POLITICAL SNIPERS A THREAT TO TURKANA OIL BENEFITS

It is now official. A bumpy ride awaits the people of Turkana. The people are under threat from their own guardians. The political forces too are under threat. Their monopoly as "the givers of life" to the masses is quickly fading. 

The prospects of a splash of petrodollars will see the populace economically empowered. With this comes a people that is focused and with eyes trained on visionary leaders. Now, this is where the bombshell will hit its target.

It will elevate the masses above their leaders. The leaders will be reduced to mere messengers of the people. Their "traditional" role of giving life to the hungry and the sick will be long gone. Their influence will be a thing of the past.

This brings me to the crux of my thesis. There will be a confrontation. Each side will seek to "prove its mettle". And I see a violent, if not bloody, confrontation coming. The people will rise up to demand what is rightly theirs. The "leaders" will cling to their positions to defend their source of livelihood. Several reasons suffice.

Profiting from the ignorance of the masses

According to a recent Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report, illiteracy level in Turkana county stands at a record 82%. At constituency level, Loima Constituency has the highest share of individuals with no education – at 93 per cent! The story is the same in all other constituencies in the county.

Which begs the questions: Are these people aware of what is happening in their land? Do they know what their leaders do for them? Are there any measures to mitigate this? If yes, how and when will they be put in place?

This calls for deliberate measures to bring these guys on board. Turning our backs on them only serves to strengthen the perception that some people are coming to profit from their ignorance.

I admit that it is not an easy task reaching these chaps and splashing some light into their brains. It is a costly endeavor. But the cost of leaving this wound unattended is higher than what we can imagine. It must not be ignored. For it will dampen our triumphant entry into a Canaan full of Petrol.

Political snipers masquerading as peoples' voices

The sad reality on the ground is a blessing to these folks - political snipers. They thrive on the blindness and shallowness of brains of the masses. They have capitalised on this for so long.

They know what touches the common man. They are henchmen-for-hire. Their appetite for wealth is beyond limit. They will stop at nothing to acquire them. The interests of the cow herder or that thirsty kid in Nakabosan are none of their business. These are enemies number one of development.

These people have links within/out the county borders. They are so powerful and moneyed. But luckily, they lack the brains to countenance what awaits them – the power of the masses. 

These are dangerous creatures. They have to be stopped from advancing their venomous attacks. And it is possible to do this - reach out to the masses and empower them and they (political snipers) will automatically lose their support base.

Some thoughts are here:

Tullow Oil Plc Must Come Out Clear and Clean

The silence and hospitality of the people of Turkana is not a leeway for anyone to “eat and spit at them”. They are conscious of what they do. Their aspirations are intact. Their vision is fixed. They want to get a share of their God-given wealth. They abhor falsehoods and opaque dealings. They demand that those who have their interests at heart must come clean and declare what they have in store for them.

Invest in Education. Build Schools

You can only escape the blows of an ignorant oppressed person by educating him. Education and learning, and not empty talk, are the tools with which to empower the masses in Turkana.

Build new schools. Expand existing ones. Support them. Let them “see” the fruits of their wealth. An enlightened populace is a great enemy to those venomous political snipers. Do it now please!

Twitter: @mlemukol.

 

 

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

OF DEDAN'S KIMATHI DEATH AND BIRTH OF PEOPLES' CONSCIOUSNESS

18th February, 1957 was the moment. On this day, 57 years ago, a Son of the Soil was captured and publicly executed for standing up against the excesses of a colonial power and all its collaborators. To the British, he was a terrorist, a saboteur, a devil and a criminal who deserved neither sorrow nor sympathy.

To his fellow sufferers, fighters, Africans and admirers, he stood as the symbol of courage and a light of hope. He was their god - a moral colossus that knew not the oppressive frontiers of Man. He disrespected the oppressors and all their extensions.

