wrong way. That is why disappointment waits upon all affairs in which they take part. It is least surprising that they are now telling the electorate that a pure presidential system is what this country desperately needs. Haven’t we often decried the fact that the Government is too centralized? We cannot wish away the fact that the presidency is a quasi kingdom, with extensive powers beyond the reach of the people! In view of this odious reality, the electorate wanted a new constitution that would buttress them against the state`s power. The panacea does not lie in pretending to panel beat it. Rather, it is found in creating checks and balances vide an empowered parliament. This would easily guard against a rogue executive. That was our sole objective as a country when we embarked on a journey to a constitutional dispensation immediately after the Moi era. Such were the high expectations. However, hopes soon dissipated when it became apparent that the incumbent became also too cozy with raw power and its appurtenances. Procrastination and shilly shallying set in. Later own, the Government of the day presented a hotchpotch of draft to the electorate. It flunked. This move saw emotional build up that culminated in the 2007 post election violence. Today, having been saved from the jaws of death; and in the spirit of national healing and reconciliation we hoped that our next attempt at a referendum needs to be full of honesty, passion and confidence. But going by the rhetoric of our politicians, it would be impossible for the country not to be sullied again. The public has a Hobson`s choice: It must do everything in its power to marginalize and attack the wicked form of opportunism and propaganda at play or else this window of opportunity for enacting a new constitution would yet again be squandered. We will also rue the billions of the tax payers’ money sunk in the process. We can eschew this unfortunate scenario by forcing parliament to amend the Constitution of Kenya Review Act, 2008 that would then allow IIEC to present two draft constitutions to the electorate; the pure presidential or pure parliamentary systems of Government. Upon one of them garnering the majority vote it must be adopted as the new constitution. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis