LET BASIC EDUCATION PS TAKE A PLEA DEAL AND GO QUIETLY TO PRISON.

Dear Sir/Madam, In Kenya, gubernatorial appointees censored by the public for their incompetency or corruption allegations would rather die than resign. This is because there is nothing like resigning in the interest of the public. That is just hot air. Until and unless the appointing authority sacks or forces such an incompetent or pilfering appointee to resign ,he or she would deride the tax payers and continue to draw huge perks courtesy of the same tax payers. It is therefore easy for one to understand why the Basic Education PS insists on the presumption of innocence. He believes that public opinion is unfairly hanging him. Yet all and sundry know that it is his incompetency that has bred “lootocracy” in the ministry. But even as he cries fowl, cryptic details of the FPE scandal continue to emerge and so do the calls for his resignation increase by the hour. Surely, the PS must know that management of the public funds is too sacrosanct a duty to be anybody`s partisan or ideological play thing! In the absence of sound management systems, the public`s interest is sure to be deeply hurt. It does hurt really badly when the future of the children of the hoi polloi is auctioned. And there is no denying that the Basic Education Ministry has not put in place any of these checks and balances. His spell in office as the CEO has and is still totally devoid of Efficient Management Information System (EMIS). To say that his tenure is continually plagued by a litany of questions about financial impropriety would be an understatement. FPE which is the President`s brain child and which is a component of the larger Kenya Education Sector Support Programme (KESSP), became a cropper immediately after its operationalization. If it is not the loss of FPE funds, it is subsidized secondary education funds, infrastructure development funds, capacity building funds or funds meant for procurement of science equipment in schools et cetra. He has been unable to reign in on rogue functionaries in the ministry. Every time a red flag was raised, the PS truly struck his stride in demonstrating his penchant for rubbishing claims of the muck docking in his ministry. He seems to believe that he can continually abuse public trust and get away with it. This explains why in spite of being advised that the interest of the nation must always come before any personal considerations he has emphatically declared that there is no question of him resigning in response to the current snowballing corruption. Yet there is no doubt even in his own mind that his legacy is a negative one, and that he has done far more harm to the country than good. When he comically denies that no FPE funds have been lost, he himself knows too well that there is a great mountain between what his heart knows and what his tongue says! Lest the President forces him to resign now, or sacks him, he too like the PS will have no legacy to protect. The President would be deluding himself were he to think that the constant barrage of criticism leveled against the PS is about to wane. It will not wane now nor in the near future. As for the PS, he has a simple choice but one that will at least leave him with some level of respectability; and that is for him to leave office quickly, take a plea deal, and go quietly to prison. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

THE 1999 DECENNIAL CENSUS ERROR IS HERE WITH US AGAIN.

Dear Sir/Madam, As much as the public appreciates the fact that the administration of a decennial National Population and Housing Census is an astronomical as well as a complex undertaking, the Government has an obligation to ensure that the census outcome is made public within a reasonable time frame. Already, the Government has postponed for the second time, in a week, the release of the 2009 population census amid growing speculation that the ethnic statistical data so generated may have been cooked. This is quite unfortunate considering the fact that ours is a country where tribal politicians advance their selfish interests by regarding their tribes as vehicles of symbolic expression. Startling as this census information may be, it was not entirely unexpected. Just before the end of the 2009 census exercise, a senior Government official at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), exuded confidence over the reliability and validity of the statistical data that was to be generated. In his own words “the best scientific methods had been employed in the enumeration process” even though there was prima facie evidence that the whole exercise had become a cropper. Now, reports emerging from sections of the mainstream media confirm that in spite of the serious consequence of a census on our country`s domestic policy planning, little if any, was done to insulate the exercise from all sorts of errors; deliberate or not. Of much concern is the possibility of existence of vested interests at the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). I hear that this interest revolves around a community’s loins and coins. A community gets as much coins as is the activeness of its members` loins. But not to worry, if your loins cannot give you the coins you desire as a community, you can hire a technocrat at CBS to manipulate statistical data in your communities favor. This is because the more populous you are as a community the better your chances of electing one of your own to state house and so is your chance of “eating” the National cake enhanced. Seriously, if this is true, then it portends gloom for this country. This must surely be the arithmetic of a cabal intent to hide behind ethnic numbers to engage in gerrymandering. It is part of wider, more elaborate and most odious scheme to create fiefdoms otherwise referred to as constituencies. And that is not the only thing. I hear that the poverty indexes to have been tampered with as well if only to ensure more devolved funds flow into the said fiefdoms. It is because of this reason that the allegations of “errors in content”, which ostensibly arose due to incorrect reporting or tabulation of information cannot be dismissed. It is also doubtable at this point in time whether the Government can undo the numerous inadvertent errors in the census enumerations such as “errors in coverage”, where; a person or groups of persons may have not been counted at all or counted twice. Of much serious concern is the undercount which may have occurred in areas with nomadic lifestyles. Such undercounts are likely to greatly affect people’s abilities to be represented in Government`s affairs. Considering the fact that the exercise was marred by widespread corruption in recruiting census enumerators; it is not surprising at all that it greatly suffered from the naivety of undeserving enumeration officers. Majority of them could not fully comprehend the magnitude and complexity of such an extremely important decennial exercise. Given the socio-economic and political importance of the exercise, it is understandable that the public exerts pressure on the Government to expedite the process. However, it must not be lost to all that such pressure may force the Government to wittingly release doctored census results if only to save face. We have to accept the fact that the “1999 decennial census error” is here with us again. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEED MORE RESOURCES OTHER THAN FPE VOUCHERS.

Dear Sir/Madam, The Government spending on public primary education has over the years increased significantly. Unfortunately this increased funding has not been followed by similar gains by students in public primary schools in terms of performance in national examinations. Students from private academies have eclipsed their counterparts in public schools sparking fears that they will yet again fill a larger proportion of the few available slots in the best secondary schools in the country. Many have decried the performance based selection system that seems to only favor the private academies whose Social Economic Status (SES) is arguably higher than of most public schools. However some analysts have rushed to the defense of the private academies arguing that underperformance in public schools cannot be attributed to SES. They opine that with the advent of Free Primary Education (FPE); SES plays an insignificant role in the performance of many poor students performance in public schools. This view remains highly contentious and it is very unlikely that it can be satisfactorily resolved. It becomes trickier considering the fact that many of its proponents view resources available in schools so much in terms of finances, which is, only but a component of the entire resource base. If that be the case then one can confidently argue that the bare minimum Government funding of FPE has not in any way, led to increased resource base in public primary schools. It is because of this reason that policy analysts insist that the critical question in Kenya 's education system is to have far reaching education reforms which must focus on resource allocation. Take for instance, the availability of qualified teachers to meet the rising enrolment in public primary schools across the country. Unlike many private academies that boast of a teacher- student ratio of 1: 30 or even less; public primary schools have to grapple with a startling ratio of up to 1: 100! What this means is that whereas the small size class in private academies make substantially faster gains in learning, their counterparts in public schools do not even have that bare minimum individualized attention from the few available teachers. From the foregoing it is highly unlikely to expect public schools to compete favorably with private academies.This will not happen. Not even when we absurdly think that doing away with school vacations will make a difference!. It is in the same vein that the public is demanding of the Government that "smaller classes, and not FPE vouchers alone, can increase student achievement in public primary schools. Professor Fredrick Moesteller of Harvard University affirms that "there is no longer any argument about whether or not reducing class size in primary grades increases student achievement. It does." In our context, smaller classes mean hiring or employing more teachers depending with the outcome of the pending court case. It also means building more classrooms. However, with the current budget deficit, it is doubtful whether these problems can be addressed the soonest. What this means is that the glaring inequalities between private and public primary schools shall persist. Ceteris Paribus, a quota system would be needless, however, given our context, as for now, just as we use it in addressing regional disparities, so must we use it when considering admissions for the few available slots in the top performing secondary schools in the country. Of course, I am not saying that teacher –student ratio is the only panacea, it is only but a piece of the jig- saw. I also agree in entirety with those who opine that the ministry of basic education must ensure effective and quality assurance exercises in schools are regularly undertaken to prevent laxity taking toll of some of our teachers, managers and administrators. That we need committed manpower in our schools cannot be denied. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter. com/tomefrancis

FPE: NOW ONGERI VOWS TO VANQUISH WHISTLE BLOWERS.

Dear Sir/Madam, Like most patriotic Kenyans I had one wish for Kenya in 2010. I wished that as a country we should not remain forever only good at condemning corruption as a terrible thing that is quickly corroding our national morality and a sense of fairness. I wished that we will not just stop at drawing rules that will aid us in preventing corruption but that we will begin to walk the talk. I wished that we will not become a generation that is bound to repeat and even perfect the errors of our predecessors. Rather, we shall make it our common resolve to become equal to the severe requirement of jealously guarding our public coffers. But this is far as I went in my New Year wishful thinking before a screamer in one of the local dailies rudely jolted me back to reality. It was an unmistakable warning from the Minister for Basic Education, honorable, Professor Samuel Ongeri. And with this warning, my fervent wish for a corrupt free Kenya was severely dented. Yes, be warned. It is official. From now henceforth, if you are a civil servant and more so an employee of the Ministry of Basic Education or any of its affiliate Commissions, you are now, more than ever before, under obligation not to enjoy the liberties enshrined in the current constitution. This means that your right to enjoy freedom of expression is henceforth permanently curtailed. And you will be made to suffer for standing in the way of the corrupt. You must therefore keep your mouth under lock and key even if the muck in the ministry infringes on the inalienable rights and future of the Kenyan children. Dare you talk about it and you will face a sack. Breathing fire, the Minister was overheard threatening, nay vowing, at a burial service in Nyaribari Chache constituency, that those (civil servants) who are distorting facts about corruption in “his” ministry will be dealt with accordingly. How dare you talk about non existent corruption in FPE, Capacity building and in Infrastructure Development and Procurement vote heads? Admittedly, the minister has immense political powers at his disposal to either use or misuse. He may elect to sack whistle blowers. Unfortunately this will only lend further credence to speculation that he lacks the moral courage to tackle corruption head on. He can go ahead and quote the Public Officer Ethics Act (POEA) or the various Codes of Regulations. However, in so far as the Constitution is concerned, none of these documents to the extent of their inconsistency with any part of the Constitution can reign supreme over the constitution. They cannot take away the right to an individual’s expression more so on an issue as important as the welfare of the Kenyan children. None of them will therefore stop patriotic Kenyans (whether they are civil servants or not) from condemning corruption in the Ministry of Basic Education. Interestingly, KACC as ordered by the President is still investigating the alleged scandal. It has not yet absolved the Minister and his PS from culpability. Any statements they issue now are only aimed at interfering with the work of KACC and are a pointer to his impertinence not only to the president`s directive but also to the public at large. This is why the public demands of him and his Permanent Secretary to voluntarily and honorably resign to pave way for unhindered investigations. It is upon this investigation that the Minister, if absolved, will have the basis of taking the necessary disciplinary action against those he perceives to have deliberately misinformed the public. Sadly, we have to remind these two old jolly professors at the helm of this Ministry, to in future, read good books on management of public resources. Theirs is a social contract to offer quality services to the public. However, this does not in any way imply that they are at liberty to subject Kenyans to their brutish instincts as is the Ministers threat to sack those who disagree with his lackadaisical approach to issues of corruption in the ministry. If the perception in the public domain is that they have failed, then the public has every right to do everything in its power to attack their incompetency. They must be reminded that the man who does not read good books has no advantage over the one who can`t read them at all. Management of public resources must be totally divorced from politics. The two are incompatible as is water and oil. BARASA OKHWA TOME, NAIROBI.

THE BASIC EDUCATION PS MUST NO DOWNPLAY THE IMMENSITY OF CORRUPTION IN THE MINISTRY.

Dear Sir/Madam, “Touch the raw fruit and you will be shown the ripe one” so goes a Bukusu dictum. It literally means that in the process of looking for information on culpability, the investigator(s) may inadvertently stumble upon something that may just propel a suspect to spill the beans. This is exactly what the public and the mainstream media has made Professor Karega Mutahi, the Basic Education PS to do. In a terse but revealing press release (Standard Newspaper, Monday 28th December 2009) titled “We remain steadfast to offering quality free education”, the jolly old Professor wonders loudly why the mainstream media and the public are collectively talking about the “wrong type of corruption in his ministry.”He convincingly reiterates that there is no scandal touching on the FPE. He however, albeit reluctantly, admits to the existence of some mild form of corruption in other section(s) of the Kenya Education Sector Support Programme (KESSP), presumably in the capacity building component where an official reportedly misused 5.5 million shillings while about fifteen others are alleged to have forged receipts. This, the PS affirms, is the “correct type of corruption” docking in his ministry. Any other type of corruption, according to the PS is at best, a figment of one`s imagination. That is why he is accusing the mainstream media and the public alike for either maligning him and the Minister for basic Education or deliberately misunderstanding a “mischievously leaked KESSP audit report.”However, this is in itself, the Belt away credence that the PS is himself “mischievously adapting the facts to fit the cause that he presently cares for; that of throwing the public and KACC off -balance from the goings- on in his ministry. You see none other than the President himself ordered for investigations into allegations of possible misappropriation and embezzlement of the FPE funds. For the PS to come out guns blazing, at this point in time, is not only disrespectful of the President`s directive but also irresponsible as well as pre –judicial. It would increasingly appear as if the PS is hell- bent on being a permanent obstacle in KACC`s investigation; the more reasons why he must step aside. Suffice to say that corruption whether in FPE (which is also a component of KESSP) or in other components of KESSP, directly jeopardizes the future of the Kenyan children. It therefore baffles many that a person of the stature of the PS appears to be downplaying the immensity of the criminal engagements in the Ministry. In so doing he risks being seen not only to be institutionalizing but also impiously buttressing the cancerous problem. When he, characteristic of himself, adopts an aim of indifference by brazenly talking about a “mischievously leaked report” he is obviously trying to politicize the scandal yet this should be far from the case. Politicization of this issue will not by any chance sanitize the muck in the ministry. Furthermore, the PS has not yet proved himself equal to the severe task of jealously guarding the resources of the public under his watch. This is because he is apparently oblivious of the avalanche of evidence on corruption currently surrounding KESSP`s vote head on Infrastructure Development and Procurement of Science Equipment in schools across the country. The evidence is there for all and sundry. For example, when some principals and head teachers in secondary and primary schools respectively learnt that KACC had hit the ground running, they, out of fear of incrimination, alleged that they were forced to play ball by corrupt officials from the Ministry of basic Education. At least one bold legislator from the larger Bungoma District is on record saying that he has written to the Ministry of Basic Education regarding this scandal. It is an open secret that the selection of schools to benefit from this grant is not dependent on any transparently laid down criteria but on the affinity to corruption by the various school heads. The more corrupt a school head is the more “assistance” his or her school gets and so do kickbacks thrive. With as little as ten percent of the total allocation per school, auditors from the ministry of basic education will give any school a clean Bill of health even though very little or none of the money will be used in the target project. So massive is the corruption tentacles that anyone who dares stand on its way is severely dealt with. I for instance, was at one time interdicted and suspended from service for writing to the PS to inform him of this cancerous corruption in schools. This is how unashamedly officials at the Ministry`s Headquarters and corrupt Heads of schools connive to auction the future of the Kenyan children. Little of Infrastructure Development and Procurement of Equipment takes place in schools. Yet it is a fact that quality education can only be realized when schools have the necessary infrastructure and adequate science equipment to meet the rising demands of the curriculum. The PS must know that it does not help to appear as though he thinks that the media and the public are a “pack of fools at the wrong place at the same time.” Rather, the PS needs to develop an Efficient Management Information System (EMIS) to run the ministry professionally so that he can secure the future of the Kenyan children and of course the future of the nation at large. The PS more than anybody else must be worried of the recent startling research finding that states that more and more Kenyan people are more than likely to be dimwits in future. Corruption and mismanagement in the education sector more than anything else provides a fertile ground for the realization of this chilling scenario. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