He stood by what was (and is still) morally right but unpopular in the eyes of the who-is-who at the time. He was the self-appointed police of the masses. He suffered for them. He was jailed for them. And he paid the ultimate price for them. That they may be free. That they may decide for themselves their destiny, their future and their lives.

This is not a call for us to worship this hero. Neither is it a declaration of infallibility on his part. He was human. He was like us. He felt like us. He was born, lived and died like any of us will eventually do!

At 37 years of age, this man pulled strings and shook the oppressive machinery of the time. He outwitted them but was finally betrayed by those he fought for.

Time for self-examination

Kimathi fought the fight; he won the battle and gifted us with independence. With this, it is therefore, incumbent upon us to cleanse our souls, to reflect and to stand up in the defense of the ideals that freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi fought for.

We must stand up and say NO to post-independence injustices, theft and neglect of the poor and the marginalized. 

This is the golden moment for all of us to shape the destiny of our generation. We must stand for posterity. Kimathi did it and that is why we are who we are.

Kimathi's humanist thinking

Let his selflessness and courage be the guiding star that opens our eyes every time. His resolve to soldier on should open our consciousness of what is demanded of us. Let it be the catalyst of actions - progressive actions. 

His 'stubbornness' must always be our constant North that compels us to think, think, think and see each other as part of us.

This is what we miss. And our hero has gifted us with it. Stand for truth and be the change you want! Rest In Peace Kimathi.

Twitter: @mlemukol

ARE GOVERNOR MUTUA'S GRAND PROJECTS SUSTAINABLE?

Agreed. Devolution is Kenya's bellwether. It is the 'good shepherd' of Kenya's governance that is pro-people and close to the masses. There is no doubt that with clear-minded leadership millions of poor Kenyans will be lifted up the economic ladder.

But, I'm afraid this isn't the time to rejoice. Neither is it the time to remain gloomy. It is time to think, talk and walk with the people.

This boils to one point - curing the ailments of the people in a procedural and effective manner. At least, once and for all!

 Step Number Two

Which takes us to Step Number Two: How can these "peoples' ailments" be cured? What do you need to cure them?

This is it. Poverty is our greatest enemy. Poverty begets suffering. Suffering begets discomfort. And discomfort begets lack of peace (both within and without oneself). Again, we need resources, material or otherwise, to combat this.

With this in mind, it is incumbent upon our policy makers and implementers to engage the right gear. To move in swiftly and administer the right drug - silently and wisely!

It follows, therefore, for any right thinking people to ask hard questions. To demand changes. To revolt against elitist and discriminative projects. And to stand up for the voiceless, the weak, the uninformed and the poorest of the poor.

 Governor Alfred Mutua's Gardens and Cities vis-à-vis Peoples' Ailments

I'm for progress. I love this and would want (it) be achieved in record time. But lets reason together and strike a balance. Dreams are good. Dreams shape what we do and how we achieve them.

Reality, on the other hand, calls for vision. It demands that we look out for biting problems and respond to them in a manner that is not dramatic but progressive and less costly. 

Which beggars the questions; in a sea of poverty, does it add any value to expend millions of taxpayer shillings on landscaping and gardening? Is it lack of focus or a move to dramatize development to the gullible citizen?

 Media Enthusiast or a Peoples' Darling?

I'm no governance expert. But it is no secret that leaders need not to showcase hundred incomplete projects to demonstrate their love for development. To accept this is to legitimize confusion and mediocrity. I would rather congratulate one that takes one step at a time.

  
Responding to the basics, the forgotten, the "unattractive"

It all goes like this; come up with your beautiful parks and we shall bring our thirsty and hungry livestock to "landscape them". After all, it takes a blow from the forgotten, the weak and the poor for the decision makers to "remember" their (the poor) pleas.

Hence, it must be remembered that pro-people, pro-development leadership is consultative, visionary and non-dramatic. It lays structures that transcend office holders. It initiates a system that is independent. It abhors futuristic designs.

Twitter: @mlemukol