WANT TO HELP THE TURKANA? SHUT UP AND LISTEN!

Following my recent article titled 'When Will Turkana Be Food Sufficient?' touching on factors leading to hunger in Turkana and other drought-prone outposts of Kenya, many people expressed their views on what they think is the way forward to dealing with this problem.

But what is most striking is the fact that there is a genuine admission from local leadership that the poor people of Turkana need no more food aid. They cry for knowledge - life-giving knowledge. They want to be free from hunger and peoples' sympathy. They are tired of queuing for food rations. They want to feel the taste of their own sweat. In short, they want to know how to fish. 

In line with this, I think, it is incumbent to tread carefully in order to carry out a successful diagnosis. The hunger problem in Turkana is complicated and should not just be narrowed to the simple fact of: lack of food. It is a product of so many factors.

GARVEYITE TENDENCIES Vs FOOD-POLITICS

Look, in Turkana as is in other drought-prone areas of Kenya, food is politics and politics is food. You only need to entice the hungry mass of voters by promising to ship in truck loads of relief food and they elect you. It is a fact that must be acknowledged by any right-thinking person on a mission to help the people of Turkana.

How can we reach the hungry citizen? Should we by-pass the local politician? It is a delicate situation. You cannot lock out the local leadership and expect to reach those hungry folks. They will sabotage and malign your works from the word go.

You see, they can influence anything down there. They are the who-is-who on matters food-politics.

What do we do then? Dialogue and collaboration is the main route. No battle has ever been won single-handedly. Look, Moses enlisted the support of his brother Aaron in his quest to lead the Children of Israel. Gandhi and Nehru shepherded India to independence.

The spirit of self-reliance espoused by the people can only materialize when all concerned parties acknowledge what unites them: The needs of their people.

It carries no honor to be a leader of poor folks while doing nothing to uplift them. It is both suicidal and myopic. 

COPY-PASTE APPROACH Vs HOME-GROWN SOLUTIONS

I must admit that a great deal of development has been undertaken by non-governmental organizations and their allies. They have come to the rescue of the people in their time of need. It is a fact that sticks out in the mind of any citizen from northern Kenya.

But some questions still remain unanswered: is there any progress in the fight against poverty? Should we stick to old, outdated approaches in combating this monster? Do the people have a role in this journey?

An idea is here: Listen to the people. Learn what they say and help them realize their dreams. Don't be the main actor in this. Leave them alone. Let them design their destiny.

They have the energy and the mind but lack the voice. Give them the voice and they will be complete.

The poor are not poor because they are dummies. They know what they want to be. They have great dreams. But the voice is missing. Stop this copy-paste approach and listen to the people!

ACTIVISTS' NOISE IN A SEA OF TRANQUILITY

There is no doubt that non-state actors have performed fairly well in highlighting the plight of the hunger stricken citizens of northern Kenya. They have always been the outlet through which the world gets to know the needs of the people up there. In most cases they have faced persecution and their work being interpreted as a move to counter the State and to portray it as do-nothing entity. 

I find this noble and encouraging. However, the excesses of their noises must be checked to ascertain the truthfulness of the issues on the ground. For without this, we risk turning a people into toys for the purposes of cashing in on the generosity of well-wishers.

The dignity of the poor must be respected and protected by all. Let the world be told TRUTH and only TRUTH.

Cases of stage-managed hunger-deaths and locals feasting on dog meat should be investigated and the minds behind this drama questioned.

To be poor isn't a crime. It is a child of Man's inaction and failures. Unnecessary drama doesn't offer a long-lasting solution to the suffering masses. Saying and standing for truth is the way. 

CLOSED DOOR POLICIES OR INITIATIVES WITHOUT FRONTIERS?

I'm reminded that knowledge is traveling and traveling is knowledge. And persons with knowledge know no boundaries. 

So do we need to airlift all the people of Turkana to other lands to learn? 

The answer is NO! It is impossible. It will be a complete farce to do that. But one thing is possible: Knowledge exchange is needed to open the eyes of my people. 

You know, seeing is believing! Unless they witness that poverty can be vanquished, they will always cling to philosophies that glorify poverty as the greatest enemy to Man.

Take the lowest of the lowest, the slowest of the slowest and the remotest of all  to places where their counterparts have succeeded whence they will learn to build their own lives.

Success in elimination of poverty should be our frontiers. Nothing can stop us from reaching there!

Twitter @mlemukol