Sonkoism: Electing "Smart Thieves", It Seems, Is Good For Kenya

PHOTO; Sonko Rescue Team: http://www.sonkorescueteam.com/

Most of you who have declared an all-out war against corruption and "irresponsible governance" may find it hard to stomach this. The understanding of corruption in Kenya seems to be the unofficial dividing line between the "civilised" and "yet to be schooled types". In times of desperation and total lockdowns, it takes "smart thieves" to remember victims of corruption.

 I have heard many people badmouthing handouts as inherently a short-term venture geared at popularising the giver at the expense of the suffering Kenyans. At the center of this brouhaha is Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko.

He is accused of "teaching Nairobians bad habits through his donations instead of pushing public bodies to perform their duties." Some say, the good Senator is promoting poverty through his "Sonko Rescue Team" largess. 

I will demonstrate here why these assertions are wrong. 

A society that is wholly corrupt has no moral standing pointing fingers at others for being corrupt. (Wait, this isn't a declaration for promotion of corruption). To do this, in my view, is purely hypocritical. The crux of the matter is known to all of us: Unless we calibrate our corruption, its proceeds will always be benefiting one side. 

Since we have willfully failed to vanquish corruption, it is only wise for us to claim our share of the corruption cake. This, my people, is possible. It is working though we rarely acknowledge its impact.

Look, count the number of fundraisers happening across this country to quantify the impact of this "dirty money". Many churches, schools, dispensaries etc are standing thanks to harambees. Do we know where these donations came from? A big NO.

And this is where Nairobi's Senator Mike Sonko comes in.

Recently I pointed out that Sonko's "generosity" falls in a category of its own. I call it "criticisms by generosity". It entails outsmarting government agencies by providing the very same services they ought to render to the public - but have failed to do so. This is why.

Governments - of any kind - crave for public attention. History is clear: rarely do governments act unless there is public outcry or a shift of public support towards another body, person or entity. Only at this point will a government swing into action to "restore its position as the public protector".

Which again raises another fundamental question: Will the government of Kenya be moved by empty words? 

Kenya's officialdom is wholly founded on self-gratification. Our politics is predicated on what some political scientists call, "a game of few against many". Forget about that tribal angle you bandy around. Tribalism isn't the common philosophy up there. "Eating" is.

A question thus pops up: How can we push this eating class into action? I think the answer is right within us. It's by suppressing the popularity they enjoy among the clueless mass of Kenyans out there. 

Mark you; this is what Sonkoism is built on. It seeks to out-compete Nairobi's incompetent bureaucracy and alienate it from the people - in order to "teach" it a lesson on public engagement and service delivery.

There is every reason to rejoice. Sonko's pro-poor generosity is the antidote of our apathetic bureaucracies. I can't wait to see some more Sonkos spread all over this country.

Sometimes it takes courage to accept some things. Electing "smart thieves", it seems, is good for Kenya.

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com. Twitter:  @mlemukol.  

"Money For Guns", Not Disarmament Will Pacify Northern Kenya

Human ingenuity - we are told - is flexible. Sometimes it's timeless. By his natural construct, Man is thought to be the greatest risk taker. Testing new ways is his daily cake.

Now, how does this have to do with northern Kenya? Well, some of you who have been following the noises up there - centrally about security challenges - will definitely agree with some of us that disarmament - that security fallacy of seeking to mop up guns from people by force - is not the cure to the home-grown terrorism involving pastoralist communities. 

Though the media - and Kenya's security honchos - loosely refer to this terrorism as "cattle rustling", "bandit attacks" or "culture-instigated killings", facts on the ground reveal something else. The historical "men-against-men contests" involving some fist fights to woo the beautiful lady in the village is no more.

Many factors come to the fore. One, education is yet to sink into these forgotten territories. This one should not worry us though. Devolution will completely deal with that. As we discuss, many schools are popping up in these areas. By the way, the so called CDF schools and now, county-funded schools are more than schools built between 1963 and 2003 (the year CDF was born)!

