BY FWAMBA NC FWAMBA:THE CIA DRUGS CONSPIRACY: THE ROLE OF DRUGS IN AMERICA’S WAR AGAINST TERRORISM

The drug issue is probably one of the issues majority of people are very uncomfortable to talk about. Those who talk about it always fall into the trap of drowning in American propaganda and end up not giving a clear picture of where the real problem lies. Given the ongoing war against drugs campaign, I strongly feel that this is the time to have some straight talk so that we can ensure that the drug menace is completely dealt with. The whole war against drugs will be in vain if the truth is not first established. According to an American based website ciadrugs.com,there is exposition on how the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA )controls the drug trafficking syndicates in the world. It gives a clear picture of how CIA for their own interests invest in the drug industry which currently threatens the sanity of some groups that appear to be a threat to American interests. Recently, there have been media reports over the drug menace at the coastal region of Kenya. Its a known fact that while a number of American presidents and other senior American political figures have admitted to having used marijuana at some point in their lives, majority of Kenyans don’t even know how bhang looks like. Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush and Obama have admitted having smoked marijuana at some point in their lives.2000 Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Al Gore has admitted to have the same experience. In Kenya, and maybe the whole of Africa such a thing a lone will make one unelectable. In the United States, the drug menace has been prominent in the non-white and poor white populations. African Americans have been major casualties in the use of drugs. With reference to days of slavery, the days of the civil rights movement for the African population of America up to the days of Barrack Obama, the drug menace appears to be more of a political weapon than just a social problem. The elucidation by Alex Harley on the life of Malcolm X in the book ‘the Autobiography of Malcolm x –as told to Alex Harley’ is in itself a lesson that people need to use as a case study. The transformation of Malcolm x from the days of doing drugs to one of the most powerful figures in the history of black people speaks a lot. Malcolm X, were it not for his conversion into the nation of Islam while in prison would not have been the great man that people talk about today. With what some people came to call racist teachings, the nation of Islam transformed Malcolm X to the man he later became because of its strict rules. Under Elijah Muhammad, the members of the group realized that the only way they could confront the political challenges that faced the black community was to teach people to abstain from drugs, cigarettes and anything else that is universally considered as unholy. It is through this kind of calling that Malcolm X’s life transformed from using drugs to preaching Afro-American Unity. Malcolm X is just an example of how many Afro American intellectuals missed opportunity to excel in academics because of the prevailing circumstances that made majority of young afro Americans resort to drug use. It’s not a coincidence therefore that the drug menace to date is most prominent in the US than any other part of the world. It is not a coincidence that the drug menace is most prominent among the black population and poor white populations. It is not a coincidence that the drugs menace in Kenya is most prominent at the coastal region and in areas associated with Islamic faith. According to a re cent newspaper report, the cost of heroin ranges around 200 shillings for the smallest quantity, while Cocaine goes at a cost of 500 shillings. I have not seen anyone coming out to ask why the victims of hard drugs addiction are only found at the coast and not even in Nairobi, which is the capital city and more cosmopolitan than Mombasa. The difference between the situation in Kenya and that in the USA is that the lower class whites and the poor black people live on welfare; that is the source of the money that is most likely used by drug addicts. In third world like Kenya, in particular the source of money used by drug addicts should be clearly established. The fingers are pointing at someone who is a world political super power who is islamophobic and more than interested to have the young people who have no source of income buy drugs. According to www.ciadrugs.com Under the CIA de-radicalization program the Muslim youth are provided with the money to use for the purchase of the drugs-to make them zombies and unproductive. This makes their prospect of falling into fundamentalist teachings minimized. The introduction of the drugs into the Muslim community ensures that there are no upcoming teachers of Islamic fundamentalism. The needle used for drug injections is said to be very expensive, something that has made those who use the drugs at the coast to share needles thus increasing HIV/aids prevalence at the coast. Following these facts, I believe that Kenyans should give a great focus on this exposition and stop following the misleading reports that come from any agent. While this method has worked effectively in curbing terrorism, it is sad that the situation is now at a critical level of making a whole generation is some of the parts of our country totally hopeless.CIA also knows very well that by doing so, the HIV and Aids will spread fast. This makes the allegations by fiery preacher Rev.Jeremiah Wright true that AIDS was designed to wipe out the African population. In the 2008 campaigns, radical pastor of the United Holy Trinity Church Rev.Jeremiah Wright became a subject of controversy in the Obama campaigns when he alluded to the fact that drugs were pushed into the black community to ensure that they (black people) grow in crime, remain unproductive, unschooled and un exposed to education and graduate to prison by teenage. According to their website, the USAID spends a lot of their money on programs that are intended to curb terrorism. The programs that are explicitly outlined are those that directly involve the Muslim youth in Kenya against radicalism and fundamentalism.Un-said truth is that the CIA has a specific interest in ensuring that the drugs (according to the reports, there are no drug industries/factories in Kenya) get to young muslims.In Kenya, majority of the victims of drug addiction are at the coast, a place whose majority population professes the Islamic religion. The drug menace has really messed up the lives of many young people at the coast. In the recent past, America did a survey on establishing the number of madras at the coast. After a public outcry from Muslim leaders from the Islamic leaders, Ranneberger started fabricating reports to divert attention from the CIA ‘de-radicalization’ of the Muslim youth program. With the drug addicts in the Islamic community, according to CIA,there will be few students of the Sharia law, there will be fewer students and teachers of Islamic fundamentalism. The drug menace is a religio-political ideological problem and not as petty as Ranneberger wants to project it just to DIVERT OUR ATTENTION. The drug issue is a grave matter and should be dealt with.Ranneberger has more answers to give us than questions. The problem is bigger than what Ranneberger wants us to believe; The buck stops with Ranneberger’s own government to stop bringing drugs in the third world under the guise of fighting terrorism. That is the TRUTH. So what is the credibility of Ranneberger’s so called dossier on drugs?  FWAMBA NC FWAMBA.

BY FWAMBA NC FWAMBA : What should be the age of our next president?

There has been a rife debate and most Kenyans are now yearning for a renewed form of leadership. Many voices are now concerned that the country’s leadership should be handed over to a new generation. That is agreed. However history has proved that age alone may not guarantee the other qualities required to ensure that a country or an institution in question achieves its goals. In reference to world political leadership history, its evident that a number of most prominent world leaders started their activities while youthful, a number of them developed good ideas while at any age. It is true that a number of great leaders like Chairman Mao Tse Tung, Vladimir Lenin, Malcolm X, and Dr.Martin Luther king Jnr, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Thomas Sankara and others became leaders at youthful ages. I believe their leadership abilities were based on their intellect and effort and not necessarily their age. These leaders remain icons in the world of history because of the great things they did for their people and their communities at tender ages. It is also a fact that there are some people who took reigns of power at tender age but became calamities to their countries; an example was president sergeant Samuel Doe who was later nicknamed as the Monster of Monrovia. After taking power in a military coup’et dat at the age of 27, Doe plunged his country into civil war that lasted for a decade. Liberia stayed for long without knowing peace until post Charles Taylor days. Another African tragedy is that of Mobutu Seseseko Wa Zabanga who became the absolute leader of the Congo Kinshasa at the age of 30 in a CIA sponsored coup. After conspiring with foreign power to have Patrice Lumumba assassinated, Mobutu ruled Congo with an iron fist. He misused the country’s resources for his own personal gain. He conspired with some of the world’s greatest superpowers to have impoverish Congo which he renamed Zaire. He ran the government like it was his own personal property. He did this for thirty two years because America supported him all through. In essence, Mobutu served the interests of the United States of America and he only lost power when he became irrelevant. Mobutu’s bloody reign led to pandemonium in that is characteristic of the now Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to date. On the other hand in Cuba, the then youthful Fidel Castro took power in 1959 and ensured that he put policies that later helped Cuba to be self reliant. Those policies have made Cuba one of the most respected countries in the world. One of the most respected leadership legends in the world history Sir Winston Churchill British prime minister (1940-1945, 1951-1955) became prime minister at the age of 66 years during the Second World War in 1940. Churchill is celebrated to date for his leadership during World War II (1939-1945). He is revered because of his courage, decisiveness, political experience, and enormous vitality which enabled him to lead his country through the war, one of the most desperate struggles in British history.Churchil left the premier’s office at 81 years with honour. US president Ronald Reagan who is credited with turning the United States of America’s economy around became President in 1981 at the age of 70 years succeeding where his predecessor Jimmy Cater’s leadership had failed. It must be remembered that it was under Ronald Reagan’s tenure that cold war was negotiated to lead to the fall of the soviet union in 1991 three years after Reagan left white house at the age of 78 years in 1989.In America it is the Reagan administration that is credited to have worked towards ensuring the end of cold war. After the promulgation of our current constitution, there is general euphoria that the country needs youthful leadership. Most of the young people have come up and some have already declared interest in seeking elective opportunities in the forthcoming general election. This is a good move and it will help the nation towards realizing the targets and expectations of a renewed legacy and preparation for a ground to build a bright future for the country. Kenyans need a new leadership that will work towards ending corruption, impunity and develop our economy. The new leadership must be untainted, trustworthy and free from manipulation by foreign powers. We must pursue new leadership; not necessarily based on age but on progressive ideas and manifesto. The leadership must be Kenyan and not one imposed by foreign interests. Those are the parameters that we achieve real change in our governance systems. That arrangement is what will also open opportunities for young people who are progressive and with a track record to make Kenya a country of honour. We do agree that it is time for the youth, but whether it’s an absolute or only quality for leadership, its you to decide.

RANNEBERGER AND KENYAN UNCLE TOMS:BY FWAMBA NC FWAMBA

Kenyan youth are disenchanted, they are disgruntled, they are disappointed and they need solutions. They need answers. They need answers from the government. The government must act.That is the song sang by every Kenyan youth. The situation is appalling and something must be done to address this. It has emerged that majority of Kenyans youths have not seen the real benefits of the kazi kwa vijana programs. The youth enterprise development fund, without streamlining will still continue to benefit a few individuals. The impact on the ground remains in proportionate to the amount of money announced to have been released through the media. The government must ensure through its structures that the impact of these programs is significantly felt at the grassroots. Corruption is the cause of this food chain kind of situation which causes most the money intended for the young people to be spent on administration costs. It is always said that a drowning man will clutch his hands on anything to stay afloat. Poverty has been used as an excuse to justify Many vices among the youth be it crime or other social ills. It is not lost to us that Kenyan youths have become desperate because of nepotism, corruption and impunity. In Kenya, you will easily find people who are less qualified getting employment while those qualified and without their relatives or godfathers in high positions either in government, civil society or private sector, remain jobless and sometimes end up hopeless. Kibaki has failed Kenya youth, Raila has failed Kenyan youth. They have not put in required effort to improve the economic challenges of many jobless but talented young Kenyans. The above stated situation is what American ambassador Michael Ranneberger has decided to exploit, not because he is fighting corruption, not because he loves Kenyan youth, not because he wants a better governed country in future, but because he has seen an opportunity to build part of the American empire in Africa, he has seen an opportunity to exploit desperate youth in Kenya, he has seen an opportunity to give Kenyan youths’ an alternative’ because of the despair. Its is not that America is committed to reforms more than the ordinary Kenyan does, but its because the interest of America in this country are too high that the threat posed by the Chinese in economic rivalry have to be tamed. The only window Ranneberger has seen is advancing what he calls ‘reforms’ and ‘empowerment of the youth’. Due to the situation in Kenya, he has found out that he can use a few stooges to advance American imperialism through pointing at the Kenyan government and the Kenyan leaders as corrupt and anti-reforms. I agree Kenya needs a new leadership; Kenya needs fresh blood away from the kind of leadership the grand coalition has offered. Kenya needs a new dawn, but America and Ranneberger are not a solution, we have the solution from among ourselves, we have the solution from within. Most of you have come across the drawing where a female rat is trapped and the male rat wants to take advantage with a title ‘beware of opportunists’ ;this is the situation the Kenyan youth are in. They are in an economic trap then here comes America with the so called ‘Yes Youth Can’ program. The truth is that Ranneberger is perpetuating the American foreign policy of dominance and brainwashing-one that the British Empire practiced during the Norman conquests. Those are the tactics king Leopold of Belgium practiced in the Congo during the 18th century. Those strategies were used by the French, Germans and the British to colonize us. They used economic enticements to have home guards work for them and oppress Africans .Those are the kind of enticements the slave master used to give to the house Negro during the days of slavery in America. In the 21st century America took over and it’s playing these tactics that a few individuals in Kenya are. Without any historical backing or understanding, getting so much excited about the so called American youth empowerment program will cost this country its hope for a better future. It will be an opening for America to advance what they have been working towards. They want to plant puppets, and if they succeed in doing so, am confident that fifty or a hundred years to come, some African remnants will read what I am writing today. This trend in itself is dangerous to the survival of the African race. After Congo (now DRC) got independence from the Belgians, Americans wanted to inherit the mineral reserves in the Congo. Pan-Africanist Patrice Lumumba became the first Prime Minister of the independent Congo with a weak willed Joseph Kasavubu as President. America, through their CIA machinations conspired to have Lumumba killed. At 36 years Patrice Lumumba was brutally assassinated. This is documented and the CIA agents who planned Lumumba’s death admitted the conspiracy. They put the 30 year old Joseph Desire Mobutu (later Mobutu Seseseko Kuku Ngbendu wa Zabanga) in power.Mobutu ruled the Congo (which he renamed Zaire) with an iron fist. He is regarded as one of the greatest tyrants in Africa’s history. He wasted the country and allocated himself all the minerals and the power that the former ‘owner’ of Congo; King Leopold of Belgium had enjoyed (Read ‘King Leopold’s Ghost).America was very comfortable with Mobutu’s reign of terror. All American presidents; Dwight David Eisenhower1953-1961,John Fitzgerald Kennedy1961-1963,Lyndon Baines Johnson1963-1969, Richard Milhous Nixon1969-1974,Gerald Rudolph Ford1974-1977 , Jimmy Carter1977-1981,Ronald Wilson Reagan1981-1989,George Herbert Walker Bush1989-, William Jefferson Clinton1993-2001,supported Mobutu through his reign of terror for a period of 32 years and never bothered to ‘bring democracy’ to Congo(Zaire). After Mobutu’s ouster and subsequent exile and death in Morocco, the George Bush (Snr) family adopted Mobutu’s children. It has been believed widely that the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki was made by uranium directly ‘bought’ from the Belgian Congo. That kind of knowledge of existence of important minerals in the Congo drove America to have serious vested interest that led to them ensuring that Mobutu who was their puppet became de facto leader of Zaire. It was clear that Americans knew of the resources that were in Zaire that is why they had no problem with Mobutu’s ‘democracy’. In Somalia, their interest was Oil, they sponsored Mohammed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohammed against dictator Mohammed Siad Barre.When Barre left both forces wanted to take over power, America tried to do for them what they have done in Iraq-forming ‘an all inclusive people’s government ‘they failed. They created chaos in Somalia to date and even killed one of their former allies; rebel leader Mohammed FARAH Aideed. What is happening to Somalia today is known to everybody. Conspiracies: In 1961,during the ‘bay of pigs invasion’, US President JF Kennedy is known to have conspired to have a passenger plane hijacked by supposed ‘terrorists’ and blame it on Cuba so as to justify war with Cuba that was newly under the leadership of Communist Fidel Castro. The twin tower is another theory yet to be resolved. George W. Bush’s immediate reaction of ‘you are either with us or with the terrorists’ showed that the war in Iraq had been pre-meditated even before the twin towers of the World Trade Center were brought down on 911. The weapons of mass destruction were all about the millions of barrels of the Iraqi Oil.So, who really brought down the towers; if its Bin Laden, who trained him? Before disagreements with the US, Osama was supported by Americans. They only started looking at him as an evil person after they fell out with him. In the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy in Kenya, Bill Clinton and all Americans only talked about American casualties. To date only American victims were compensated (US government policy).It is known that the attack on Kenya by terrorists was suspected to have been caused by Kenya’s ‘strong’ diplomatic ties with the US. The terrorists had more Enemy in Americans than Kenyans. America has a lot of money; if they love Africans so much, why are they not interested in compensating families of the 1998 Kenyan victims of the American embassy bomb blast. Americans have been conducting themselves as world prefects for human rights and transparency. It’s not lost in our memory that before releasing the cablegate dossier, Julian Assange; the founder of Wiki leaks released a video of an American war plane killing Iraqi civilians and a Reuters journalist in cold blood. Before the execution of Saddam Hussein by American puppets in Iraq, nude photos of Iraqi war prisoners of Abu Ghraib Prison circulated on the internet. Pictures showed the prisoners naked and being taunted by American soldiers. The atrocities done by Americans during the interrogations of suspects at Guantanamo depict the worst violation of human rights. After the execution of Saddam Hussein, George W Bush openly indicated that he had settled a family grudge when he retorted that ‘that man (Saddam) wanted to kill my father (Bush Snr)’.On corruption, among many others, it’s well known in the whole world that in the recent past after Obama’s resignation as Illinois Senator, the Governor of the state attempted to sell Obama’s senate seat to the highest bidder.Currently, former US vice president Dick Cheney is a wanted man in Nigeria over bribery claims. When Obama took over power, he promised to withdraw troops from Iraq, right now he is contemplating having them stay there for a little more time due to continued’insurgency’.The truth in this is that the so called reconstruction which is giving American companies a lot of money –is not yet over. It is all about American interests .The number of Iraqis who have died under America’s democracy is far much more than those that died under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Today Kenya is an easy target by Ranneberger whose mission is to advance the American’s evil interest in Kenya. This is because of the way the government has neglected the Kenyan youth. Ranneberger is using this to take advantage of the young people who were born long after the ‘Pearl Habour’, after the ‘Bay of Pigs’, after ‘Nagasaki’ and ‘Hirioshima’,after Vietnam, after Iraq invasion on Kuwait, after 911 and are not privileged to access information on the American tricks. The young Kenyans are desperate and they now stand for nothing-they are falling for anything-they are selling our country to Ranneberger. It is through less informed and gullible youth that our country may go to dogs, because our syllabus feeds our young generation not based on true historical facts but only teaches them to live on propaganda and academic lies of the west and in particular; American imperialism .So what’s Ranneberger’s real intentions with the Kenyan Youth? Empowerment? The answer is NO. Fwamba NC Fwamba