ARREST OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS: WE MUST SAY NO TO THE DIABOLICAL CONSPIRATORY ACTS OF THUGGERY BEING PERPETRATED BY THE FORCES OF SADISM.

Dear Sir/Madam, The availability of cogent democratic structures constitutes fringes of a responsible democratic culture. These structures are cognizant of the freedoms of association and expression as is spelt out in the constitution. The citizens have only to inform the law enforcers of their need to carry out a demonstration. The police do not constitutionally issue any license for such an activity as they have alleged ad infinitum; rather they are in fact constitutionally expected to provide security to the demonstrators. Granted, arrests can be made by the police if the demonstrators, in the course of the demonstration, pose a serious threat to the liberties of other citizens. This may include acts of vandalism, theft and cause of actual bodily harm to peaceful citizens. But even then, it is only those who actually participate in this infringement that must be arrested and prosecuted. None of the cases above have been quoted as reasons for their arrest and detention. It would thus be preposterous if the arrest and detention of the human rights activists is in any way remotely connected with breach of a nebulous ministerial directive on noise pollution. This would be a diabolical conspiratory act of thuggery being perpetrated by the forces of sadism. To say that the public is dismayed by the flagrant lack of respect for the liberties of individual citizens would be an understatement. Furthermore, the inhuman treatment that those arrested are ostensibly being subjected to while in police custody is a clear testament to the blatant mockery of democratic values. Yet none can claim that this is indeed not typical of our police “force” that is presently ranting about reforms in its rank and file! Bastardized affront to decency, civility and internationally accepted norms is what our police force is better known for. The coalition Government must know that the criminal acts of the police force are continually giving them (Government) a bad name. Their continued silence to this infringement can only imply that they are abetting or they are accomplices in these acts of impunity. Is the Government out to evenly cover the FPE muck? It must be made abundantly clear to the Coalition Government that democracy and development can not blossom in such an environment. I wish to appeal to legislators and the general public, that as lovers of social justice, peace, democracy and development, we must condemn in the strongest terms possible this uncivilized act of the police. We must demand for speedy, free and fair trial of those who have shown the courage to sacrifice for the sake of the millions of poor Kenyan children. We must say no to frivolous litigations. If the police are found to have infringed on the liberties of those in their custody then the full force of the law must be meted against them. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

MAU COMPLEX: LEADERS MUST STOP FOSTERING SECTIONAL POLITICS BY PLAYING ON THE EMOTIONS OF THEIR POLITICAL SUPPORTERS.

Dear Sir/Madam, According to Thomas Jefferson (1745-1826) “ignorance is preferable to error and that he is less remote from the truth he who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.” The validity of the above assertion finds a haven in the on- going politics of compensation of the illegal settlers evicted from the Mau complex. Sadly, a section of leaders from the political divide are increasingly ranting based on reasoned errors. They have not only taken leave of the rule of law but they also want to force down the throats of Kenyan taxpayers a version of their truth based on their reasoned untruths. I say so because deliberations of the cabinet must be brought before parliament which can either adopt, amend, or reject them in Toto. The cabinet adopted the Mau Task Force Report which was then tabled in parliament which then made specific amendments before adopting the report. Specifically and without any shred of tenderness to the poor and title-less settlers legislators mainly from Rift valley compelled the Government to only compensate the executive squatters of the Mau complex. Upon adoption of the amended report by the Mau Task Force, it is expected that the line ministries must implement such parliamentary directives to the letter. However, if a cabinet minister in the process of executing this directive thinks it prudent to alter certain provisions in the directive, then he or she must seek approval of the cabinet and parliament respectively lest he or she is accused of undermining the constitutional authority of parliament but more seriously departing radically from the principle of collective cabinet responsibility. In civilized democracies, such a minister must be compelled by the cabinet and parliament to resign in the interest of the nation. It is even worse when such a departure is informed by sectional politics. “In The Africa Experience” by Professor Vincent B Khapoya, we can only “become a functional democracy if and only if we do not allow our political leaders to use tribes or more accurately, regional linguistic groups as vehicles of symbolic expression of political competition.” He succinctly states that ‘tribalism, which is an unsatisfactory a concept in political science as in social anthropology is an idiom within which sectional competition takes place. It is this sectional competition that leads to violence. The panacea therefore lies in the electorate not allowing such sectional leaders from fostering sectional identification by playing on the emotions of their political followers to win political support. Yet in spite of the 2007-2008 PEV in Kenya, sectional politics seems to be taking a better toll of our conscience. A look at the on going politics of compensation of the Mau evictees is a testament to this sad reality. You see, millions of Kenyans are landless, yet in spite of their landlessness, they have forever remained law abiding citizens. They have never invaded gazetted forests. The fact that they have not been as lucky to have the mainstream media bring to light their plight does not in any way make them less deserving for land. Rather than risk being seen as selectively and emotionally philanthropic, it would have been prudent were the legislators behind the call for compensation of the title-less Mau evictees to urgently pass legislation that would see to it that the Government (read the taxpayers) provides land for all the landless but law abiding citizens in the country. They characteristic of themselves, failed to rise to the occasion. Yes, selfishness is their second nature. The amendment on the floor of the House is a testament to this. Not even their crocodile tears can now save their faces before the Mau evictees or their political supporters across the country. Their lies have finally been nailed to the counter. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

IS THE VP A CONNIVING OPPORTUNIST OR A PHILANDERING PHILANTHROPIST?