Two, politics practiced in these regions is still, to say the least, stone-age politics. Displacement and invasion are its outer cover. The inner thinking is purely elitist and one-sided. And we can see the results. 

It has created a pool of "fighters" controlled by a clique of profiteers masquerading as leaders. Paradoxically, these so called leaders don't reside among their fighters. They commandeer the war train from the city - or those posh havens they call home. Displacement for them is the rallying call and way of life.

Three, national security engagement vis-à-vis these regions is predicated on a colonial philosophy of endless display of raw power and collective punishment. Many a times we see top government officials unleashing armies and police officers to "comb these areas and recover all guns".

The script has been the same since the white man created the human collection we call Kenya. Meanwhile, we cannot point out even a single positive score from these endless "operations".

Four, amidst this one-sided war economy, poverty is booming among its loyal "fighters". Desperation evident among the people of northern Kenya is enough to push a people-centered leadership to advocate for comprehensive anti-poverty interventions. What we see, however, is a far cry. More needs to be done - we hope.

Five, though it's silently told, this war machine could actually be benefiting some "philanthropists" operating up there. You know, continued sufferance creates more desperate people. More desperate people need "help" to survive. This "help", of course must be "marketed" to attract moneyed guys who may be willing to pour out some extra coins to "uplift the poor."

And so we ask: Who is really a good friend of these people? Should we bank our hopes on endless - fruitless - security escapades that have failed to contain this war? Mustn't we re-invent the wheel - for good?

I think we can do something to rewrite this story and restore hope to these "fighters". Personally, I feel we've had enough of "hard power" while trying to pacify northern Kenya. Perhaps we need to take a pinch of "soft power" to see what will happen.

One, diagnosing and curing the cancer that causes all other cancers is paramount. Poverty is the chief culprit here. Its biggest victims are women and children. 

Hence my proposal: What if we exchanged the 250,000+ guns in the wrong hands in northern Kenya with money and train these people to make real their dreams using the cash? 

Two, the patriarchal nature of communities in northern Kenya is proving to be the foremost hindrance to peace negotiations. Women, though on the receiving end of these conflicts, lack representation on the negotiation tables. 

Couldn't it be wise to involve victims of war in peace building than banking our hopes on ego-filled, culture-backed male grouping that has failed to grasp the basics and build a peaceful society?

Women - more so pastoralist’s women - have all it takes to do what their men have failed to do - for years. They have peace in their hearts, minds and hands. Just rope them in.

Only two ways: "Money for guns" and women peace crusaders and northern Kenya will be pacified. Yes, only that.

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com. Twitter:  @mlemukol.  

Turkana University A Noble Idea Whose Time Has Come

Fountain of Knowledge: University of Nairobi

The Turkana County Government's decision to build a university in a bid to promote higher education deserves tremendous praises. Personally having seen the benefits - direct and indirect - of a university, I find this decision epochal and game-changing. It is just what the cattle herders of Turkana ordered!

I may not be able to know what (officially) informed the county government's decision but I can gather some points from my interactions with folks out there. My people have "seen" that school is indeed a solid investment that endures all changes. 

Some of you may christen this a "mental shift." The crux of the matter is however different: My people are on a frenzy to assert their position in a community of successful people. Mark you, their target isn't just Kenya. They are tired of being lampooned and being used as a reference point for poverty. They want to change this script – for good.

You see, the need to suppress this "ridicule" is, in my view, the power behind the proposed Turkana University Project (TUP).

This year alone Turkana County, media people say, will send some 500 students to university. This, knowledgeable people affirm, is a step ahead following many years of the community’s "under-representation" at the university level.

A quick history search reveals why these pundits could be right. In years past, university education in this region was akin to a description of a few people - mainly those residing in what locals refer to as towns. For my ever-jovial cow herders, education had nothing to do with them. An encounter with education began and ended in a primary school.

As we speak, things aren't the same again. A quick chat with village folks is what you need to feel the undercurrents shaping education among my pastoralists’ brothers and sisters. 

Simply stated, these undercurrents lead to bigger questions: Would TUP live up to the expectations of the certificate-less, but skilled folks out there? Would its benefits cascade down to the valleys and plains of Turkana where a majority of these people call home?

Understandably, it is too early to raise these questions. However, failure to do so leaves many doubts.  

TUP stands a better chance of injecting a new economic thinking to Kenya - and perhaps, the world over - vis-à-vis the relation between institutions of higher learning and local communities.

There are solid reasons to explain this standpoint. TUP is inherently an idea of the poor, by the poor and for their own emancipation. It is predicated on an inclusive thinking.

Second, Turkana boasts of, well, the largest proportion of Kenya's illiterate mass. Their uniqueness is undeniably a big boost to this inclusive thinking. And so, some of us ask, have TUP's initiators thought of tapping into this uniqueness, (of course to the advantage of the people)?

Third, nomadic lifestyle remains a virgin domain. Now, marry this with the ongoing interventions to introduce agriculture in this region and you get a minefield for intellectual extraction. I have no doubt TUP will emerge as the home-grown "unifier" of this marriage.

Fourth, TUP is a true testament of what local-based decision making has to do with pulling people up the economic ladder. 

I can't wait to see this project on its feet. This, for me, is a comprehensive answer to the many questions I have raised through my writings and talks. 

Hitherto "locked" counties are here to "teach" Kenya what devolution is all about. With devolution train snaking through the plains and valleys of northern Kenya, believe me, things will never be the same. And Turkana has already set the record straight. 

Long Live Turkana University Project!!!

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com . Twitter: @mlemukol. 

Political Leaders Contribute Immensely To People's Marginalization

Some of us who confront, (and write about) the many challenges attributed to marginalization in Kenya's pastoralist-dominated areas have no doubt declaring that political leaders in these regions play a great role in people's marginalization. 

I agree with those who debunk myths claiming that marginalization in Kenya is centrally a material issue. Many narratives tend to deconstruct the whole issue and project it as lack of schools, lack of water and so on, while excluding the human weakness masquerading as community leadership. 

While it's true these goodies are non-existent or in short supply, I am of the view that the biggest promoter of marginalization resides in the minds and spirits of (political) leaders of our pastoralist brothers and sisters. 

There is a reason why I solidly hold onto this view. Marginalization in Kenya has different interpretations. To the (shrewd) NGO-type, marginalization is a conduit through which funds pass. To the political class, marginalization is a philosophy that unites "saviours of the people" and leadership positions.

Take a look; you easily clinch a political position in these regions by first working with NGOs. All you need is this: "share" in the pain of the marginalized by giving them goodies and voila; you become the "leader of the people"! 

Just google the professional trajectories of those calling shots in these regions to know where they came from. A good number of them were former NGO top honchos.

It's therefore evident that marginalization is more beneficial than detrimental to those charged with responsibilities to crush it. 

It’s no crime working with NGOs and then get elected as a leader. We should tap into the expertise of these people to improve our collective thinking. What deserves condemnation is the clear let-down (vis-à-vis positively impacting local populations) that betrays the financial muscles and connections that characterize these offices.

Either the system is modeled in such a way that blurs any attempts to recreate the wheel or there exists a total disconnect between those charged with these responsibilities and the work they do. Either way, the sufferance of the marginalized continues.

There is another interesting point. Nomads' leaders must learn to do their political nomadism cleverly. With all due respect, pastoralists' leaders have lowered themselves to "professional cry babies" with no clear roadmap for their people. They dwell in repetitive interventions that have failed to correct that which they seek to correct now.

Take a look at the many declarations in the recent Pastoralists' Leaders Forum held in Narok. They missed one crucial point: tackling their own marginalization of the mind. 