Will Raila Odinga be our Gandalf?

Arrows and shields .................................................................................. BY FWAMBA NC FWAMBA .................................................................................. In the Prof J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy; The Lord of the Rings, the role of one character Gandalf the grey, who later becomes Gandalf the white is very conspicuous. Gandalf belongs to the group of wizards, the wisest and most knowledgeable creatures in the middle earth. Unlike Saruman; another wizard who attempts to get the ring of power for himself, Gandalf sticks to his mission of helping the middle earth rid itself of the ring of power by helping in assembling and leading the team to destroy the ring of power in the same chasm inside the crack of Mount Doom where the ring was forged. The ring of power has a history of bringing down great leaders and kings including Isildur; whose heir is Aragorn camouflaged as Strider carries the duty of reinstating Isildur’s lost glory. Gandalf’s efforts to inform Saruman about The whereabouts of the ring turns out to be a calamity for its later discovered that Saruman has defected and joined Sauron; the dark lord to claim the ring. The ring is in the shire, the land of the Hobbits. Gandalf is faced with the challenge of ensuring that the ring is destroyed before his former ally Saruman or the main antagonist Sauron land their hands on it. Kenya is a county at the crossroads now. The political challenges that face us to day are akin to the conflicts that bedeviled the middle earth. Kenyans have attempted for long to bring about change. All efforts have been futile because of the greed of the leaders that have hypocritically come together in the name of destroying the establishment of impunity and corruption have ended up being corrupt and unreliable. They have always instead just like Saruman been converted and become allies of impunity and subjects of the same ills they purported to oppose. Kenya has gone through turbulent waters since the days of colonialism. Every political step in Kenya has been a make believe to the Kenyan masses that time for national redemption has finally come. The chronology of the Kenyan leadership starting from colonialism has always been a disappointment. In Kenya’s war for independence, the freedom fighters fought to return the land that had been taken away by the British colonialists. When freedom was finally granted, the country was optimistic that with an African leader all Kenyans were going to have better lives with equal opportunity to access education and resources compared to the previous regime which had been oppressive, racist and discriminatory against Africans. It emerged that their celebrations were in vain for the new African establishment became no different from the practices of the British colonialists. Fertile lands that had previously been taken by the colonialist were then taken over and shared among the African leaders that had taken over the reigns of power. The ordinary Kenyan who had fought so hard for independence became a disappointed person. It emerged that those who were landless during the colonial period remained landless; those who were lucky got small portions of land where they stayed as squatters. It was not forgotten that those who had taken power led by Jommo Kenyatta had claimed that they wanted change for an ordinary Kenyan African who was lacked opportunities because of racism and other forms of discrimination. It was evident that the African government substituted terms but continued with the oppressive ways of the colonialist. It was not lost to Kenyans that terms like racism were replaced with tribalism. Settlers were replaced by African land grabbers. It’s known to Kenyans that it was under the African regime that those who spoke out their mind like Pio Gama Pinto, Tom Mboya, Argwings Kodhek and JM Kariuki had their lives cut short because of having alternative views on governance. In 1978, Moi became president and people who had witnessed Kenyatta’s misuse of power and practices of tribalism thought that with change in the leadership, things were going to be different. It however turned out to be more disappointing that Moi declared that he was going to ‘fuata nyayo’(follow Kenyatta’s footsteps).Under the nyayo era, Moi perfected the art of tribalism, corruption and impunity. Under Moi’s leadership, democracy was crushed and detention without trial; a law that had been put in place under Kenyatta’s regime became more effective than ever. It’s during the Moi era that many pro democracy activists and university student leaders like Tito Adungosi and Wafula Buke were jailed over trumped up charges. Many activists disappeared without trace. It’s during this same regime that saw Kenya’s first Vice President and doyen of opposition Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was put under house arrest. Under the same regime more political assassinations and mysterious deaths occurred. It was during this regime that Bishop Alexander Muge, Dr.Robert Ouko and many others died under suspect circumstances. The atrocities committed under the Nyayo regime saw progressive politicians like Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Ahmed Salim Bahmariz, George Nthenge, Masinde Muliro, Philip Gachoka and Martin Shikuku to team up and form the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD).It was a new dawn for Kenya when after pressure from the international community Mr.Moi repealed section 2(a) of the then constitution of Kenya which ushered in multiparty politics. Greed engulfed the country, for every politician saw an opportunity to ascend to power since Moi was very unpopular. Many opposition parties were formed. After the mysterious death of Masinde Muliro at the Jommo Kenyatta International Airport three months to the general election, Ford split into two factions Ford Kenya which was led by Jaramogi with headquarters at Agip House and Ford Asili that was led by Kenneth Matiba that moved their headquarters to Muthithi House (now Occidental plaza), the Democratic Party (DP) and the Social Democratic Party were formed and registered. Young people like Ruto and Jirongo saw an opportunity to become politically relevant. They formed Youth for Kanu 92’ thereby saving Moi’s regime from extinction by mobilizing the youth vote. The divided opposition driven by greed for power lost to Moi. The same situation was repeated in 1997.The opposition fielded many presidential candidates who included Mwai Kibaki of the Democratic Party, Michael Kijana Wamalwa of Ford Kenya,Raila Odinga of National Development Party and Charity Ngilu of the Social Democratic party. The opposition lost again and the country continued wallowing in the culture of impunity. With new wisdom acquired from lessons in the past election losses, in 2002,the opposition united to defeat Moi and his ‘project Uhuru’.The optimism of Kenyans was renewd.Most Kenyans believed that with the exit of Moi, the country had been saved from all the ills that we had fought against. That was never to be for after one year, the government was grappling with corruption allegations. A mega scandal akin to the Goldenberg that had occurred during kanu’s dark days happened; the Anglo Leasing. It dawned to Kenyans that the greed for power and wish to occupy Moi’s shoes was the driving force for the opposition unity. Kenyans discovered that it was greed for power and money and not good governance that had caused the opposition to unite to defeat Moi and ‘project Uhuru. In 2007, it emerged that both the incumbent led by Mwai Kibaki and the opposition led by Raila Odinga had been in government. It was declared to be the mother of all battles. The tight race between the two presidential candidates led to a disputed result. I contend that Kenyans didn’t know what the post election violence was all about. It was about greed for power. 2012 is beckoning and we face the same challenges that Kenyans don’t have a leader who wants to create a respectable state. Kenya needs a Gandalf like figure who will not get entangled into power struggles. Kenya needs someone with an opportunity to be president but because of being selfless will choose not to seek presidency, but will assemble a new generation of leaders who will ensure the country has a new beginning. Kenya needs someone to sacrifice, someone who is above temptations for power, someone with the interest of the nation at heart. If Moi and old Kanu establishments represent Sauron and Kibaki is Saruman, is Raila going to sacrifice his presidential ambitions and be our Gandalf?