Dear Sir/Madam, Remember the days when the Vice President, aka, the miracle worker said that he speaks prophetically? Didn`t he say that he will pass in their midst and none will see him? Of course we all know that that was a prophecy that never was. Now the VP, somewhat re-energized has once more dusted and adorned his prophetic regalia and is traversing the whole country in the company of some YK92 brigand and possible ICC customers proselytizing the re- birth of a political Kenya in 2012 no doubt under his stewardship. I must admit that that his latest prophecy has left my mind wide open as is my mouth. So I will beg of you to lend me five minutes of your precious time as we try to explicate this “prophecy.” To begin with, I must remind you of the words of George Elliot (1819-1890) who said that “among all forms of mistakes, prophecy is the most gratuitous.” You see, with prophecy it is never important whether the prophet or his ardent followers have none of the gentleman`s instincts when strutting about its fulfillment. Not even once must you mistake a prophet for a nattering Nabob. Not even when the prophet appears to be like an Ali Baba with the forty thieves. Are we not warned of dire consequences if we should have as much as a shred of doubt against the mouthpiece of the greater god? This conviction explains why the VP is not about to let this “prophecy thing” go. He is talking straight without butting his eyelid because he wants all and sundry in the “wilderness” to believe that yesterday`s land grabbers and plunderers of the economy can in a jiffy become transformative leaders. But wait a minute, didn`t Zachaeus the thieving taxman return what he had amassed all his thieving years to avoiding being hanged by public opinion? To imagine that not even a single word of confession has come out of any one in the VP`s new found fold makes it irrational. You and I know that irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors. The VP knows as much as the conscientious public does that people with skeletons in their closets cannot be transformative leaders. If the VP is not peddling irrational truths then what is behind his façade? It is not surprising that the VP sees formidable allies in the YK92. It is also not surprising that the VP prefers parading his irrationally held truths in the front page of the main stream media. The real reason why the VP is brazenly wagging hopeful where many seasoned politicians would have been crestfallen is because the VP is a conniving opportunist. Like a ravenous vulture he is patiently waiting for others to do the killing. But he fervently hopes that they would not be around for long to feast on their kill. For courtesy of ICC some will have fallen from grace to grass leaving their political turfs orphaned. It is this scenario that has him salivating at the prospects of bagging sympathy votes that may just propel him to State House. If the ICC does not live up to its promise then that will surely mark the beginning of an end to this much hyped prophecy. The VP will go it alone in 2012 for he cannot and will never play a second fiddling to anybody. So if I were those who mistakenly think that the VP is a philanthropist, I would think twice. Why for instance, is one of the VP`s trusted foot soldier busy courting Ocampo to fast track the indictment process as the VP thinks it prudent to spread his political harem far and wide? So is the VP a conniving opportunist or a philandering philanthropist? TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

THE CLOSURE OF PAN PAPER MILLS (WEBUYE) IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE.

Dear Sir/Madam, Even as we haggle over the reopening of the Pan Paper Mills in Webuye, the voice of those who think that its closure is a blessing in disguise must not be hushed. It is true that the Plant provided a livelihood to the over 80,000 residents of the town and beyond. But it is also true that this Plant was a terrible health hazard to the many innocent residents. Emissions from this plant have been known to damage people`s lungs; lowering their resistance to diseases like pneumonia and influenza. Seepage from the sulfide ponds to the Nzoia River which is the source of domestic water to the residents is a fact that cannot be wished away. Furthermore, cases of increased skin ailments have also been noted. Yes, that Pan Paper Mill has been dishing out doses of slow death is not in doubt. Records from the health facilities within the town and its environs confirm that respiratory diseases especially among the infants and the elderly have been on a steady increase and so is the resultant mortality rate. Moreover, rusting of corrugated iron sheets is a common phenomenon. The residents are forced to replace the iron sheets on their houses more often than it is necessary. Yet even without scientific proof of the level of pollution and its attendant poisonous gases, any Tom, Dick and Harry would attest to the fact that it was extremely difficult to gulp a mouthful of fresh air in Webuye town and its environs. Foul smell filled the air and could be smelled as far as 80Km away depending on the direction of the wind. But that was not the only thing, "snowstorms" of foam droplets from the plant`s waste ponds clouded the sky. Yet, being the only source of livelihood of this town, people were forced to choose between two devils: Pangs of hunger or a plate of food courtesy of the poison spewing Mill. Out of necessity, they chose the latter. Unbeknown to them, they had chosen to be slaves in a poisonous gaseous chamber. An analysis of the town`s air samples and the factories pulp were taken for laboratory analysis in California. The results of the analysis were a downright shocker. The hydrogen sulfide level was more than 140 times over and above the permissible standard by the World Health Organization (WHO). Startled by these findings, and aware of the financial loses that the shareholders were to incur as a result of the inevitable closure of the plant, and cognizant of the litany of litigations for compensation that were to follow, the Government disowned the findings and branded the whole exercise a conspiracy by the environmental activists, nay fraudsters. Thanks to the rampant corruption and mismanagement the plant finally ground to a halt. With its closure followed intriguing political promises about its reopening. But what the Government does not want to admit is that the closure of the plant put it in a catch 22 situation. Even if it was to keep the opportunists at bay, still there are more moral questions that the Government has to contend with. First, is the question of whether the Government should reopen the plant in total disregard of the scientific evidence with regard to the dangers that this plant exposes people. Second, even if we presuppose that the management will be streamlined; would it not be prudent for the Government to minimize the hazardous emissions first before the plant reopens? And, will the minimization of pollution levels be cost effective? Three, knowing very well that the plant`s consumption of trees far outpaces the rate at which trees are replanted, shall we not be going against our resolve of conserving our vital water towers? In view of the foregoing, it is my considered view that the social impact assessment, environmental impact assessment and the cost benefit analysis associated with the reopening of the plant are all in the negative. Aware of these issues, the Government must not keep the hopes of the resident alive. It must take a bold step and inform them that it is in their own interest and that of the country that the plant is not reopened. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

WHAT BECOMES OF THE YOUTHS WHEN ELDERS MISCONTRUE METAPHORICAL SPEECH?

Dear Sir/madam, The Gikuyu of Kenya believe that they have to speak in proverbs and that he who is intelligent must understand. The Igbo of Nigeria say that “proverbs are the kola nuts with which words are eaten” while the Yoruba say that “a proverb is the horse of words; if a word is lost, a proverb is used to find it.” The above examples only serve to underscore the importance with which the elders in our respective African societies attached to the use of not only proverbs but metaphorical speech in general. Proverbs, similes and metaphors played a normative, reflective, summative and aesthetic role especially in day today social relations. In fact for one to be elevated to the coveted position of an elder in any given community one`s mettle was measured as to how one was well conversant with the usage of such metaphorical speech. Metaphorical language was the embodiment of the wisdom of the society. The elders in each community were thus expected to impart this knowledge to all and sundry and especially to the youth through this medium. As afore said, it was expected that any intelligent person would not fail to grasp the objects of reference in a metaphorical speech and how such objects compared with what was meant with respect to a given context. If for instance, it was said in a given context that “the forest has not changed' it is only the monkeys that are different”, it would be naïve for one to come out guns blazing to claim that the speaker has debased his audience by calling them monkeys! I therefore find it unelderly and totally dishonest for “nominated elders” to misconstrue the Prime Minister`s “omena” and ‘mbuta” phrases in reference to the “poor and hapless illegal settlers” and the “executive squatters” of the Mau complex respectively. What a pity. What, pray thee can the youth learn from them? Indeed things are changing pretty fast and the more they change, they do not remain the same, instead they change for the worst. It looks as if now more than ever before someone has to remind these latter day elders that they have ceased being the custodians of our rich African Heritage and instead they have become political hirelings for destruction. Honestly, I do not think that the Mau conservation is within their purview as nominated elders. This is only but a testament to the fact that the so called elders are more than willing to be engaged in all sorts of political brinkmanship. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

FPE: ABSENCE OF EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (EMIS) CONDUIT TO THE CANCEROUS PILFERAGE.