For how long shall we be brain-fed even in the basic things that touch the lives of our people? Isn't political patronage predicated on the robustness of a leader to push for inclusion of his/her people's interests in the national narrative?

There is an issue here. Development is akin to a "gift", not a right to these people. Government is viewed as a benevolent body that dishes out development to who it likes. State officials are elevated to levels of demigods with endless streams of development cash.

Here, I blame not the population. It is also a victim of a myopic, strategy-poor leadership. The culprit is the political class - yes, those representing these cow herders in Nairobi. 

No, education (or lack of it) is not the problem, either. There is no (political) will to confront issues. There is too much self-interest clouding noble, people-oriented interventions. 

We must stand with the truth. There is liberation in truth. Political leaders must stop contributing to people's marginalization. They must be at the fore-front in the fight against marginalization. Only this can change the face of northern Kenya.

Is devolution the right platform to effect this?

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com.  Twitter:  @mlemukol.  

Mr President, Protect Us From These Tribal Terrorists

President Uhuru Kenyatta. PHOTO COURTESY: online sources.

The ever worsening "hunger and/or food scarcity" dynamics in most of northern Kenya counties bring to the fore several reasons why we need - as a nation - to seek to know if this hunger narrative is purely as a result of drought, (the hot and dry) weather conditions of the affected areas or due to other causes.

Many official reports, if not all, have linked hunger in northern Kenya, and especially in Turkana County to dry weather. Recently, Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, unveiled the latest version of these many "hunger reports".

Though many findings of these reports, especially parts detailing the causes of starvation up north of this nation could be true, an important cause that overrides all the other listed causes is conspicuously missing. 

I will single out Turkana County to explain this point. 

Starvation in Turkana is not wholly a weather problem. Starvation in Turkana is largely caused by tribal terrorism - that "simple crime" that our media casually refers to as banditry or cattle rustling. This malaise has reduced whole energetic populations to paupers depending on food rations from the government and/or aid organisations.

Let me walk you through the most affected zones in Turkana in order to grasp the bruises this tribal terrorism has meted on the people of Turkana County.

Most of the fertile lands in Turkana are situated in its southern parts, that is, areas bordering West Pokot County. These lands are spread over two constituencies (Turkana East and South) covering Lomelo Division (which houses the troubled Kapedo area), Lokori, Lokichar, Katilu and Kainuk Divisions. 

Of these five divisions, only Lokichar can be deemed to be "peaceful". It is also dry and devoid of any permanent river. Technically, it is not "attractive" to expansionists.

The other four divisions are dotted with permanent rivers and vast fertile lands. Paradoxically, this is where you find "idle" populations that depend entirely on food rations. This "idleness" isn't inherently their choice. They cannot till their lands for fear of being killed by tribal criminals. Those who dare visit their farms have borne the brunt of these attacks.

In these areas more people die of gun attacks than all other causes combined! It is a war zone out there.

These attacks, though unofficially recognised, are believed to be fueled by need to displace host communities and "revert" ownership of these agricultural lands to their "rightful owners". (Whatever that means I leave it to authorities to tell Kenyans the true position.)

The same way religious fanatics base their heinous acts on their "goal" to push away "infidels", these tribal expansionists are on a move to curtail any attempt by local peoples to till their land and empower themselves. 

They are not bandits in search of livestock. These are warlords determined to cripple a whole population.

The resultant effect is what you see. The south of Turkana can't reap from its rich agricultural lands and by extension the whole of Turkana suffers from hunger. 

Many interventions to right these wrongs have been effected. However, these interventions remain wrong interventions. Distributing food rations to people of Turkana County isn't the answer.

Opening many under-equipped police posts or arming locals to defend themselves cannot change things.

Confronting these tribal terrorists is the missing antidote. And this is why we ask: Mr President, aren't you capable of protecting us from these tribal terrorists? 

We want to feed ourselves. We are tired of food rations. Keep these blood-thirsty terrorists plus their sponsors at bay and you will be surprised by the positive outcome of your intervention. 