welcome to KYVA

Executive summary Kenya young voters alliance is a conglomerate of both organizations and individuals committed to ensuring that Kenya as a country manages to achieve set developmental goals to meet both the international and national set targets. The idea was mooted in 2004 by a group of university of Nairobi student leaders who saw the leadership challenges facing the country. After the victory of NATIONAL RAINBOW COALITION (NARC) party in the December 2002 elections, Kenyans especially the youth were optimistic that the victory of NARC marked real change in governance for better. Unfortunately that did not happen and one year down the line, the NARC government was full of high profile corruption where senior government officials including ministers were involved. By 2004, impunity and looting of public coffers had become a way of life against the earlier expectations of majority of Kenyans. For the aforementioned reasons, the student organization of Nairobi University (SONU) leadership resolved to work on a methodology that will ensure that new leadership out of the current system emerges. This was followed by a series of meetings with other university student leaders from both public and private universities. Bigger meetings were organized and it emerged that t unity of young people was paramount. . The resolution included urging all young leaders in all sectors to take part in political processes. It was decided that taking strategic positions in political parties will be part of the best ways of getting onto the stage of national leadership. The Kenya young voter’s alliance was agreed to be the name of the movement that will be entrusted to co-ordinate activities of youth organizations and institutions. The leadership of Kenya young voters’ alliance is drawn from politically conscious young people with leadership ambitions with diversity of backgrounds, experiences and ideas. The leadership is from different geographical locations and from different ethnic Kenyan communities. The principle of unity is to ensure absorption of young people in all leadership positions in the country. In the 2007, KYVA leaders played a critical role in both ODM and PNU campaigns. Majority of the leaders were part of the seventeen man team that spearheaded the youth campaign for president Kibaki. KYVA was entrusted to coordinate all the national youth campaigns in the recently concluded referendum that saw Kenyans approving the new constitution with overwhelming majority of 67 percent of the vote. The main mandate of KYVA was to marshal the young voters to support what was then the proposed constitution. The same leadership is now actively involved in political party activities of both partners of the coalition government; party of national unity and orange democratic movement. The alliance currently has networks in all parts of the country whose purpose is to ensure that with the new constitution, young people get opportunities of leadership in all the recently formed 47 counties. The alliance plans to organize consistent interactive sessions with young people all over the republic in the run up to 2012 elections. Our main goal is to educate young people on the benefits and opportunities that come with the new constitution. We also intend to educate them on the need of turning out in large numbers to register as voters and also turn out in large numbers to seek elective posts and also vote in large numbers. Background The following were the founders and vision carriers of KYVA Fwamba NC Fwamba An interior designer by profession born in Bungoma district in 1980.He grew up with a keen interest in leadership through the mentorship of his father who was a locally recognized leader both in church and other local leadership institutions.fwamba did his Kenya certificate of primary education (KCPE) in 1994 after which he joined Kibabii High school in 1995 where he studied for his secondary education. He sat for his Kenya certificate of secondary education in 1998 where he passed and qualified to join the University of Nairobi in the year 2000 where he pursued a degree in design. During his tenure at the University of Nairobi, Fwamba was elected vice chairman of the student organization of Nairobi University (SONU) IN 2003.Through student leadership; he leaned more about leadership and also got an opportunity to interact with many people in different sectors of the society. Through this he got to interact with national political leaders some of whom became an inspiration to him. It was during his tenure as the vice chairman of the student union that together with others, they formed the Kenya young voters’ alliance. After graduation, he worked shortly in different companies as a designer. In 2007, he resigned from his job to get involved in the works of civil society and eventually pursued a line of getting involved in mainstream politics. He believes in a country with better governance structures. He was among the team of the presidential youth advisory team during the 2007 presidential elections. Fwamba was one of the five people who spearheaded the youth campaigns in the just concluded referendum of august 2010.currently he is the director of elections of the political party new ford Kenya which forms part of the grand coalition government in Kenya. Kenneth Orengo He is a young businessman and professional with a degree in veterinary medicine from the university of Nairobi and born in Nairobi in 1980. All through his education he has been recognized as a leader culminating in his election as a student leader in various positions in the students’ organization of university of Nairobi. His experiences in leadership made him develop an interest in the politics of Kenya. The challenges he is going through as a youth in Kenya coupled with his belief that this can change for better have given him the desire to rise up to national leadership so that he can influence society and share his dreams for the country. He is currently the treasurer of New Ford Kenya which is a parliamentary political party in Kenya with one cabinet position. Tedd Munovi He served as a chairman of the students’ organization of university of Nairobi. He is a young professional with a lot of experiences in the economic, social and political issues affecting the youth having trained and graduated as a teacher. He has also participated in National politics serving as the Director of Election in NARC Kenya which was then President Kibaki’s proposed party for re-election, and then participating as a member of the 2007 presidential youth campaign team. He is currently in charge of public communications at Brand Kenya. Overall Goal Our overall goal is ‘to mobilize young people to participate in democracy and development of Kenya’. The specific objectives, goals, strategies and implementation of our strategies are contained in our strategic plan. Achievements 1. We have established national networks for young people who share our dreams 2. We are registered as a Trust in Kenya 3. we have an office in Nairobi 4. Our members have been elected into executive positions in Political Parties in Kenya 5. Success in grass root mobilization by working for victory in the recent referendum campaigns and the President’s re-election 6. Established meaningful partnerships 7. internet presence through blog (http://kenyayoungvotersalliance.blogspot.com) and face book Tasks to be accomplished include; 1. Establishing a web site 2. Marketing the web site 3. Carry out political leadership development programs for youth targeting 2012 elections 4. Open a Bank account 5. Completing the drafting and launching of our 2011-2015 strategic plan 6. Getting sustainable funding 7. Looking for more office space and furniture

CUMULATIVE IMPROVEMENTS SALIENT CAVEAT FOR ASSESSING SCHOOLS` PERFORMANCE.

Education experts do not agree on much in education, but there is one point on which they agree: having an effective teacher is the single most important school ingredient to a child's learning success. But the problem again lies in the identification of the specific benchmarks used in the selection such effective teachers. The government has over time relied on the often deceptive summative national examination results in determining and rewarding teachers whose students post impressive scores in the examinable subjects. The Ministry of basic Education and TSC has promoted such teachers to higher job groups while those in low socio-economic schools (most of which are in rural and hardship areas) lag in promotions because their schools fail to post impressive scores in the same examinations. However, over the years it has become increasingly clear that stakeholders in the basic education sector are not in agreement as to what factors determine the competence of effective teachers or how effective teaching can be evaluated and given recognition. In my opinion, a teacher`s competence must be measured based on three distinct aspects of students` achievement. These include: current levels of the students` performance, students` improvements over time, and achievement equity where students` results are weighted against schools` socio-economic status. Over time it has become crystal clear that the so called “best performing schools” fair badly on these caveat. A more thorough reading of the results presented in such National summative examinations provides a more nuanced perspective on the educational condition of the nation. For example, teachers in national schools have always been ranked as effective basing on the fact that their schools are ranked first in the summative national examinations, however, the same schools will rank poorly in terms of cumulative improvements in the four year period since KCPE. When using this new format, it will for instance be unsurprising that despite average or below-average current achievement in summative national examination, a village school in a hardship area like central Pokot is likely to be ranked among the top performing schools nationally as a result of very strong improvements on students` entry behavior in the four years. It is therefore incumbent upon the government and TSC to credit a teacher handling such students. This is because the teacher is effective in content delivery and is in fact also effective in terms of maximizing on the limited resources available to add value to students` entry behavior within a four year period. I therefore commend the Head teachers who in their just concluded conference in Mombasa identified this caveat as particularly salient for quality assessment in schools` performance. It has made the public to realize the fact that national schools (most of which are blessed with abundant resources) do not necessarily outperform the so called village schools/third world schools. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

PROTECT TEACHERS FROM FAITH BASED DISCRIMINATION.