Dear Sir/madam, Donors provide funding on condition that the assistance they give is in line with their overall policies. It is also true that they have to spend their funds according to the agreements made, and the need to be sure that a programme achieves its intended objectives. This is because all donors are accountable to the public opinion in their respective countries. That is why donors would try as much as possible to influence programmes` methodology in accordance to their values and principles. It is thus paramount that the implementation of a donor funded programme is based on an acknowledgement and balancing of possible conflicting motives and interests. If this is not done, then the programme risks becoming a contest between the Government and the donor at the expense of the interests of the “target group”, yet in practice and intent the interests of the target group ought to have the highest priority. It is therefore the public`s expectation that as development partners, DFID and the Kenya Government have to put in place shared Efficient Management Information System (EMIS) vital for the implementation of the FPE programme for a timely and smooth flow of information to policy makers, planners, donors, managers and other stakeholders at all levels of this fund. In the absence of EMIS, as is apparently the case in the MoBE, timely monitoring, evaluation and even auditing of the said funds is rarely a priority. It is only through EMIS, that the public would be spared the never ending circus characterized by self denials, threats, accusations and counter accusations from the MoBE over alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of this very sensitive fund. Professor Ongeri must be advised that it is useless to doubt the authenticity and validity of the DFID`s report when it is very clear that in the absence of EMIS, the Ministry is professionally handicapped to effectively discharge its duties with respect to the FPE fund. The failure of the Minister and his Permanent Secretary to put in place EMIS has created a perfect conduit for the never ending pilferage in the Ministry. It puzzles many that the Minister for Basic Education appears to be vindicating the technocrats in whose jurisdiction the alleged misappropriation or embezzlement of FPE funds took place while largely letting the investigation center on those whose departments are far removed from the alleged corruption. This can only be a pointer to the fact that what is under investigation is not the alleged corruption. I have a hunch that the investigation may be targeting those within the ministry who may have deliberately fed DFID with the “wrong information.” The Minister and his Permanent Secretary must be advised to stop engaging in chicanery and neither should they project themselves as arrogant ignominies. Instead of the Minister declaring emphatically that there is no question of him resigning in response to the current snowballing corruption that has dogged the Ministry, he should consider stepping down in the interest of the millions of the children whose future is unashamedly being stolen by the callous technocrats. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

GOVERNMENT MUST UNCOVER AND SEQUESTER MORE ARMS CACHE.

Dear Sir/Madam, Ever since the arrest and arraignment of a number of Kenyan security personnel and a couple in connection with the discovery of huge amounts of arms and ammunition, a good deal of controversy has centered on this potentially explosive incident. A number of analysts hold forth that there is existence of vast and dangerous organization(s) with vast resources connected with the trading in arms within and without the country. It is understood that some of the said callous profiteers are in Government. It appears that top security operatives are complacent and would thus deliberately create security lapses with a view to ensuring a safe transit of such huge cache of arms. Others believe that the Government could be supplying arms and ammunition to countries such as Somalia to aid them in vanquishing the dreaded Al Qaida backed AL Shabab. The fact that Kenya is a neutral state and a signatory to the United Nations convention on the proliferation of arms makes it difficult for Kenya to supply such arms to a country like Somalia and still preserve its neutral status. As a neutral state, the country`s agencies and officers must not directly or indirectly participate in commercial or financial aid of war in any country. That is why the likes of the Narok business man become a perfect smokescreen for the Government in the event that the deal goes awry. It is easy for the Government to think that it can engage in such action without sucking itself into the Somali furnace. However, the truth is that with our porous boarders, we may not have the capacity to contain the AL Shabab`s blitzkrieg. The Somali crisis needs a global approach and not a disjointed effort such as ours. The above two situations could explain why despite the fact that the trend has continued unabated as is alleged, the police and the country`s intelligentsia are ostensibly unable to uncover or sequester such large amounts of arms and ammunition. It is perhaps the third and final school of thought that is more worrisome especially for a country like Kenya that is just smarting from the numbing effects of the infamous 2007 Post Election Violence (PEV). Proponents of this school of thought opine that there is a twofold reason for stockpiling by a section of the Kenyan populace. First is to arm themselves and thwart any attempts by the ICC against indicting the financiers of the 2007 PEV who are perceived to be the defenders of the interests of the said community or communities in question. Secondly, it is in readiness to the 2012 elections. According to these analysts, some politicians are willing to go this far on a road to a civil war in order to achieve their selfish political ambitions and are hell-bent on financing the stockpiling exercise. Simply put, bullets would achieve what the ballot cannot. The seizure is therefore a belt away credence of the intensive rearmament exercise in readiness for either the 2012 elections and or the possible indictment of their “own” by the ICC. It is not lost to all that barely a month ago, senior security agents and a section of politicians rebuffed Ken Wafula, a North Rift Human Rights activist, for peddling irrationalities about an arms build up by communities in sections of the country. If indeed this school of thought bears some semblance of truth, and if it is in any way connected with the seizure of the arms cache, then it has undoubtedly exposed the sham of the Government`s blatant talk about disarmament, peace and reconciliation in a country that is just smarting from a tumultuous electioneering period then the latest seizure is a more adverse sign of what the future portends for this country. Talking of peace without touching on its obstacle is balderdash. There is a growing feeling among the public that if the Government initiates a dragnet search, more hide outs and arms cache would be found. The Government must rise to the occasion and carry out a real and effective disarmament and prevent further stockpiling. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

RAILA AND RUTO ON AN EPIC WAR OF REPUTATION.

Dear Sir/Madam, I dare say that there is no love lost between William Ruto and Raila Odinga. They were and are still allies out of convenience. And, there is no denying that both have so much in common. Retired president Moi still writhes in anger at their combinatorial analysis that rendered his 2002 presidential choice kaput. Some analysts opine that both Ruto and Raila bear the terseness and calculated simplicity that they use to dumbfound friend and foe alike. Others view them as a bullies of the Left Bank who are always ready to twist the milksop`s arm. Both have rarely stayed in a party to fight a war to its logical conclusion. As many have extolled them as they have besmirched them. For those who extol them, they view them as bullfighters par excellence whose forays many would dare not venture. Knowing them, many would be least startled that they have now locked horns or so it appears. But before they hastily shout “aluta continua”, it would be prudent that both Raila and Ruto take the counsel of Ernest Hemingway. He said that “Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left in the fighter`s honor.” That both Ruto and Raila are literally bullfighters is not in doubt. That both have intricate moves and prowess that they employ in vanquishing their foes is still not in doubt. If indeed they are on a warpath to attain the top honors then theirs is a mouth-watering war of reputation. I am calling it a war because it is a series of battles. Thomas Green etal opine that, “Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.” So what are the battle fronts that make up this war of reputation? You will agree with me that these would be based on their individual stance on issues of national and international import, their respective coterie and lastly their abilities to transcend ethnic and age barriers. Ruto has frantically albeit unsuccessfully, tried wrecking havoc on Raila`s reputation on Post Election Violence and Mau respectively but public and international opinion has in both instances favored the latter. Raila on his part has successfully portrayed himself as a selfless leader who will risk losing his political clout if only to place himself at the service of the nation and indeed the world! His articulation of issues of import has earned him political enemies as well as both local and international accolades. Many have likened him to the proverbial lizard that sought to jump from the highest Iroko tree to fall flat on its belly and survive to tell the tale. As to one`s coterie, it has been said that if one walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then one must be a duck. Whereas it is difficult to pinpoint exactly Raila`s coterie, the same cannot be said of Ruto who has signaled to all and sundry that he doesn`t mind working with the YK92 retread! I hold it that Ruto cannot hope to amass political capital with dubious characters that even the most naïve among us would have no iota of doubt, that given chance, they can only spend our country into oblivion. I put it that in such company Ruto stands to gather personal embarrassment than popularity. On transcending the ethnic and age barrier, Ruto satiates himself in the company of ethno-centric youthful legislators who have nothing in common with Kenyans who are just smarting from the disastrous effects of PEV. These are the political barkers with no political idealism of whatever persuasion. Raila on the other hand is tirelessly working to endear himself to this disappointed and disillusioned youthful voting block. From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that Ruto needs to change tact. And he must do it quickly. As Richard Bentley said in reference to Alexander Popes, “I hold it as certain that no man was ever written out of reputation but by himself.” TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

MOURNING THE DEARTH OF SOUND LEGISLATION COURTESY OF POLITICAL BARKERS.

Dear Sir/madam, Many of those who were incarcerated by the Kenyatta and Moi regimes respectively confided that they drew their inspiration from Thoreau. When Thoreau was placed in prison for ostensibly refusing to pay taxes, he was visited by Ralph Waldo Emerson who asked, “Thoreau, what are you doing in jail?” To which Thoreau replied, “Ralph, what are you doing outside, when honest people are in jail for their ideals?” This is the budding spirit of liberation that characterized yesterday`s youthful patriots who sacrificed everything including their valuable lives and those of their families to make a better Kenya for everyone. They believed that they were the atoms in the incessant human struggle towards the light that shines in the darkness—the Ideal of economic, political and spiritual liberation of Kenyans from all walks of life. They believed that not even in their demise, would the seeds of liberation they had painstakingly planted and watered, wither. The torture chambers could not just contain their budding youthful spirits. Unfortunately, today, a huge chunk of youths have in so startling a manner departed from the philosophy of those who gallantly fought to have us enjoy some of the freedoms we enjoy today. Going by what transpires in the tenth parliament, youthfulness is no longer in the fore front of the liberation struggle. The liberation struggle has been given a wide berth. Neither do they care to e on the right side of history. Instead, politics of deceit and ethnicity is the order of the day. They will rarely hesitate to adapt the facts to fit the selfish cause for which they care. Yes, youthfulness has become an age of credulity. Many a youthful legislators are totally inept. They are phoney. Is not evident that the Kenyan parliament is increasingly becoming a precinct of cerelac and youthful legislators some of whom are evidently suffering from petrified adolescence? They elect to permanently engage in gross-out sessions wherever they go. Rather than engage in sound legislation in parliament, they falsely think that the ability to badmouth government and personalities is a mark of true leadership and valor. In fact, they will oppose sound legislative pieces if only to settle political scores. Be ware, this is the crop of new political leaders that are taking over this country with a storm. So disgusting are they that at times I am on the verge of dispensing with the paragon of civility and shouting at them “Hark ye, friends, have you got padlocks on your (***) that you should sh-te through your teeth?” What is more worrying is the fact that some of the political kingpins desperately need these scrubs to advance their selfish political interests. However, the danger is that the same political kingpins risk their minds being contaminated. That they stand shilly shally on issues of national importance lends credence to fact that they constantly imbibe vile while in the company of these BARKERS. I for one cannot believe that love of one's country lies in blindness to its social faults, in deafness to its social discords or in not articulating its social wrongs. Neither can I believe that the mere accident of one being elected to parliament gives one a carte blanche to purvey falsehoods, inanities and vitriol most foul. I know many people (I am one of them) who love Kenya with deeper passion and greater intensity than many of the current youthful legislators whose patriotism manifests itself in pulling, kicking, and insulting the fabric of our society. I rightly think that now more than ever before the conscientious public is duty bound to bawl out these political BARKERS. This is because if this trend is left unchecked, then there is real danger that this country will inevitably suffer from the dearth of sound legislation. This is the worst form of impotency that any country can suffer from. It is for this reason that I wholly support the architects of the draft constitution for including a clause that empowers the electorate to recall any political saunterer. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY.

THE BATTLE OF OPINIONS AND THE PROSELYTIZATION OF POLITICAL TOURISM AND PERFIDY.

Dear Sir/Madam, Politicians have once more proved that they have nothing to offer anybody except their own confusion. In the words of Antonin Artaud, “If confusion is the sign of times, I see at the root of this confusion, a rupture between things and words, and between things and signs that are their representation.” What can one say when a government function to promote tourism in the North Rift ends up being a forum to proselytize political tourism and political perfidy? Three cabinet ministers led a brigade of Rift Valley legislators on a journey to promote a political circuit in the area. The government in which they all serve was turned into a common enemy, nay, a curse, and speaker after speaker “justifiably” directed his arsenal against this “terrible curse.” In a desperate attempt to craft a regional alliance, they all dispensed with the paragon of civility. Lyrical waxing legislators went straight for the government`s jugular. They said it loud and clear that they themselves were the only “transformative leaders” that this country badly needs. However, their verbal snafus and preposterous sound bytes was the only visible sign of their ‘competence and efficiency.” This is ad nauseum. Why? Because we would be naïve as a country were we to allow individuals with skeletons in their closets to use alliances to sanitize their dark past. We have not forgotten how the YK92 architects literally bled this country and left it for dead. A good number of those shouting from the roof tops of the need for transformational leadership are themselves devoid of any iota of political idealism of whatever persuasion. All they want is to get to the helm of leadership so that they can evenly cover their muck. We cannot allow this country to sink to unbelievably low levels as a democracy courtesy of political leaders who incessantly reduce issues of national importance like the conservation of Mau, the constitution and retribution to macho sparring. Their failure to appreciate the fact that this nation can prosper faster through a genuine and deliberate effort rather than seeking to lead on the platform of tribal alliances bespeaks volumes of the content in them. It is abundantly clear that should leaders refuse to learn from the past and ignore lessons from the country`s mistakes then they shall simply be leading this country in to a more tumultuous future covered with the deceptive warmth of their ignorance. I must confess that like many others who attended the Kapenguria rally, I found it preposterous that cabinet ministers should suddenly depart from the principle of collective cabinet responsibility in so startling a way. If indeed these ministers are dog tired of serving in this Government as they want the electorate to believe, then they must resign. Yes, let them resign or be sacked so that they can have a carte blanche to criticize the government from the comforts of the backbench. After all, there is no indispensable man. The Government will not collapse and go to pieces if anyone of the gentlemen who are seeking to be entrusted with its guidance should resign. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

RETIRED PRESIDENT MOI MUST NOT TALK SENSELESS AND WRITE HIMSELF OUT OF REPUTATION.

Dear Sir/Madam, I must admit that I have never seen the wisdom in the leading media houses affording retired president Moi acres of space to comment on socio-economic and political issues affecting this country. The media must realize that Moi will never ever tire of media attention. He will gloat. Believe me you, he will blubber. The media knows this weakness. It also knows too well that it is a mistake to keep on haunting him out of his peaceful retirement. What is not clear though is why they (Media) have kept on accosting him in his retirement. Why increasingly let the man blubber himself out of any iota of reputation? It is not hard to tell. The media is affording him acres of coverage perhaps with a view to making him believe that at 85, his mind is far much better than anyone`s else. To the mainstream media, it is sweet music to hear Moi say that in his reasoned opinion, the excision of the Mau complex for tea farming is the only novel idea for conservation of our water towers! According to the senior Moi, the on going Mau conservation effort is bound to fail ostensibly because the Government is holding the wrong side of the stick. You see after many years of his word being above reproach, he still thinks the government of the day is made up of idiots. This is because it is expressing reasoned opinions which are different from his. After all, he is an expert. Yes, an expert who has made all the mistakes that could possibly be made in his 24 year reign. This is the repertoire of wisdom that characterized Moi`s 24 year executive fiat. This the wisdom that he employed in the creation of today`s Mau executive squatters: To establish lush tea estates in this water tower. Today, he must be wondering why the Government of the day is unwilling to “fuata nyayo.” Why is the government unwilling to drink from his pond of wisdom? To keep the story short, the senior Moi is simply asking the Government to allow him continue his tea business in Mau. As far as he is concerned, it is the Government`s headache to deal with the illegal Mau evictees as long as his lush tea farm is untouched. Herein lies the trap; if Moi stays put, so will his coterie. The conservation exercise will definitely have flopped. Obnoxious as this may sound, yet it is a testament to the fact that his opposition (as well as that of many others) to the Mau evictions was not about the welfare of the hapless and helpless illegal settlers but for his own selfish interests. The bitter truth is that the illegal Mau evictees are but mere pawns for the peers of the realm. Moi and his coterie literally “imported” gullible Kenyans from Kericho, Bomet and Baringo and put them in the Mau to act as a shield against any future threats of evictions from successive regimes. That is why today, they troop back to their ethnic enclave and make the loudest noise from the roof tops to scare away the Government of the day from undoing their ecological plunder. This clever ploy about tea farms conserving the water tower is only aimed at spreading confusion so as to ensure that the Government of the day is kept off balance. They do not want to let the ruts get deeper than they already are. My exhortation to the government is that it must never allow itself to be derailed from this noble conservation exercise. Instead it must do everything in its power to get rid of this wicked form of opportunism and propaganda in our midst. As for retired president Moi, let him take counsel in the words of Oliver Cromwell, “I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken” on this noble conservation exercise. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

COLLECTIVE CABINET RESPONSIBILITY KEY TO IMPLEMENTATION OF CRUCIAL AGENDA FOUR.

Dear Sir/Madam, One of the most fundamental questions that the cabinet and by extension, the entire country is grappling with is whether Parliamentary Watchdog Committees are overstepping their mandate through their constant erection of roadblocks on the path to implementation of government policy. The Prime Minister thinks that an overbearing parliamentary watchdog is an impediment to the proper functioning of the cabinet, so do a host of other cabinet Ministers. However, the speaker and members of parliament think otherwise. They opine that it is rather the disjointed cabinet and the political intrigues surrounding it coupled with its expediency and ineptitude that has naturally inspired the parliamentary Watchdogs to fill the resultant void. I entirely agree with the speaker of the National Assembly. Suffice to say that Cabinet Ministers have totally forgotten the import of collective responsibility as a cabinet. In fact, cabinet has become the biggest stumbling block to the government`s reform agenda. The term collective cabinet responsibility is akin to hybrid seeds planted in unhealthy soils to the majority of cabinet ministers. Collective ministerial responsibility entails three principles: the confidence rule, cabinet solidarity, and cabinet confidentiality. These principles help ensure that the cabinet pursues a policy consistent with the priorities of the country. In our Coalition Government, the president and the PM form the Cabinet by appointing members of Parliament as ministers to direct government ministries. The president, the PM and cabinet ministers thus propose laws that become the basis for public policy. The confidence rule is obvious. Without the cabinet having confidence in each other, then the import of having a cabinet ceases. Let me therefore dwell in detail on the remaining two principles. Perhaps the most fundamental pillar of collective ministerial responsibility is cabinet solidarity. Here the cabinet ensures a unified stance in everything it pursues. Granted, cabinet ministers can disagree but only in the privacy of the Cabinet. However, once a decision is made, they must loyally support and defend the government’s position or resign. Moreover, individual cabinet ministers must not announce new policy or changes in policy without the Cabinet’s approval. They must carry out cabinet-approved policies with respect to their own ministries, whether or not they agree with such policies. Finally, they are expected to vote with the government always. The President and the Prime Minister must always therefore enforce cabinet solidarity. In the event that dissenting voices emerge from the cabinet, then the President in consultation with the PM can ask ministers to resign. In case they refuse to resign then the president can sack them. The the other important aspect of the cabinet that is part and parcel of collective cabinet responsibility is confidentiality. Ministers swear an oath to protect cabinet secrecy. Documents used to support cabinet decision-making are highly confidential, and any public servant who discloses cabinet secrets can be imprisoned. However, of late, things have gone haywire. Non adherence to the policy of collective responsibility has seriously undermined the working of the cabinet. Very little or none of cabinet solidarity, confidence and confidentiality have been seen. Cabinet secrets and documents have increasingly found their way to the public domain. Obviously, some disgruntled elements within the cabinet are behind this leakage. The division in the cabinet has reached parliament with every minister with political clout manipulating legislation for his or her own ulterior motives. Take the stand off between the PM and his erstwhile ally William Ruto, the Minister for Agriculture; there differences have spiraled into parliament with a section of the latter`s supporters threatening to move a censure motion to settle political scores with the former over the Mau eviction saga. This country decries a weak cabinet. This is because a fragile cabinet can never deliver the crucial agenda four reforms that the country urgently requires. It is time that the cabinet owned up to its mistakes and agrees to give this country a new beginning. For in the words of Cardinal de Retz (1617-1679), “The man who can own up to his error is greater than he who merely knows how to avoid making it.” TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY.

SHADES OF POLITICAL SIN AND THE DEARTH OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP.

Dear Sir/Madam, We saw them jostle for space on the “high table.” And from this high table, vitriol flew high left, right and centre as if the speakers were competing to see whose vitriol would tickle the most. Vitriol kept flying high even from unlikely quarters like the Deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta. And to think that he could even quote the Holy Bible to wash the vitriol down our throats! Evidently, the poignant atmosphere in the circus of a fundraiser was punctuated by cheap bursts of prolonged laughter from all those gathered. The unmistaken message of such laughter was to make those in attendance realize one`s presence. Honorable Najib Balala, the cocky Mvita MP and the self styled Minister for political tourism capped it all by stating that those on the high table were the future of this country. In other words, those not on the high table, even though they were present in the fundraiser, they were not part of the future! Among those present in the fundraiser but not on the high table were the likes of Honorable Eugene Wamalwa, the Saboti MP who many across the political divide thought that he epitomized transformational leadership. However, going by Balala`s sentiments, then the youthful Wamalwa is apparently, not part of the future political leadership of this country. I thought that he got the drift, but no, like the rest in the crowd, his laughter and clapping told a different story. So what became of his budding presidential ambitions? Has his new found company dissuaded him from pursuing his ambition? I know that I have no right telling him who to walk with, for deep down in my heart, I know that like the iconic Nelson Mandela`s rejoinder to Bill Clinton, he will quip: “let me choose my friends as you choose your enemies.” But I will not tire for I will find solace in the aphorism of the erstwhile Kimilili MP, “if one walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then he must be a duck!” Through Wamalwa`s body language we now know his bosom friends. Has he not been spotted from time to time snuggling in the company of the same youthful political laggards, opportunists and slanderers who are busy casting their ethno-political net wide and far? Their political intrigues and the display of expediency coupled with sheer ineptitude among these political laggards, nay “transformational leaders” threatens to vanquish the very future that they are preaching to the youth. Could it be that they take advantage of the youth being the age of credulity? Someone needs to tell Honorable Wamalwa pretty fast that if he does not re-examine his conscience, his well guarded personality and his razor sharp brain risks decomposing in the company of trivial personalities. It is not surprising that of late, his rhetoric is increasingly portraying him as having completely nothing in common with the youth nor does he currently have a wee bit of understanding of the youthful generation that he purports to be the voice of. He leaves us with so many questions unanswered. How can he be part of those telling the youth that the Government of the day must reward cheats who invaded the Mau Complex and in the same breath promise them a brighter future under his watchful custody! Why is he part of a clique that has become a stumbling block in the Mau Complex conservation efforts? How can he be part of those whose Solomonic wisdom is to rise to the helm of this country`s political leadership through tribal alliances? How can he be in communion with a clique harping on transformational leadership even though their actions and inactions portray them as bullies and opportunists who are pennywise but pound foolish? Just who will be the gad fly to sting honorable Wamalwa back to reality? TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY.

VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE AGAINST PM PREMISED ON WRONG POLITICAL JUDGEMENT.

Dear Sir/Madam, A fortnight ago, honorable Joshua Kuttuny reminded all and sundry that Rift Valley legislators have numerical strength in the tenth Parliament and could therefore “do something.” It now emerges that “the something” he was referring to was a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister. This is the standard practice in many democracies around the globe. Parliament uses this arsenal with a view to checking on executive misconduct, or its effect, especially if the official`s unbecoming behavior subverts the structure of government or undermines the integrity of the office or the Constitution itself. So if there is sufficient proof that a government official is behaving in a manner grossly incompatible with the proper function and purpose of the office or that he employs the power of his office for an improper purpose or for personal gain, then a vote of no confidence comes in handy. In Kenya such a threshold is seemingly non-existent. It may well be that a section of the political divide may invoke this power simply because they do not like one`s nose. This lacuna may seriously undermine the integrity of the office of the PM. For instance, a look at section 4b of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, 2008, states that “the office of the Prime Minister shall become vacant if the National Assembly passes a resolution which is supported by a majority of all the members of the National Assembly, excluding the ex-officio members, and of which not less than seven days notice has been given, declaring that the National Assembly has no confidence in the Prime Minister.” From the foregoing it is apparent that the grounds for the vote of no confidence are conspicuously missing hence leaving this crude weapon to become a matter of political judgment. I bet this is akin to a demented old sucker monkey holding a loaded gun. But how honest are the politicians behind this vote of no confidence? You see, the Prime Minister is simply supervising the implementation of that which the cabinet and parliament agreed to. I thought that it would have been the failure on his part to implement the government`s decision that would have engendered a vote of no confidence against him and not the other way round. Moving a vote of no confidence against the PM based on a reality constructed on pure lies will most certainly prove counter-productive. Those bent on exploiting this provision must know that since the Mau eviction exercise has the blessings of the entire Parliament and Cabinet, then the vote of no confidence must be against the Parliament and the Cabinet. In other words, they must move a motion that seeks the entire Government to resign, or seek a parliamentary dissolution and request a general election. Which Member of Parliament is ready to shoot himself in the foot now? Yep, you guessed it right. Not one among them will dare do that. Our legislators must re-examine their conscience. They must know that the reason why the eviction process is going against the United Nation`s conventions on human rights, is because of sabotage by the line ministries and not as a result of the gross incompetence of the PM. We are aware of the fact that the PM does not have the powers to dismiss the ministers responsible and the president has not shown any indication that he is about to do that. The vote of no confidence must be moved against the saboteurs of Government`s noble plan. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY.

NEO-KU KLUX KLAN ARCHITECTS FIND A SAFE HAVEN IN THE MAU EVICTIONS.

Dear Sir/Madam, In the words of John Adams, “facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, or our inclination or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” I cannot agree more with these words of wisdom. For sometime the country has expressed outrage at the idea of some self seeking politicians crafting ethnic alliances to propel them to the helm of the country`s political leadership. Every other time the said political leaders vehemently denied it. But if one cared to scratch up on their rhetoric one would surely see the blatant insult of betrayal of our common good as a country. If you ever had doubted this then the Mau evictions saga lends credence to these banality. It behooves the intelligence of many that despite the Government, the civil society and the mainstream media explaining with intermittent patience the catastrophic effect of not conserving the country`s largest water tower there are those who are playing politics with the country`s lifeline. This continued malfeasance and dishonesty is a stark testament of politicians bereft of any iota of morality. That is why they have ganged up to construct a reality based on lies. In fact, tale tellers have it that they are even ferrying people from elsewhere to camp on the fringes of the Mau to give an impression to the whole world of the worst form of a government sponsored humanitarian crisis. And from the look of things they are really riding high on a carefully orchestrated political rollercoaster. Even though they have constantly had their snouts bashed by the right thinking public they are not just ready to give up their deceit. They are the men and women of “great common sense and good taste.” They are not so much interested in being on the right side of history but would rather let opportunism drive them to boring ordinariness in their quest to ascend to the helm of the country`s political leadership in 2012. You have witnessed them snuggle in the guise of a fundraiser. And I also hear that that there are a series of rallies lined up just to denounce the evictions and to slander and vilify their perceived political nemesis. Going back to the fundraiser, I must not hesitate to point out that there is nothing wrong in organizing for a fundraiser to help genuine evictees. However, there is everything wrong in using the fundraiser as a perfect smokescreen for the launching of a neo Ku Klux Klan (commonly referred to as triple K alliance). Much as I am encouraged by their sudden bout of philanthropy, I am still struggling very hard to understand why majority of the organizers of this fundraiser never shed a single tear for the victims of the Post Election Violence who are to date landless and homeless. Didn`t they not have children, women and the octogenarians sleeping in the biting cold? Did the organizers of this fundraiser demand for humane treatment of the IDPs as they are now doing for the Mau Complex illegal settlers? The Mau evictees and the IDPs aside, do these politicians give a hoot to the startling statistics of the landless and homeless in all the four corners of Kenya? Not even a cent has ever been extended to them. Did I hear someone shout subterfuge? It is the duty of the mainstream media to make these facts stubborn. The media must continually air drop these facts in the current stream of the public`s conscience. Never must the public be oblivious to the history of the degazetment and systematic excision of the Mau complex and the political machination behind the importation of a human shield to protect the politically correct land lords of the Mau complex. If anything it is the yesterday`s oligarchy that must be prosecuted and forced to compensate the illegal settlers of the Mau. It is time they stopped politicking and faced the reality. Most importantly, the intensifying rhetoric on the Mau eviction exercise must cease. This is because it does not bode well with the post election violence (PEV) conciliatory climate especially in the expansive Rift Valley region. In this rhetoric is a veneer of retaliatory attacks aimed at purging of the Rift Valley off “other ethnic communities.” They want to once more rouse the dreaded monster of negative ethnicity. Political leaders must understand that fear mongering in the guise of political supremacy battles is far from being patriotic. If they really want the public to believe that parliament and cabinet had agreed on compensating or giving alternative land to the illegal settlers, then, why not urgently convene a cabinet meeting and thrush out misunderstandings on the eviction exercise rather than engage in the protracted poisonous rhetoric? As for the MPs, isn`t the floor of the August House where they are supposed to put the government to task for reneging on such a substantive agreement? Or are they permanently incapable of making sense on the floor of the House? I suspect that the reason why these politicians do not want to engage in reasonable discourses on the floor of the August House is because they know that they are simply politicisizing that which they themselves participated in legislating. Kenyans are increasingly dismayed especially by the preposterous behavior of Cabinet ministers who overstep acknowledged protocol of collective responsibility to criticize the policies and decisions ratified in cabinet meetings. This only lends credence to their sinister motives. The two principals must crack the whip now before it is too late. Now than ever before, the country desires President Kibaki`s silence to be broken, at least on the Mau issue. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY.