Wrong to undermine Prime Minister Raila Odinga on the Waki report and Mau forest

Good leadership entails taking a stand on an issue irrespective of how unpopular it will be to a section of society so long as it’s intended to safeguard the interests of the governed. Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s leadership style has not gone well with leaders from the Rift Valley where he got majority of votes in year’s general election. His stand to relocate current inhabitants of the Mau Forest in order to protect the water catchments area as well as his stand to have to Waki report implemented has created political ripples in the Rift Valley province. Many leaders including his right hand man; honourable William Ruto appears agitated and has threatened for an exodus of ODM MPs from the party. What makes us wonder is when they voted for Raila, did they expect him to serve Kenyans with partiality or impartiality? Raila is a Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya not for a single community. Elected leaders should give him a break to serve the Country so that Kenyans can judge for themselves. The MPs critical to the Prime Minister must remember that the issue of Waki report is no longer a political matter; but a legal issue that must undergo the due process. We should not expect too much after electing our leaders. Kenya is too big and it’s elusive to please everybody. Jesus came to the world to salvage mankind but he ended being hated killed like a criminal. Kenyan voters and political leaders who supported Raila’s presidential quest last year must scale down their expectations. In political leadership, there is policy and politics. Raila cannot stoop too low compromise his leadership principles in order to appease a section of the Kenyan population. Galvanising MPs in an ethnic enclave to demonise a man whose song they sung eleven months ago reflects political immaturity and clear incitement. Political cronyism, Kanu’s old political mentality is not welcome in modern Kenya . We are left wondering if the current noise we are hearing from ODM on the Waki report and Mau Forest saga is should make leaders to sacrifice the prime Minister. Some of the leaders shouting loudest against the prime Minister like Joshua Kutuny and his Budalangi counterpart, Ababu Namwamba are political amateurs whining because they were not appointed to the cabinet. It’s absurd that even a nominated MP who was rejected by voters during the ODM nomination Mr. Musa Sirma, who is supposed to be thankful to Raila and the ODM fraternity, is at the frontline dismissing the Prime Minister. It’s tragic to reject the Waki report that is intended to put Kenya on a better footing in terms of justice. Political leaders should calm down instead of laying themselves bare. After all, the report is not intended to victimize members of one community since it touches all sides of the political hail- both in ODM and PNU. What those crying foul should know is that the both Prime Minister or the President do not have a moral authority to protect purported perpetrators of the violence. In the spiritual philosophy, it’s good to be accused falsely and suffer falsely but worse to be accused rightfully and suffer rightfully. Do your work Mr. Prime Minister. Kenyans are keenly watching the political drama in ODM and they can separate the grain from the chuff.

A note for the people of colour after Obama Victory

The character of African Americans should change now that Obama has taken the White House. I had the privilege of being in the USA for educational purposes but my experience with our brothers and sisters in the Country wasn’t the best. They envy our hard work, our good cars and even staying in good apartments. My two cars were broken into twice when I was staying in a black neighbourhood.

 African Americans where Obama derives his descent must shoo away their xenophobic attitudes towards Africans, Asian, Latinos and all immigrants from the Caribbean and Central America . They must get off their indolent tendencies and be challenged by the way “foreigners” have managed to settle in the USA and become better than them while they keep whining of marginalization by whites.

Their whining and crying about white dominance in all sectors of American society was withered on 4th November. The Whites defied one of their; John McCain and elected Barrack Obama based on his strengths and vision for the United States . They must get out of the hood in the inner cities where drugs and illicit drinking is rampant and stop whining the way they often do saying their problems are caused by white dominance in all sectors of the American society. 

 African Americans must change the way they conduct themselves. We don’t want to see the arrogance they often exhibit; as this might end up soiling the reputation and good intentions of Obama’s Presidency. They must realize that as much we have white people who still augur racial feelings; the world has changed and will still continue to change and America will never be the same again. Truth be told, whites treat African immigrants better than blacks.

I remember going for an interview for a job in Newark New Jersey , and two of my interviewers who were both black, after learning my accent, in a span of a minute, they wanted to know my originality. I ended up not getting the job. Your guess is as good as mine. While in a College mostly dominated by blacks, I was often the subject of ridicule and laughter because of the way I speak.

To disapprove their stereotypes on me, I tightened my belts and became an A student in my class. I avoided verbal contributions in class and disapproved them on pen and paper. My excellent performance caught the attention of my lecturer, despite not liking the way I speak. On discovering that I was born and brought up in Kenya , and that I was less than 6 months in the USA , he not only respected me but was also impressed with my high grasp of written grammar. He told me I was better than most students born and raised in America talking English from their childhood.

Earlier on, he thought I was born in a Country with English as a first language. Immigrants owe their protection on racism because of the tough USA laws. If this was not the case, the xenophobic feelings in the Country will be greater than what we experienced in South Africa ,

May this year. A black man at his mid fifties once posed a very weird question to me. He wanted to know if Africans who flock to America ever return home. I am proud to be back to my country after a five years stint for educations purposes in the United States .

 By and large, the American whites have shown great confidence in Obama. It’s a challenge to the African Americans, young and old to rise above petty and racial leanings and begin to be apart of the mainstream American society.

Obama has shown them the way to the top and this is through hard work, a positive focus and hope.

Government should control Prices of essential goods

Members of parliament have frozen a proposal by the Ministry of finance to have their salaries taxed. It’s a negative show reflecting selfishness and greed from our leaders. We know it’s not easy to rescind this move and now want to see what think about thousands of Kenyans who cannot afford a meal. We call upon the MPs to extend sympathy to Kenyans living in abject poverty by voting to have the government regulate the prices of essential commodities like sugar, rice and flour. The options are many to ease the suffering of Kenyans in the current hard economic times. Why can’t they do something that will bring a sigh of relief to Kenyans like scaling down Value added Tax (VAT) from 16% to around 10% if they real ? The festive season has knocked on the door. We implore them to do something for Kenyans. For them, a decent meal is not a big deal; they can afford many luxuries, their children goes to better schools …majority of Kenyans are living in squalor. Food is a “human rights issue.” It must be taken seriously by any government. You can do without “shelter” and “clothing” but you can’t do without food. It’s the fuel of life in a human body; without it, you cease to live. If MPs will protect the interests of Kenyans who votes them into office, we can conclude that they are mindful of our suffering. We call upon our political leaders beginning from the President and the Prime Minister to treat the issue of food prices as a national emergency if they have a flair of empathy to the suffering citizens. When the government used to control the prices of essential goods before it was scrapped in 1994 there was no rampant increase of prices like it is today. I am not an economist but making Kenya a free market economy as accelerated the burden to many Kenyans especially the poor. Before price controls were scrapped in 1994, we never used to experience rampant price increases. We need price controls to protect people in low income brackets from unscrupulous traders who have taken advantage of the current market to exploit the poor by hiking prices abnormally. Any bureaucracy that hurts the lives of citizens must be abolished. That is why Parliament, as the custodian of public interest must be seen to protect the citizens’ interest by amending laws which are not in tandem with the wellbeing of Kenyans.