In Kenya most secondary schools are nondenominational and are supported by parents and partly funded by the government. The government also funds faith based schools that meet certain standards. Part of the government funding to faith based schools includes the provision of state employed teachers. However, many of these teachers continue to remain uniquely vulnerable to religious discrimination. This is because there have been numerous instances where majority of the so called sponsors/management in the state funded faith schools have indirectly or otherwise discriminated on the basis of religion in hiring decisions. If for instance, TSC allots an employment opportunity to such a school, and the school`s BoG decides to rate religious devotion higher than numerical felicity when appointing a math teacher, then there is nothing in the law that can stop them. Secondly, if a TSC employed teacher is unfortunate enough to be transferred to such a state funded faith school despite his or her beliefs, his or her problems may just have started. This is because, such school boards can decide levels of promotion on the basis of the beliefs of such a teacher, meaning that there can be a de facto ban on senior posts if he or she is of the "wrong" faith. Thirdly, sometimes such BoGs can influence a teacher to be dismissed for conduct which is “incompatible” with the school's faith. Here, it is up to the BoG of such a school to define the "precepts" of the school's religion and what forms of conduct are incompatible with it. In this context, one is left wondering just what forms of conduct could be considered cause for reprimand, interdiction or even suspension by TSC. It will perhaps not be unsurprising to hear that a teacher was interdicted and suspended from service without pay for a couple of months or even dismissed and removed from the roll of teachers simply because such a teacher refused to take students to a Sunday Service or that a teacher failed to turn up for remedial teaching on a Saturday irrespective of whether such a teacher is obliged to observe it as his or her Sabbath. I have even heard of instances where a teacher was charged with insubordination for refusing to participate in a compulsory praise and worship session in school! In many instances, TSC has always taken the agent`s words as the gospel truth irrespective of whether their actions or inactions are contrary to the TSC Code of Regulations and the code of conduct and ethics. Unfortunately, TSC has made no coherent or principled defense of this situation. It is time that TSC protected teachers against any form of religious discrimination. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

INTERNSHIP: THE GAMBIT TO DENY TEACHERS PERMANENT AND PENSIONABLE EMPLOYMENT.

Nations the world over recognize the intricate connections between stable government, economic growth and effective schooling and are making basic education a national priority. They have made it their foremost preoccupation to examine strategies to use in unlocking the full potential of the teaching profession through policies that focus on accountability for quality and results, incentives to attract and keep high-quality teachers and building capacity for effective teaching. However, it is sad that the Kenya government is intent with the continuation of its scheming and lackadaisical stance on this very national lifeline. The net effect of the government`s haughtiness has been that the turnover of teachers has been extremely high. If truth be told, the government is, to say the least, disinterested in embracing a more respectful culture as a means to attracting more teaching talent in our schools. Instead, it is hell bent on employing a masterly misdemeanor with a view to tackling this intractable problem in the most unprofessional way. It wants the role of employing and paying teachers exercised by schools` BoG`s and PTA`s. Yet doing so will be folly, sham and deceptively dangerous to the growth of the teaching profession in this country. It must be made crystal clear that the issue here is not whether “internship” under the terms of the various school boards will address in a jiffy the shortages prevalent in schools countrywide but whether this mode of employment will have an awful side effect on the teaching profession; the truth is that such a move will permanently denigrate the teaching profession. If the idea that a qualified teacher has to work as an intern before being formally employed then why not let the internship be exercised under the terms and conditions of TSC and not the schools` BoG`s or PTA`s. This is because TSC will find it extremely difficult to take corrective measures against the interns who engage in unethical practices. Moreover, the period in which one has to serve as an intern prior to being formally employed by TSC must also be spelt out so that internship is not used as a gambit to deny teachers the right to be employed under permanent and pensionable terms. If internship is meant to deny teachers the right to secure employment, then it would seem that professionalism is the least of the government`s concerns. It will be unsurprising if the government goes to the extent of contracting teachers who never should be contracted in the first place for the simple reason that bodies are needed in the classroom. In the long run this cheap, unprofessional and inexperienced labor force will turn out to be detrimental to the citizenry of this country. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

MACHAGE`S SARDONIC TREATMENT OF POLITICS BRINGS OUT HIS INNER PRIMAL SELF.

The most glaring and outrageous comedy titled “The No Rhapsody” is now showing countrywide. In this show, one Wilfred Machage is depicted as a mean, ill-tempered character whose heart burns with rage and who in the frenzy of igniting his audience often veers off into tangents and asides while hoping to be applauded for his apparent audacity and bravado. His sardonic treatment of politics, helps bring out his inner, primal self, stripped of its civilized veneer. You will see him superbly rave as his eye balls gyrate in different directions. Being a gallant Kuria warrior he always carries with him a very lethal arsenal-his mouth. Be sure to be treated to his armor-clad syllables that hurtle and rattle out of both sides of his mouth in quick succession. As he deftly caresses his mane in a somewhat philosophical stance, and as his chest heaves, gigantic are the words he hurls at his perceived political enemies. You are left with little doubt that this man can hew epithets out of stone. I must quickly admit that for a man who is accustomed to using his heart more than his head, I am insensible to his condescension. He comes out as one who does not regard patriotism, duty to God and country, or allegiance to noble principles as worthy goals. In his estimation society provides a shallow and often evil structure for living. At this juncture one is left with the impression that his opposition to the draft constitution is just but a revolt against the ignominy of his meteoric rise to a ministerial portfolio only to be demoted as fast as the promotion came. The absurdities and the crudities in which Machage indulges are almost unlimited. At one time, he rants that “his people”, must evict the Luos all the way to Awendo and that the Gikuyu have to be evicted from Rift Valley while the Maasai have to take over Nairobi if the draft constitution passes. And when the law takes its course he instantly cries foul. What Machage fails to understand is that it would be a manifest absurdity for him to say that his liberty was abridged for being punished for doing that which he never had a liberty to do in the first place. But perhaps the most comical of it all is when he throws tantrums at the two principals. He waxes lyrical that Kibaki and Raila must resign if the “NO” vote wins the day. Really? Shouldn`t Machage think for once that parliament overwhelmingly passed the draft constitution in its current form. Any failure in the passage of the draft at the plebiscite would therefore mean that Kenyans have no confidence (not in the President or the Prime Minister) but in parliament and therefore, it is parliament that must be dissolved and fresh elections held under the current constitution. By the end of the show, I have no doubt whatsoever that the audience is thoroughly desensitized to Machage`s indifference and insipidness. This show reminds the audience of how far our day-to-day world of politics is from the idealization of comedy. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

FREEDOM OF SPEECH HAS LIMITATIONS.

Is the regulation of hateful statements and publications consistent with the guarantee of free speech? This is the deceptively frightening question that those against the regulation of hate speech are posing. We have heard them opine that it is unconstitutional for the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), to bar them from peddling dangerous falsehoods. However, I beg to differ on the grounds that freedom of speech the world over is only guaranteed to the extent that it does not constitute uttering or publishing of false, scandalous, and malicious writings against a legitimately elected government or a section of its people. In the realization that completely unrestricted freedom of expression leads to infringement on the rights of others, the Kenyan parliament in its wisdom (and in the very presence of those who are belatedly crying foul) found it absolutely necessary to come up with the NCIC whose mandate includes but is not limited to the regulation of hate -filled statements. Then, this piece of legislation was hailed as very sound considering the harrowing experience of the post 2007 presidential election. Today, this piece of legislation is being trashed by the very people who mid-wifed it. How chilling is it that in this fragile existence, some people find it gratifying to incite us into destroying one another? How is it that an elected leader in the pretext of interpreting an item in the draft constitution should be so callous as to deliver a speech dripping with sarcasm and hate of fellow citizens? How come that such hatred is sandwiched in bombs? Are those opposed to the regulation of hate speech telling us that our right to a peaceful co-existence is simply an accumulated wrong? Since when did the right to oppose the current draft constitution become a carte blanche to purvey poisonous hate? It must be known that hate mongers and hate groups do not represent nor speak for any section of the people of Kenya. They do so to protect their own selfish interests. Any reluctance on the part of the government to bring the architects of hate speech book will be akin to the government restricting our desire for a peaceful coexistence to the whims of powerful cabal. With every hate speech uttered, the architects of hate speech seek to make Kenyans cow in fear and retreat from the referendum. I beseech all and sundry not to be deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind before. They are the heirs of darkness who have abandoned every value except the will to power—they follow in the path of fascism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way, to where it ends: in history’s unmarked grave of discarded lies. To further underscore the limitation to free speech, allow me to employ the analogy of a madman. You see, it is said that it is only a madman who knows the sweetness in his madness. He therefore has all the rights to enjoy the sweetness in his madness to the fullest. However, the state must ensure that in the process of enjoying this sweetness, the madman does not infringe upon the rights of the citizenry. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

TEACHING AS A CAREER HAS HIT AN ALL TIME LOW.

