By Wanjiru Kinuthia-Hussein
Watching the events unfold as the countdown to this year’s general election calls to mind scenes from the last 44 years of independence, struggle for liberation, bad governance and prosperity for the few After Kenyans unanimously kicked the Kanu government out of office in 2002, it may be surprising to witness the elected officials who were mandated to ensure Kanu was kept out, inviting the same group to form part of our government.
But let’s delve deeper to try and understand why this happened, on whose mandate did the elected officials act? Was the ballot loud enough in the last polls as to who Kenyans wanted in their government ..... the most pressing question is ......Of what does this new Kibaki-Moi-Uhuru axis represent?
May be someone was right when he said "Removing Kanu from power is like cutting the mugumo tree with a razor blade." And yes Kenyans in the last liberation may just have cut the mugumo tree with "not a razor blade" but with a power saw. So now what is being witnessed is the mugumo tree shooting and trying to rise once again.
So the time has come to not cut it once more but to UPROOT it from its foundation "roots" and all that it stands for. In My opinion the "mugumo tree" now represents the three richest families in Kenya. It is also the families who have ruled us for the last 44 years and yes the families who own the most land in Kenya.
In his Book, "The Elusive Quest for Growth" William Easterly describes his World Bank visit to Cairo in Egypt in a conference to study the wealth and poverty of nations; he says that Cairo throws back the same question at his team. "Why is Egypt so poor four millennia after the pharaohs built the pyramids?" And He responds "a quick back of the envelope answer is INCOME DISTRIBUTION".
The Pharaohs had everything and the masses had nothing. The Pharaohs enriched themselves with the labor of the masses. Rich elites do a fine job of erecting monuments for themselves and selecting polices that ensure the status quo is maintained at the expense of the larger masses. So prosperity for the few in Egypt has lasted four millennia but the majority prosperity remains elusive.
So the time is NOW for Kenyans to choose prosperity, to choose to destroy the status quo and to choose polices that equitably distribute income. We need to choose leaders that will break this vicious cycle of rich few and put us on path to prosperity for all. Is it a wonder the poorest areas of our nations (Nyanza, Coast, North Eastern) have remained so each successive government? There is only need do one thing this December "UPROOT THE MUGUMO TREE" once for all.
Final word of caution to the voters. Most ambitious people have realized being in parliament is a career in and of itself and a sure way to enrich themselves given the perks earned by MPs. Be wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing, who purport to represent you but are only preying on your vote for what it can do for them .... You know who these are .....
The duo of wanjiru Kinuthia and Mwalimu Taabu have come with a beautiful piece of selective imagination.
ReplyDeleteCorrection number one, the families of Moi, Kenyatta and Kibaki have not ruled kenya. It is these three "gentlemen" that have. Not many of us have an idea of how fabulously rich Daniel Moi's mother and father were. Neither do we know about Kibaki's family. We know something about Kenyatta because his son also has presidential ambitions and because we hate to see this happening, we introduce the issue of his family roots.
I,as a person hate dynastic politics. It makes us look like we were born to be led by a chosen cadre of people.But, I fail to understand why people introduce the issue of family when Moi, Kenyatta and Kibaki come together. There is nothing like families coming together, these are three politicians uniting to do politics as a group and that is very much in order. I supported the Orange opposition to the Wako-draft and I am happy I did. In that group, we had the sons of who is who in Kenya's political history. Yes, that group that James Orengo once referred to as the club of cerelac babies. (It doesnt require a razor sharp mind to understand the interests behind that unity of purpose). We never demonised that unity. Why we are doing it today, I have no idea.
If we should reject people because their families have ruled us forever, then nobody should be spared. Gideon moi, Nick salat,Jimmy Choge,Alicen Chelaite,Joseph Nyaga, norman nyaga, Mohamed Khalif,Mutinda Mutiso,Cecily Mbarire,Uhuru Kenyatta,Jayne Kihara,Oburu Oginga, Jakoyo midiwo,oloo Aringo,Musalia mudavadi,George Khaniri,Eugene Wamalwa,Raila Odinga,Beth Mugo and Ouma Muga jr should not be voted into parliament. Let everybody GO, Sio mambo za biased treatment hapa.
I agree with the authors of this post, we need to vote in people who will ensure equal distribution of resources. People who are not cerelac babies and people who can identify with the down-trodden because they've at one point or another been part of the group.
Vote wisely, vote ODM-K.
Mwalimu, i think the two pictures you posted there can aptly by captioned "scoundrels UNmasked" in BOLD white subtitles at the bottom near the edge of both pictures
ReplyDeleteTo the left we have a "fake" opposition leader who i doubt ever had any intention of being a successful voice that could satisfy our need to keep the Government of the day on its toes and offer us politics with an alternative to what the regime in office had to offer. To the right we have the incumbent and his predecessor whom he helped to unseat from power but has now perplexingly chosen to surround himself with in his re-election bid-are Kenyans that easy to fool?indeed we are been taken for a fantastic ride as pumbavus united
Here is what disturbs me even more-the pictures ideally capture the alarming idea that Kenyans have never known a leadership that is progressive and beneficial on their behalf for the past 40+ years. Even barren women are allowed to adopt babies and satisfy their desire for a child, who will take away these robbers of Kenya's desire for a better future? haven't we let the dog guard the meat for long enough?
vote wisely-but wait for 2012