We know this is possible. We were here before things changed for the worst. We want to be real players in the building of this great nation. We believe you have the key to unlock all these possibilities.

This is our only prayer to you, Mr President: Unlock these possibilities and the people of Turkana will remember you for many years to come.

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com.  Twitter:  @mlemukol.  

Stop Grumbling, Team Up With Tullow and Build Dams

Is there a way of roping in the pastoralists of Turkana into oil benefits sharing schemes?

There has been much talk about impacts of oil discoveries to national economies, local populations and political formations in oil-producing zones. We have been told oil discoveries and eventual (oil) exploitation qualify to be the "in-thing" of positive socio-economic transformations and that Kenya should "rejoice" for being lucky to have oil deposits.

Many have opined - perhaps basing on worst cases elsewhere - that Kenya should be "extra careful" when handling this resource for it can lead to unrests and/or "militaristic engagements." Still others are of the view that benefit sharing should - as a principle - be based on a centralised formula. Say for example, Nairobi-based bureaucrats would decide what goes where and for what purpose.

What is conspicuously missing in all these narratives is the place of the pastoralists communities inhabiting those oil-rich areas. It seems, according to our projections, that their needs amount to nothing. Even others are of the view that pastoralists' demands will be "dealt with the day they open their eyes".

Clearly, this mentality stands no chance to warrant a smooth exploitation of this resource. Much reflection and respect of host communities must be incorporated in our engagements and interventions. It is farcical, at this time and era, to expect to ride over people and expect no resistance. Pastoralists are equally entitled to the benefits accruing from oil exploration and/or exploitation in their lands.

Several questions come to mind. How can we spread these benefits to a population whose lifestyle is classified as "not modern" and in wide contrast with the normative procedures of corporate social responsibilities?

How can we strike a balance between the wider community interests on one hand and fostering of a solid investor-community confidence and long-term plans of (oil) corporate honchos, on the other hand?

Can piecemeal interventions targeting the twenty-percent literate members of this community be considered a wholesome action for the benefit of the community? (Mark you, over eighty percent of people in Turkana County are classified as illiterate.)

Surely we are under obligation to rethink our strategies on this matter. The Turkana case is important in defining our commitment.

I think I can offer some insights. The noises over migration routes for pastoralists and take-over (by oil companies) of hitherto grazing lands for oil exploration activities can be remedied. Questions over sidelining of host communities in employment and day-to-day operations too can be remedied.

These two issues can be collapsed into one: To calm down tensions over grazing lands and jobs, the answer is one. Water is the answer.

Pastoralists don't move and quarrel over migration routes because they want to. This is purely predicated on survival instincts. They move in search of water. They don't migrate for adventure as some of us may think.

So to block their routes is akin to imprisoning them. To occupy their grazing lands and offer no alternatives amounts to strangling them. This I know: They will never allow this to go unchallenged.

And so a question pops up: How can we "bring" water and grass to these people? The answer is simple and clear: Turkana needs dams.

This is why. The county is dotted with many seasonal rivers that can be converted to permanent water reservoirs. The only simple way to appeal to pastoralists neighbouring oil wells that benefits accruing from oil exploration reached them is by quenching their thirst. You can only do this by shortening their distances. Build dams near them.

There is another sweet point. Permanent water points create permanent settlements. In permanent settlements is found a clear roadmap for people's empowerment. Empowered people stand a better chance to be level-headed and can thwart any attempts to hoodwink them.

This, my people, is what Turkana needs. And we have a chance to make this happen. It is possible. 

This is what we need to do: Team up with Tullow Oil Plc (the company carrying out oil prospection in Turkana) and build dams. Stop grumbling and engage your brains in pushing for your interests. 

To fight over petty tenders and forget about long-term interests of all is symptomatic of a community depending on raw power to seek answers. 

Leaders must re-evaluate their strategies. We need water like yesterday. 

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com.  Twitter:  @mlemukol.