The shortage of teachers in the country is threatening to get worse due to natural attrition and other related causes. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) says that each district in Kenya loses a considerable number of teachers with many others being incapacitated due to HIV/AIDS. Still, many more teachers are exiting the teaching profession and opting for greener pastures. The situation has become worse to the extent that TSC has resorted to stop teachers from applying for study leave as a way of retaining them in classrooms. Considering that the number of students attending Kenyan schools is projected to increase in tandem with the increase in the general population it is inevitable that that by 2015 the country will have to content with an unusually large demand for new teachers. But the problem will still be in getting these teachers since teaching in this country is traditionally one of the lowest-paying jobs. A visit to most teacher training institutions indicates that teaching as a career has hit an all time low. Ironically, there appears to be no commitment on the part of the government to give this profession a positive image. From a practicality standpoint, policy makers need to put themselves in the position of these newly qualified teachers. Will they want to spend their entire career teaching in an environment that saps a lot of their energies but which offers very little pay with no social mobility at all? My guess would be that very few of these qualified teachers are going to opt for the teaching job. Even as desperation is quickly setting in, all that the government is preoccupied with is micro-managing schools through an overloaded curriculum and testing mandates without realizing that schooling will continue to fair badly where there is inadequate investment meant for the improvement of this very important human capital. In virtually all public schools across the country many teachers have had to confront such problems as overcrowded classrooms, inadequate or dilapidated facilities, students suffering from malnutrition and other manifestations of poverty, poor parenting, increased drug and substance abuse among students and inadequate funding for education. The worst of all is the fact that the teaching profession is bedeviled with poor teacher recruitment efforts and poor administrative practices that typically saddle teachers with the most challenging and demanding tasks. To overcome the above problems the government must first adequately remunerate teachers well to make the teaching profession appealing to newly qualified teachers. The government must also ensure that it pays teachers a lot more in order to attract them to unfavorable parts of this country. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

GRIEF AND CONSTERNATION STRIKE YET AGAIN.

Our country is struck with consternation and an avalanche of grief. The pain is immeasurable; there are not enough words of comfort. But amid all this grief and trepidation, it is my sincere hope that the state intelligentsia will get to the bottom of this harrowing incident and arrest the wily fellows behind this ugly blot in the history of our nation. Clearly the perpetrators of this heinous act designed it to have psychological effects that would reach far beyond the immediate victims attack. It was meant to frighten, intimidate and draw a wedge between the wider electorate and especially the Christians and Muslims. Curiously, some individuals in the No Team have remotely been alluding to the emergence of religious intolerance should the draft constitution be passed in its current form. Is this chilling incident a fulfillment of their “prophecy?” Could it be that these latter day prophets of doom elected to use a more dramatic, spectacular, bloody and destructive act of violence to engender the much hyped religious war? If I someone asked me whether what was witnessed at Uhuru Park was a subterfuge by the No Camp, my answer would of course be in the affirmative for the simple reason that the political wing of the No camp has been desperate to obtain the sympathy, leverage and influence in the August plebiscite. The temptation to such subterfuge is great among the political wing of the No Team since they have all along been foisting religious intolerance since this is the only way that can make them succeed in swaying public opinion against the draft constitution. After several unsuccessful attempts at perpetuating hate speech coupled with empty rhetoric on religious intolerance among the Christians and the Muslims, desperation seems to have taken toll on them, and with this desperation, these people must have resorted to desperate measures. Such desperate measures may include the bombing subterfuge at the Uhuru Park rally in a bid to turn back the constitutional clock. As for the clergy, they must examine the mediocrity and narrowness in a section of the politicians that purport to walk with them. All they want is to use Christianity as a veil to achieving their selfish goals. This opposition of appearance versus reality only proves that these wily political veterans are very dangerous and are more than capable of thriving on such subterfuge. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.co./tomefrancis

FAITH BASED INSTITUTIONS BRAZENLY PARADING INSTRUMENTS OF BLACKMAIL AGAINST ACADEMICIANS.

It appears that the leadership of the Catholic Church is increasingly rating religious devotion higher than professionalism when contracting lecturers. These academicians have their opinions censored by the leadership of the catholic church and they can even be sacked if their political and religious opinions contradict those of the leadership of the Catholic Church. This is so because recently a lecturer was dismissed from his job at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa for penning articles in a local daily that were inconsistent with the stance of the leadership of the Catholic Church on matters relating to the current draft constitution. His dismissal serves to reinforce the fact that the leadership of the Catholic Church has lost objectivity and has in fact, resorted to brazenly parading its 'instruments of blackmail arranged to intensify pressure on the people who work in all its institutions to accede to its outrageous demands of opposing the draft constitution. This unfortunate stance negates the principal of academic freedom that deems it absolutely necessary that academicians have to investigate their respective fields of knowledge and express their views without fear of restraint or dismissal from office. This is because the open and free inquiry within an academician`s field of study is essential to the pursuit of knowledge and to the performance of his or her proper educational function. This then implies that ones tenure of office is dependent largely on ones competence in his or her field and on his or her acceptance of certain standards of professional integrity rather than on extraneous considerations such as political or religious beliefs or affiliations. Yet this inspiring hatred against academicians is not confined to the Catholic Church. There are many other people who have silently suffered religious discrimination perpetuated by faith based institutions throughout the country. If a lucky Kenyan manages to get a job in such an institution despite his or her beliefs, their problems may not be over. Faith based institutions can decide levels of promotion on the basis of the beliefs of academicians, meaning that there can be a de facto ban on senior posts for those of the "wrong" beliefs even though they wield superb credentials. Perhaps worst of all, employees can be dismissed for conduct which is "incompatible with the precepts, or with the upholding of the tenets" of the employing faith based institutions. It is up to the governing body of that faith based institution to define their "precepts" and what forms of conduct are "incompatible" with it. The mind boggles to imagine what forms of conduct could be considered cause for reprimand or dismissal. It is hard to know the extent to which employees are punished for "incompatible" conduct since academicians are unlikely to want to publicize the fact they have been reprimanded and would even find it hard to take a case to a court of law because currently we have very weak legislation protecting employees against such atrocities. This simply means that employees in faith based institutions can be appointed, disciplined, paid, promoted and dismissed according to their beliefs, with very little or no legal protections at all. The question that must be asked is why the government has failed to justify the religious discrimination visited upon its people? Why is the government not doing anything to tackle this shocking anomaly? Why must faith based institutions preoccupy themselves in shrill opposition to people`s rights and liberties and be allowed to go unpunished? For the sake of the public it is vital that the government listens and does all it can to stop rogue faith based institutions from discriminating their employees on the basis of religion. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

