Guest post by Sam Okello
Fellow Kenyans,
In just three days, the journey the Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga started in the eighties will enter a new phase. With his election to the presidency, a matter approved from on high, the nation will embark on the final leg of a chapter that should have closed in the sixties, immediately after independence, but never did. I'm talking about national reconciliation and the creation of a nation that works for everyone.
What we've witnessed in the years since President Jomo Kenyatta took oath to lead the nation to prosperity has been the unequal distribution of national resources and the selective development of pockets of the nation. The result is that vast areas of Kenya remain sinfully underdeveloped, while others wallow in wealth and boast some of the richest Kenyans.
But what is more disturbing is the increasing tribalization of the nation. The shameless manner in which President Kibaki constituted his Cabinet and other key appointments is a case in point. He was obviously acting in the same way Presidents Kenyatta and Moi acted when it was their turn. The sad thing is, with President Kibaki, a man Kenyans voted for in droves, suffering wananchi finally decided that unrepresentative governments should not lead Kenya. He betrayed the trust, just like Moi and kenyatta before him. And so in three days Kenyans will vote to right the wrongs that have been allowed to go on for forty years.
When that happens, there's only one word that can and will describe the change that will have taken place. VINDICATION. It will be a vindication of the ideals our freedom fighters fought for. A vindication of the Kenya Waruru Kanja thought was possible when he called on us to end the politics of elimination. A vindication of the ideals Bishop Muge tirelessly advocated before his life was painfully snapped out. A vindication of the ideals Tom Mboya and Robert Ouko and JM and Masinde Muliro were killed trying to help take root in Kenya. Indeed, it will be a vindication of the one thing Kenyans have known all along...that when all is said and done, deep down we all long to live in peace and harmony one with another.
That's why about three weeks ago I dared to say that the Hon. Raila Odinga was...
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Don't continue using the name of God in this - this is pure blasphemy and may haunt you one day soon.
ReplyDeleteDon't call Raila Odinga a Kenyan Messias ..... there was only one who was called like this and this was Jesus, the son of God.
Raila Odinga is very human in various positive and also negative ways as he has proved during the last years (first while being a Member of the Moi and then of the Kibaki Administration).
Don't underestimate the Kenyan People - they do not need the preaching of an American 'Kenyan' to tell them what to do.
And since you have chosen to live in the US since more than 15 years and never cared about Kenya before, keep out of it also now.
But most of all: Leave God and his holy name out of politics - the only time I would like to join you is while saying: God bless Kenya and its People - but may God save Kenya from religious hypocrats like you.
Would Sam Okello please explain why he is registered as a 'Ugandan' Author in all websides around the world (including google) and has appeared personally as such also in official platforms not only in the United States but also in Canada?
ReplyDeleteHe has 'minimized' his Kenyan roots to "I have been born in Kenya
but my family roots are Ugandan and that's why I went to school in Uganda until I left for the United States ....and fought to be allowed to continue living there ever since ......"
Would he please explain why all of the sudden he is such a 100-% Kenyan and even having heard "God telling him about Raila Odinga being Kenya's chosen Messias.....?"
I expect that Sam Okello will be hiding behind 'jatinga' ...... but since Kenya deserves an honest reply, I apply to others and not to the Okellos to give an explanation.
VINDICATION?: Is this the idea that ODM is holding closely to? Vindication comes with the following mentalities--win/lose, vengeance, bitterness, revenge etc.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, your poor analysis shows that the people who are going to be vindicated are, among others--Ouko, Mboya, Oginga etc. Why just Luos? Wajaluo peke yao?
Like someone suggested from this forum, its probably time for you to start thinking of a book called "Crushed Dreams" and the star figure is the OFFICIAL OPPOSITION LEADER of a country in Africa whose name is RIALA ODINIGA, a nominated MP.
Please - Sam Okello - stop trying to 'sell' Hon. Raila Odinga as the newfound saviour of Kenya ....
ReplyDeleteHon. Ondinga deserves better than your cheap propoganda - better reserve such polemic trying to sell your books since we all smell that this what you are really interested in and not your newfound 'love' for the faith of Kenya.
I would suggest that you ask Kenyans in 5 years from now if they agree on this .....
ReplyDelete-... and Sam Okello, who are you to talk like that ? Did you ever care about Kenya in the last 15 years you lived in the US ?
Or is the truth not such that you finally realized that the sales numbers of your books are not even sufficient to cover your and your family's living costs and now you see your 'Shining Star' in your new-found love for Kenya?
Just an idea ........ but I challenge you and 'Jatinga' to respond.
VINDICATION -
ReplyDeleteThis is appelling .............
Please, Chris, stop this.
Hon. Raila Odinga deserves better than this.
'God's choice to lead Kenya ,,,,,'
ReplyDeleteHow does a man like Sam Okello dare to talk like that?
Is he 'Moses' announcing the 'coming' of the next 'Messias'?
And is Hon. Raila Odinga accepting to be such a 'Messias' ?
And did Sam Okello ever ask Hon. Raila Odinga before 'implicating' him to be as such ?
Allow me to express my doubts on all of this.
May God (and not somebody like Sam Okello) bless Kenya ......
Why do you believe that Raila Odinga is already the president of Kenya? It is three days to go and you are making it look that he has alraedy been elected.
ReplyDeleteYou say that distribution of wealth and resouycvres has been selective. That is why Raila Odinga is running for presidency. So when he raises money from peasants in Nyanza to buy Molasses Plant in Kisumu he is not creating wealth for himself. There is no selective development as you say.
During Moi's time, Dalmas Otieno, MO-elect for Rongo started a bank that died with money from the three-top communication parastals in the country. Raila Odinga has not spoken about that. He has not spoken about Enginner Okundi employing hoardes of people from his village at KPA and he has not spoken about Henry Kosgey employing a whole village at Kenya National Assurance.
Where did William Ruto get all the billions he has overnight? When did he start working to earn all that he boasts of. Was he not sharing an office with Cyrus Jirongo at Loita House when they branded themselves rebels to gain Moi's attention.
When Moi was president. it was not shameless that nine of the 13 General in the country were from his tribe or tribes close to the Kalenjins, Leshan, Koech, Tonje (CGS) Sumbeiywo, Cheruyiot, Sawe and many more. So, it is only Kibaki who had it wrong? It was qualification and merit Period!
Of the three murders you are talking about, there is no proof that Kibaki was involved and Raila Odinga has not mentioned all those in his campaigns fearing a Kalenjin backlash. But then, you are forgetting that Raila was detained for allegedly being part of a group that wanted to overthrow Moi. Are we together.
Think straight man!
PNU
Kibaki Tena!
Kazi iendelee!
Sam,
ReplyDeleteyou have it right on. Odinga will make us feel like we are in the same Kenya. Not one in which "we were in" the days of Kifaki. I cannot wait for Dec. 27 @ midnight to ring my victory bell.
Sam Okello - who represents himself in all international media outlets as the man to tell Kenyans who is the 'right' person to lead Kenya into a better future, is herewith telling us that according to him 'Raila Odinaga' has been chosen by God ........
ReplyDeleteWho is Sam Okello ? Has he been sent by God to announce the new Messias, i.e. Raila Odinga?
Let's stop here - and admit that Sam Okello and his wife (Hellen Okello = Jatinga) are only trying to promote their books and at the same time exploit the mind and sentiments of the Kenyan People .....
Don't fall into their traps - don't be getting used by people like that ..........
Just an advise .................
Sam Okello my guy, May I take this early oppportunity to remind you that God is not a member of the ODM. You can do yourself and others a lot of good if you kept him off the affairs of that movement. Probably the only time you guys should call out his name is when in prayer. But trying to own him or forcing upon him a membership to that party is not the most honourable thing. The bible says we should not swear in his name in vain. That is exactly what you are doing sir.
ReplyDeleteThe journy that Raila Odinga started in the '80s is a journey to self aggrindisement and nobody knows that better than you, Mr. Okello. Raila Odinga has been an impediment to national reconcilliation and I am suprised you consider him someone who stands for reconcilliation. Such a divisive figure is the last person you want in a position of authority. He should remain what he is today; Someone whose decisions are not binding to the nation.
Mr. Okelo, The United States, the country that is not only the most developed on the planet, but the one where you live is not evenly developed. They say if Carlifornia were a country, it would be the 5th richest in the world. What that means is that Carli controls the wealth of the US. ODM's cries that Central province has developed at the expense of other regions are just unfounded. How come you fellows never complain of the Rift Valley where primary school drop-outs were heading parastatals?
Central province has prospered amid Moi's 25 year open victimization of the region. Their prosperity has had nothing to do with who leads Kenya. It has had everything to do with two things; One, ardwork and two,arability. 65% of Luo Nyanza residents today live below the poverty line. You cannot tell me this happens because Raila is not the president. I am sorry I have to write this; It is all in the attitude of the people. For example, Luo Nyanza has an unbelievably high prevalence of AIDS compared to Central Province. Now do you guys blame the government for that?
I acknowledge that some regions are endowed with more natural resources than others and that the government has to do some balancing act, but the truth is that the government does very little to put money in your pocket. Perhaps the only thing they can do is to manage the economy well and Kibaki is doing that just fine. There is no other secret, just redefine your priorities.
As for me and my ilk, Raila Odinga should not be allowed to come near political power. He would not only choke us with his trademark dictatorship, but also mismanage the economy. He is a leader unto darkness, period.
Vikii you got it ... the attitude of the people is what matters. The people are the ones to decide if they want change or not.
ReplyDeletePolitical leaders do very little to improve the lives of people, the guys in businesses are the ones that help the most. And for the business people their interest in political leaders is in providing a good environment for business ... nothing else. So a politician who can give a good environment for business is what we need.
ardwork=hardwork. I am kamba.
ReplyDeleteVikii,
ReplyDeleteany presidential candidate needs to win 25% of the votes in each province to be crowned a winner. Kibaki could win the majority vote but fail to garner the 25% needed for the top post. N'how, I fail to see how Kibaki prevails. And by the way, did you read the coverage on RAila yesterday by NewYork Times and Washington Post? Boy, Oh boy, this man is unstoppable. Only the rigged vote may. But the international community is watching. The man of the moment as Okello eloquently reminds us, is RAO.
What's up Vikii,
ReplyDeleteThat's a very informative response to my post. I like that. If you may let me, allow me to take on the issues you raise one by one.
First, you say that God is not a member of the ODM. I wholly agree with you. Truth is, I've never said He was a member of the party. What I've said is that He has called on the Hon. Raila Odinga to lead Kenya at this crucial point in the nation's history. Events in the next two days will prove that point.
Two, you say the Hon. Odinga's journey has been one to personal aggrindisement. Does that explain why he took all the risks he did to get Kenya to the point where for the first time a new and responsive government may take over in just two days? Was he seeking personal aggrindisement when he was detained? How about when he had to flee into exile? And what about saba saba at the Kamukunji grounds? All those risks just to feel warm and fuzzy? I don't think so. This is a man who loves Kenya. Incidentally, you and I know where President Kibaki and the Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka were when the Hon. Odinga was risking his life.
Three, can you really claim with a straight face that the Hon. Odinga is divisive and dictatorial? At what point did he become one? Was it in the eighties when he was detained? In the nineties when he participated in expanding the democratic space in Kenya? Or was it between 2001 and 2002 when he literally handed the presidency to his former colleague, President Mwai Kibaki? Here is what I know for certain, that the Hon. Odinga has seen what unchecked power can do. He won't allow himself to be blinded by power. In just five years he has to answer to us what he'll have done with the groundswell of support that saw him elected to the highest office in the land. He won't blow it.
Four, Clearly the United States is unevenly developed. Is it your point that because the USA is unevely developed it's okay for Kenya to be the same? My position is that with sensible leadership the nation can walk in togetherness. If we have two mbuta in Kisumu and our brothers in Karatina have none and are faced with starvation, why can't we send one up there? Just look at all the mbuta some of our brothers have accumulated while there's starvation elsewhere in the nation. Is that a nation where people look out for each other?
Finally, let me say that on the morning of the 28th, you and I will wake up and we'll still be Kenyans. Let's support the government the best we can so that for the next five years a lot can be accomplished for the good of our people.
Merry Christmas, my friend.
Vikii, hold it man-its injury time!
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteI have also wondered whether you are the same Ugandan writer I have read about. If you are the one, that I am sorry.
sam, dont use this forum and I have said before for your own self glorification and book promotions.
Secondly, It is on record that God sent Elijah Masinde to tell some illiterates to tombstorm over River Nzoia and they all died in the name of GOD.
Please remind him next time, that Raila has his own problems.
Sam Okello, we as a country are headed to the same 1966 acting set that brought our cpuntry to where it is. It is largely assumed and the same way it happened when one nation was split into Kikuyu (Read Kenyatta and the cabinet) and Others vs Oginga Odinga (read Luo and Others).
ReplyDeleteSam, you forget that the Kikuyu you are talking about have not been in power for more than 24 years. Their regions withstood Moi's brutal administration, tribalism and many other things.
But, you forget that the region prospered and they continued with their farming.
In one of the posts here one day, one of the two ladies who frequents this site said that people in other parts of Kenya are going hungry while the rest had too much.
What I read was that Kenyans from other parts were hungry and the Kikuyu had enough food. Politically, Kikuyus were having it easy and enjoying while others were struggling. My response was that DROUGHT that swept thought the Horn of Africa was not discriminative and that people (I know she was talking about her own tribe, Luo) were suffering.
My response was that they should work hard and stop attending political rallies in Nairobi. They should stop the trend of looking for the first bus to Nairobi the day they clear school. My response was met with sarcasm.
It all ends up with poor investments back in the rural areas. Does the government have to be involved in telling people to open up factories in Siaya? No. Neither does it happen that a shoe factory in Kakamega be politically engineered. In actual sense, enterprises in the same rural areas, (Nzoia Sugar Factory, Miwani Sugar Factory, Muhoroni, and many others) have been poorly run by the locals.
When Kipngeno arap Ngeny was running down post office, did he not have people from other tribes (I can count top engineers from one tribe) serving as underlings and so are many other examples in the country we live in.
The problem with Okello and others from your tribe is, Luos talk too much politics and forget other priorites in life. If you have relatives in Nairobi, they can tell you of a place in central Nairobi opposite the City Hall. This place hosts tens of people from early morning talking politics through the day.
The WORST is WHITE COLLAR JOBS!!!
-Derek-
@Deroo - get your frigging facts right. Dalmas Otieno's bank - Thabiti Finance was in existence long before he entered politics in 1988. Pulleeeeeez! Save the Jerry Springer type antics for another day!
ReplyDelete