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

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

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

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

TEACHERS ALONE CANNOT SOLVE SOCIETY`S ILLS.

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

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

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

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

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

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