A WELL ORGANISED SECRETARIAT WILL BOOST THE YES VOTE

On Friday, the Synovate group released a poll indicating that the yes side had lost seven points since the last opinion poll was conducted. Being part and parcel of the national yes campaign team, I can authoritatively point out the reasons as to why we have had our side fluctuate from 64 percent approval in the previous poll to the recently announced 57 percent. There is no doubt that both the president and the prime minister have shown their undying support of the document. This is possibly the reason why majority of Kenyans are in support of the document. The political goodwill from the president and the prime minister might be one of the main factors that will help us in mobilizing the vote that will eventually have us succeed in what has been so elusive in the last two decades. However there are a number of loopholes in the campaign that if they are addressed urgently, Kenyans will get an opportunity to know the importance of passing the proposed constitution overwhelmingly. The make or break point for the yes campaign lies heavily on the role that will be played by the yes campaign secretariat before and during the referendum campaigns. It’s easy too to attribute the maintained lead to a section of the leadership of the secretariat and still attribute the fluctuation to a section of the secretariat leadership. The secretariat leadership has raised the issue of lack of funds whenever confronted with a question on why the campaigns are being done haphazardly. It’s however unjustifiable since both the PNU side and the ODM side of the coalition are facing the same predicament in respect to lack of availability of funds. Lack of funds is not a justification for being disorganized. With these challenges, the ODM side of the secretariat appears to have stronger leadership organized, well structured and ready for the campaigns, while the PNU side seems to lack leadership at the secretariat. unlike ms Janet Ong’era who is hands on and in charge of running affairs procedurally, Prof Peter Kagwanja who happens to lead the PNU side seems to understand more on political theory than organizing real political exercises like the referendum we are heading towards. there is no doubt that most of the people appointed to the secretariat are competent enough to execute the duties concerning the referendum campaigns, but under Prof Kagwanja’s leadership, it will be hard to maximize the potential of reaching out to the; yes’ prospective voters .Prof kagwanja is an accomplished scholar with great research works to his name. However his current task seems to be greater than or out of the scope of his understanding and thus it might be difficult for him to deliver. The PNU side of the secretariat appears disorderly and Prof Kagwanja himself is rarely in the office. One outcome of such disorganization came when the ODM side organized a youth press conference where PNU affiliate parties were poorly represented. It emerged that Prof Kagwanja was either unaware or had failed to get in touch with PNU affiliate youth leaders for the function. The few of us who attended the press conference were ambushed at the last minute and by the time we were joining the press conference, we had no idea of what the statement contained. It’s alleged that Prof Kagwanja is now silently planning to plant people of his own choice to head different departments, ignoring the names of political party leaders seconded by respective party leaderships of respective PNU affiliate parties. It’s no secret that it will be foolhardy to campaign without putting the youth vote a serious priority. It’s obvious that the youth vote will decide the margin by which the proposed constitution will be approved by Kenyans. Having been out of the country for a while, Prof Kagwanja has been absent from the Kenyan political scene and may not be in a good position to tap the right political manpower for the purpose of the referendum. The referendum campaign needs to be run by someone who is well acquainted with the Kenyan political affairs in the recent past and in present. The ODM side appeared to have noted this fact in advance and that is why they appointed someone who apart from other qualities understands Kenyan politics. In most cases Prof Kagwanja is always having meetings out of the office or too busy that very significant matters are either left unattended to or handled by his ODM co-director. There is no doubt that soon, there will be complains, as it has been before that ODM is running away with the yes campaign and yet the truth of the matter is that we have a politically incompetent person leading the PNU side of the secretariat. I am optimistic that YES will win, but in a referendum like the august 4th one, it’s important to marshal enough support from the majority of Kenyans as targeted by the political leadership of the yes campaign. The 10 million vote target is attainable, but the target might be elusive if the secretariat directorship on the PNU side is not changed. Fwamba NC Fwamba The writer is NEC member of New Ford Kenya, New Ford Kenya is a PNU affiliate party in the grand coalition government The ideas expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the party position

POLLSTERS ATTRACT ODIUM USUALLY RESERVED FOR FALSE PROPHETS.

If credibility is defined as believability, then at the moment, credibility is the most of the worries that the pollsters must content with. Pollsters have attracted the odium usually reserved for prophets. Each faction contesting the up coming constitutional referendum believes it has what it takes to effect the biggest surprise of the election that will confound pollsters and pundits alike by winning the referendum by margins far much bigger than the pollsters` current estimates. Much as I wish to dismiss such sentiments, I think that it is imprudent that we do not succumb to the dark impulses that lurk in the works of the pollsters lest we fall in the worst possible faux pas. Experience has over time shown that polls unwittingly or otherwise overestimate or underestimate the strength of the parties contesting in an election. Take the 1948 and 1992 elections of the United States of America as examples. Pollsters either greatly underestimated or overestimated the candidates` margins of victory. It is such inaccuracies in estimation that made people begin to cast shadows on the credibility of opinion polls. To begin with the sampling procedures as well as inconsistent sample sizes have led to variations in results. Secondly, even if the basic poll data are valid, analyses of the data is at times too casual and quite superficial. In some instances, the raw data are simply presented as the public's “opinion” without deep and careful analysis to probe nuance and possible bias. Bias may be manifested in the manner in which the pollster constructs questions to measure the respondent`s responses. It will for instance be unsurprising if the percentage of the public in favor of “forbidding” hate speech were found to be lower than the percentage in favor of “not allowing” hate speech. From the foregoing, a pollster`s question can significantly alter an individual`s measured response. In addition, results may be correct at the time they are collected, but as we all know, a day in politics is such a long time. Estimates are unlikely to be inconclusive since the vote can shift at the last moment. The most stinging criticism is however leveled at the polls` appropriateness level. Such polls have been known to influence voters to favor a faction that seems to be enjoying a notable popularity at the time. The information that a certain faction is far ahead in the polls may discourage voters from voting at all or encourage them to vote for that particular faction that is enjoying a roller-coaster courtesy of the pollster thus affecting the results of the election. It is for this reason that I agree with those who are of the opinion that legislation be put in place to bar opinion polls from being conducted two months to the election date. This will ensure a free and fair election. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

SHENG ASCENDANCY: TEACHERS HAVE NO MAGIC WAND.

My attention has been drawn to Kennedy Buhere`s article (The Standard Newspaper 31st May 2010, P16) titled “Teachers to blame for poor language grasp.” I find Buhere`s stance on teachers of the English language maddeningly unfunny. It is loathsome for an opinion leader of his stature to behave like the “Bully Pulpit Preacher”, who elects to use mere rhetoric to shine a spotlight on an issue of national interest. Buhere alleges that “lay” teachers of the English language have given up the fight against the ascendancy of Sheng among students. His is a misnomer. The truth is that teachers have put in place the language policy that seeks to encourage the use of the English language as the official language of communication not only within but outside school as well. Apparently, his is a case of misconstruing the teachers` hue and cry over the ascendancy of Sheng among the youth to mean that teachers have given up the fight against minimizing the effects of Sheng in formal education. All that teachers are simply looking forward to is a broad, proactive societal role to protect the interests of the youths in this nation. Parents must for instance take a more proactive strategy in guiding and counseling the youths. It goes without saying that society has given the youth so much latitude. Consequently the youths have become heavy consumers of popular culture, values that come from advertising, the entertainment industry, the media, and icons of style. These values are distinguished from those espoused by more traditional, political, educational or religious institutions. The effect of all these is manifested in their medium of communication which, as Buhere opines, is uniquely different from the mainstream society. Things are made even worse by the fact that parents and guardians, flawed by their lack of understanding of their role, elect to make Sheng their occupation whenever they indulge in tête-à-tête with their children. This is a clear pointer to the fact that the parents` philosophy is not aligned with the schools` philosophy. In such instances, teachers are discouraged from actively disabusing the minds of the youths from their error of idolizing Sheng. From the foregoing, Sheng is a social problem whose panacea does not lie in the hands of teachers alone. It is the society more than teachers that reserves most of the responsibility for the English language debacle. It is therefore incumbent upon Buhere to desist from his great game of straws and understand once and for all that teachers have no magic wand to wave. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION SEEKS TO FOSTER EQUITY IN A CHRISTIAN DOMINATED SOCIETY.

Thomas Hood (1799-1845) once said that “He lies like a hedgehog rolled up the wrong way, tormenting himself with his prickles.” Nothing could prove the import of Hood`s words than the on going debate on the draft constitution. You do not need to be schooled in matters law to realize that a section of the political and religious leaders have in an unceasing effort resorted to surreptitious interference of the constitution making process by desperately using very high profile propaganda to instill fear among Christians. Moral principles have lost their distinctiveness and absolute right and wrong are a matter of what the biased clergy and the filthy wealthy individuals say. You have heard them opine that the draft constitution is fundamentally flawed on the count of the inclusion of the Kadhis courts. Yet, even with their “extraordinary vision” these leaders have failed to see how the majority Christian religion will sufficiently be served with the draft constitution. Moreover, suffice to say that a larger proportion of the laws in our penal code as well as the appointments in the judiciary are, today, tilted in favour of Christians. By not acceding to the equal potential of all religions the Christian clergy (and the politicians hiding in their cloaks) will be justifying their intolerance and dominance. Simply put; they will be projecting an attitude that sanctions and encourages prejudice against other religions. It is thus imprudent of them to be obsessed with an invidious discrimination that is in itself an engine of oppression and subjugation of other religions as a means of maintaining or enhancing their power as Christians. In realization of the disadvantages that other religions (and especially Islam) are faced with in our society the draft constitution has put in place article 27 (6). This clause talks about the state legislating other measures, including affirmative action programmes and policies designed to redress any disadvantage suffered by individuals or groups because of past discrimination. I see absolutely nothing wrong with such a provision being anchored in the constitution. There are other provisions dealing with positive discrimination which are anchored in the draft constitution. For instance, women are such beneficiaries. The inclusion of affirmative action for women in the draft constitution has not ruffled anybody`s feathers. Similarly, Kadhis` courts have their existence in the draft constitution vide this positive discrimination. Like John Locke, we must forever allow “reason to be our last judge and guide in everything. Where reason does not guide our formation, our opinions are but the effects of chance and hazard, of a mind floating at all adventures, without choice, and without direction.” And this is dangerous trend because Christians will definitely in the long run inflict a lot of damage to themselves. For instance, if other religious faiths demanded for the expunging of all Christian family laws from our penal code as well as all forms of discriminatory Christian religious practices in all our public institutions and especially in our judiciary, I have no doubt whatsoever that Christians will become the biggest losers here. It is for this reason that I believe that as Christians we can comfortably leave the Kadhi courts in the draft constitution without compromising our faith in any way. Kadhi courts are only a remedial religious-based preference whose existence in the constitution seeks to foster religious equity in our largely Christian dominated society. I beseech our Christian clergy to desist from religious disputes and especially those which are conducted in the eye of the public. Experience teaches us that such disputes are useless; they lead more to hatred than to enlightenment. We must never be seen to celebrate a court ruling that is likely to dismember the pillars that hold this nation together. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

THE CLERGY IS OBSESSED WITH INVIDIOUS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST OTHER RELIGIONS.

Over the last few weeks Kenyans have experienced a surreptitious interference of the constitution making process by a section of the political and religious leaders who have in an unceasing effort resorted to using very high profile propaganda to instill fear among Christians. They have opined that the draft constitution is fundamentally flawed on the count of the inclusion of the Kadhis courts. Yet, even with their “extraordinary vision” these leaders have failed to see how the majority Christian religion and other minority religions are served with the current constitution. Suffice to say that a larger proportion of the laws in our current constitution are Christian friendly. The same can be said of our penal code as well as in the appointments in the judiciary. All these things are tilted in favour of Christians. By not acceding to the equal potential of all religions Christians will be justifying their intolerance and dominance. Simply put; they will be projecting an attitude that sanctions and encourages prejudice against other religions. It is thus imprudent of them to be obsessed with an invidious discrimination that is in itself an engine of oppression and subjugation of other religions as a means of maintaining or enhancing their power as Christians. Positive discrimination is thus a matter of both empirical belief and moral faith. It is instrumental to note that other religious faiths have not complained about Sunday, Easter holiday nor the Christmas holiday. They have not even complained about the judicial system whose laws gel with the Christian family laws. Neither have they complained about the standard practice involving the singing of Christian hymns, reading of the bible verses nor the saying of Christian prayers in public schools across the country. Besides, we must not forget the fact that Christian Religious Education is taught in public schools courtesy of the tax payers (including those who profess different religious faiths). If other religious faiths demanded for the removal of all the faith based provisions in the current constitution as well as the draft constitution and the expunging of Christian family laws from our penal code, Christians will be treated to a rude awakening. If other religious institutions demanded an end to all discriminatory religious practices in all our public institutions and especially in our judiciary, I have no doubt whatsoever that Christians will become the biggest losers here. It is for this reason that I believe that as Christians we can comfortably leave the Kadhi courts in the draft constitution without compromising our faith in any way. Kadhi courts are only a remedial religious-based preference whose existence in the constitution seeks to foster religious equity in our largely Christian dominated society. From the foregoing, I hold it that last week`s ruling by the constitutional court was mischievous and was out to dismember the pillars that hold this nation together. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

ONGERI`S SLIPSHOD LANGUAGE ON TEACHERS IS UNCALLED FOR.

Recently, the Minister for Basic Education opined that teachers are a languorous lot who are only too quick at demanding for pay rise than in redirecting their energies in improving performance in schools. He then went ahead to demand that they must post eighty percent improvement in performance to reciprocate the government`s gesture in implementing the Collective Bargain Agreement. It is for this reason that I am impelled to discount the totalitarian tendencies and rising mediocrities perpetuated by the minister against the teaching fraternity. His penchant for extended digressions and slipshod language on issues affecting the teaching fraternity is uncalled for. In fact, he risks being seen as superfluous. Suffice to say that nobody disputes the fact that good performance in national examinations is one of the principle outcomes of schooling. However, relying on students’ performance in national examinations as a measure of teachers’ performance (or lack of it) gives a very false impression on teachers` performance. This is because examination performance is depended on so many factors some of which are beyond the control of teachers. It is therefore critical that the minister looks at the schooling programme as a whole and not lambast teachers based on selective reading of the often inaccurate periodic monitoring and evaluation reports prepared by his ministry officials. To begin with the ministry of basic education has continually held irrational thoughts that schools across the country are inherently at the same level of infrastructural development and that students have the same entry behavior hence examination results across the country must always be very much alike. The entry behavior aside, we are also too aware of the fact that there are many students with superior abilities but who pursue their studies in ill equipped schools and who do not achieve the measure that their abilities warrant because of poor infrastructure in such schools. Moreover, I am sure that the minister is cognizant of the fact that what ails performance in the education sector is its poor planning (or lack of it), meager resources and corruption. It goes without saying that the schooling programme is reeling under heavy corruption, a problem which the minister is only too aware of. It is therefore important that the minister understands that he is absolutely wrong in entirely relating poor performance to teaching or school leadership. Though performance in examinations is an important aspect of all educational systems, it cannot on its own be a reliable indicator in gauging teachers’ performance. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis

THE THREE JUDGE BENCH HAVE MUCH IN COMMON WITH THE TROJAN PRINCE (PARIS).

Jean-Jacques-Rousseau (1712 - 1778) once said that “The general will is always straight, but the judgment that guides it is not always enlightened”. In trying to underscore the import of the above adage, one can draw some parallel from the “Judgment of Paris”, a Greek mythology whose impact on literature has been incalculably great. Its major characters, though shrouded in the distant past, exhibit personality flaws and strengths that are as real for people today as when the work first appeared. The myth revolves around a Trojan prince (Paris), who was called on to judge which was the most attractive of the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Offered the bribes of power by Hera, success in battle by Athena, or the most beautiful woman in the world by Aphrodite, he chose the last. Aphrodite then helped him abduct Helen, so causing the Trojan War and earning the hatred of both Hera and Athena for the Trojans. First, the moral story of this myth is that people (including judges like Paris) are corruptible. This is because the intellect is always at a high risk of being fooled by the heart. In such circumstances, many men and women of good standing find themselves succumbing to material temptations. Secondly, a judge whose moral standing is questionable may unwittingly make a ruling which commits the entire nation on pain of logical inconsistency so much so that hatred and animosity drives a wedge between neighbors. In Kenya we have our own Trojan Prince in the name of the constitutional court whose ruling on the constitutionality of the Kadhis court has aroused considerable indignation and anger both in equal measures. Unfortunately though, this ruling is likely to engender religious intolerance which is a recipe for disaster in our fragile country that has barely healed form the 2008 Post Election Violence. Like Hera and Athena our Muslim brothers and sisters are crying foul for what they consider a cold neutrality of the three judge bench. The Yes Team also reads mischief in the whole saga. They see this ruling as a ploy to derail the review process. In their estimation, this particular judgment is politically motivated and it is thus far removed from impartiality. Some people have even opined that the court`s judgment is a pointer to the fear that has gripped the entire bench should the proposed draft constitution be promulgated. The fear is informed by the fact that there is a provision in the draft that requires a section of the judiciary to resign six months after the promulgation of the constitution for a thorough judicial purge. There is a real danger that like Paris, the prince, the members of the bench may have eloped with the No Team. The ruling could just be one among the many in the “No Team`s bag of tricks”. But even with the on going intrigues, the Yes Team should not despair. They must Like Abraham Lincoln, continually remind the electorate that “The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject any thing, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more of evil, than of good. There are few things wholly evil, or wholly good. Almost every thing, especially of governmental policy, is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded.” TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis