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Monday, April 27, 2009

Thoughtlessness, Indecisiveness and Downright Incompetence: The Qualities we, Kenyans, Look for in a Leader

Also published earlier today by Chris Why Snap Elections are Inevitable

By Mwalimu Peter Ngugi

Kenya is indeed a strange country. It is a country where leaders are elected on the basis of their thoughtlessness and sheer incompetence. And this has been the trend since we attained independence. ‘ We seem to cherish leaders who have perfected ‘the art and science of brewing hatred and preaching politics of division and parochialism.’ And unless we wake up and fight to invalidate the stupid value systems which have been entrenched in our politics by selfish and thoughtless politicians, our country will go to the dogs (if it hasn't already!) and we will have no one but ourselves to blame.

I have been watching the political scene since the formation of the so called Grand Coalition but nothing seems to be moving. Service delivery, internal security and all have become foreign ideologies. Politicians have been spending most of their time grumbling and scrambling for power as the citizenry gets more impoverished by the minute. I hoped against all hopes that the government would act speedily on important issues like drafting a new constitution, waging a spirited war against poverty and corruption and building an egalitarian society where people would be treated equally irrespective of their political and ethnic affiliation. But how wrong I was!

Therefore, it is unlikely that the current crop of parliamentarians will draft a new constitution any time soon because the political engineers from either side of the political divide (read the Grand Confusion) are either thoughtless or downright incompetent. In my view, most of the current members of parliament are unfit to hold any position of leadership, even at the family level! All they do is fight to fill their tumbo kubwa as the majority of us wallow in abject poverty. Remember the William-Ruto–motion-of-censure circus? It is good case in point that demonstrates that our MPs only care about their interests and those of their cronies. And this vividly elucidates why MPs chose their allegiances not purely on the merit of the motion but on selfish considerations ranging from the premature positioning of some leaders in the battle to succeed President Kibaki to an almost blood cuddling zeal to prevent the Orange Party from disintegrating.

My fellow country men and women, politicians don’t care whether you live or starve to death; their only object is to keep you and I very busy fighting among ourselves over parochial things as they milk the country dry. And that is why there is a grand rift in the so called grand coalition. Politicians are busy forming alliances and thoughtless schemes to succeed Kibaki. The censure motion against Ruto was defeated because the majority of our parliamentarians are too unprincipled and unpatriotic to fight for the welfare of the millions of starving Kenyans. To paraphrase Dr Bonny Khalwale, the mover of the censure motion against Ruto: ‘ The vote on the censure motion was between selfish politicians and millions of famished Kenyans.’ Everybody knows who won.

I assert that most Kenyan politicians are inherently tribal, selfish and parochial and are thus incapable of putting the interests of their country before their own. They have got no time to fritter away thinking about the plight of the internally displaced people or those who live in fear of being harassed, maimed and killed by members of a proscribed cult(Mungiki). Are these the people we expect to draft a good constitution for us?

Whining about bad governance, corruption and tribalism will not take us anywhere. We have got to change the situation. The power belongs to us. We can bring change, yes we can! It begins with you; are you ready to stand and be counted?

Elsewhere on the Net:
The Plight of Albinos in Tanzania: What should be Done

10 comments:

  1. Am fed up with peopele complaining about our politicians when they are the ones who voted them in. Some people even vigorously opposed minimum reforms and now we have nothing. YOU VOTED, SO PUT UP WITH IT, DAMN IT !

    ReplyDelete
  2. My brother I sympathise with you. I was like you till I realised I have my life to live. Kenya had went to the dogs years back in 2002 which was the right time to save the country.
    We stupidly let chance pass us by. What should worry you is how do we build a foundation for a new kenya for the generations to come.

    Just an advice If you want to live a bit longer do not rake your head with kenyan polititians the whole bunch are thugs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ANOTHER ACTIVIST DEAD.. HE WAS REPORTING ON MT. ELGON POLICE AND ARMY EXECUTION ON INNOCENT KENYANS

    WHEN WILL KENYANS WAKE UP AND FROG MARCH KIBAKI, SAITOTI, MICHUKI AND UHURU TO THE HAGUE??? BURE KABISA - SHENZI SANA.. HOW MANY DO YOU KENYANS WANT SLAUGHTERED BEFORE YOU WAKE UP??


    Human rights activist Bantu Mwaura found dead

    Updated 8 hr(s) ago
    Related Stories
    Brave struggle that gave way to bleak end


    By Standard Reporter

    Police are investigating the death of a human rights activist and university lecturer Bantu Mwaura, whose body was found outside his gate at Sunlight estate in Nairobi’s Lang’ata area, on Monday morning.

    Sources said that family members of Bantu, who was also a renowned thespian, director, poet and storyteller, had reported him missing on Friday. Bantu was a respected poet whose work in English, Kiswahili and Gikuyu has been published in several journals.

    He had a PhD in Performance Studies from the New York University and a Masters in Theatre Studies from Leeds University (UK).

    ReplyDelete
  4. ANOTHER ACTIVIST DEAD.. HE WAS REPORTING ON MT. ELGON POLICE AND ARMY EXECUTION ON INNOCENT KENYANS

    WHEN WILL KENYANS WAKE UP AND FROG MARCH KIBAKI, SAITOTI, MICHUKI AND UHURU TO THE HAGUE??? BURE KABISA - SHENZI SANA.. HOW MANY DO YOU KENYANS WANT SLAUGHTERED BEFORE YOU WAKE UP??


    Human rights activist Bantu Mwaura found dead

    Updated 8 hr(s) ago
    Related Stories
    Brave struggle that gave way to bleak end


    By Standard Reporter

    Police are investigating the death of a human rights activist and university lecturer Bantu Mwaura, whose body was found outside his gate at Sunlight estate in Nairobi’s Lang’ata area, on Monday morning.

    Sources said that family members of Bantu, who was also a renowned thespian, director, poet and storyteller, had reported him missing on Friday. Bantu was a respected poet whose work in English, Kiswahili and Gikuyu has been published in several journals.

    He had a PhD in Performance Studies from the New York University and a Masters in Theatre Studies from Leeds University (UK).

    ReplyDelete
  5. ANON 11:15 AM

    Hey
    wait a minute!! we didn't not voted for your thief KIBAKI! so stop pushing him down our throats...

    kenyans voted ODM period and now at last we can have snap elections to correct the shiate kibaki has put kenyans in...

    kibaki shenzi kabisa... he must go with all his ass wiping fools like saitoti, michiki, uhuru, e,t,c

    DAMN IT WE DID NOT VOTE FOR KIBAKI SO WE WON'T PUT UP WITH IT.. SHENZI WEWE!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. POISON!!!!!??????? THE ONLY LEADER KNOWN TO USE POISON TO KILL ANYONE WHO GOES AGAINST HIM IS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI OF UGANDA... NOW KENYANS BETTER LOOK CLOSELY AS TO WHY THIS ACTIVIST WAS POISONED.. I HEAR HE HAD SOME DAMAGING INFORMATION ON UGANDA ARMY IN POKOT AND MT. ELGON REGION WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE KENYAN ARMY TO SLAUGHTER INNOCENT KENYANS...

    MUSEVENI MUST ANSWER TO THIS KILLINGS... CHECK RECORDS MOST DEATHS IN UGANDA ON ANYONE AGAINST MUSEVENI AND HIS GOVERNMENT IS POISONED!!!!!!!!
    KIBAKI=MUSEVENI.... KENYANS MYSTERY DEATHS ... FROM MT. ELGON TO POKOT E.T.C.. KENYANS SHOULD STOP SLEEPING AND ACT NOW!! YOU HAVE A HYENA CALLED MUSEVENI..




    Culturalist Bantu Mwaura is dead
    BY BERNARD MOMANYI
    Update 5 hours and 37 minutes ago

    NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 27 - A human rights activist who was also a university lecturer and renowned poet, Dr Bantu Mwaura is dead.

    Dr Mwaura, an award winning performing artist and poet who taught at the University of Nairobi was found dead on a footpath in Sunlight estate in Lang’ata on Sunday night.

    Police said they had not established the cause of his death.

    “We don’t know yet (what killed him) but there was a bottle with some liquid like poison that was next to his body. We are waiting for investigations. We don’t want to say he swallowed poison at this moment,” Lang’ata divisional police chief Patrick Mang’oli said.

    “We have submitted the bottle and its contents to the Government Chemist for further analysis,” he added.

    Another police officer who visited the scene but can not be named because he is not authorised to speak to journalists said the body was intact with no signs of struggle or wounds.

    “The scene was clear, no blood or anything to suggest there was a struggle. But there was a small bottle next to the body,” the officer said.

    Dr Mwaura died on Sunday night but many of his friends and former students at the University of Nairobi said they learnt of the death on Monday afternoon.

    “I cannot believe Dr Mwaura is dead, he was such a good lecturer. He taught me two years ago,” a former student at the University of Nairobi said.

    Victor Bwire of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) communications division described the late Dr Mwaura as a dedicated activist who was known world over.

    “I have just heard about it. It is hard to believe that someone can just die like that. He was on a local television just the other day,” Mr Bwire said.

    The deceased was a cultural theorist who has worked mostly with civil society using theatre and performance in human rights and developmental work, both locally and in the international fora.

    One of the websites where he is prominently featured http://www.ukzn.ac.za/cca/images/pa/PA2008/pg/Mwaura.htm states that his poetry has been published in several journals and anthologies in English, Kiswahili and Gikuyu.

    It states that he has been commissioned by organisations such as the World Council of Churches and the World Social Forum to write and perform poetry in international fora, performing poetry and spoken word in Europe, the United States and several countries in Africa.

    In Kenya, for instance, Dr Bantu appears in the monthly poetry slams organized by Kwani?, the leading East-African based literary magazine.

    Dr Bantu was part of the Poetry Africa programme at the World Social Forum in Nairobi in 2007.

    He has taught poetry, storytelling and playwriting in different universities in Kenya and the United States and his plays have been performed in Kenya, Zimbabwe, the USA and the UK.

    We could not immediately establish more about his family background.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Us Kenyans still can't see it?? Nothing short of a people's revolution is going to change anything in this country. So no offense but compalining ad nauseum won't change a thing. The politicians could care less what you or I think. That's why we would have to force them out through a revolution. Whether Kenyans can carry out a peaceful revolution is another thing. I'm think go-slows in govt, demonstrations, marches etc. The only problem is that Kenyan police will still crack your skull in while holding a peaceful demonstration. But it's the only way I see out. Nothing short of people power, not ODM or PNU, but every single Kenyan has to be involved.

    ReplyDelete
  8. SPEAKER MARENDE BOUGHT BY PNU...
    SOURCES CONFIRM.. $$$$$$$$$$$$

    FBI, SCOTLAND YARD OR WHOMEVER CHECK ACCOUNT IN CAYMAN ISLAND OR PANAMA SAYS THE SOURCES..

    THIS IS BIG KIBAKI VS RAILA
    PNU HAS DONE WHAT IS DOES BEST BRIBE

    BUT THIS TIME KENYANS ARE AWAKE.. NO RAILA ... NO PARLIAMENT, NO COALITION..

    SNAP ELECTIONS

    AND GOOD RIDDANCE TO KIBAKI AND HIS TEAM OF THIEVING THUGS!!!

    AND THIS TIME LET KIBAKI TRY GIVING THE ORDERS TO THE POLICE AND THE ARMY TO SHOOT AND KILL KENYANS!!!!!!!!!!!!

    WE ARE READY!! SHENZI KABISA KIBAKI FOOL!! TIT FOR TAT
    KIBAKI KILLED OUR BROTHERS, SISTERS, MOTHERS AND FATHERS!!

    THIS TIME IT WILL BE HIM AND HIS FAMILY!!
    MY ADVISE TO HIM.. HE SHOULD STAY IN TANZANIA WHERE HE IS GOING FOR A VISIT TOMORROW... JINGA SANA KIBAKI MAVI!

    EVEN HIS OWN MUNGIKI THAT HE HAS EXECUTED AND CONTINUE TO DO SO WANT KIBAKI AND CRONIES DEAD!!GO ASK THEM!!! " THEY ARE THE TRUE KIKIUYU'S"

    ReplyDelete
  9. why do you allow some of the articles that encourage hate speech?
    WE are not yet in deep waters ..WE can still change the course of Kenya. But we are the ones who need to first decide on the leadership we want. If we still insist on politicians getting our votes for a quarter kilo of sugar or majani this is what we get..Cheap politicians. And one who will cry to get a red carpet , special vehicle and no delivery of services.Lets stop feeding politicians egos.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Whining about bad governance, corruption and tribalism will not take us anywhere. We have got to change the situation. The power belongs to us. We can bring change, yes we can! It begins with you; are you ready to stand and be counted?I'm sick and tired of people/authors here complaining and describing so well our deplorable Kenyan situation, without offering realistic solutions.

    Can we all please start by thinking and offering practical steps on how we can remove the current leadership (PNU/ODM) and put in power selfless Kenyans who reflect our diverse aspirations as a nation?

    Any other contribution that reminds us how bad things are (and this goes also to the KUMEKUCHA Administrators) is a complete waste of our energies, emotions, intelligence and time.

    Surely, these are resources we can better utilise to come up with tangible and practical steps of removing the current leadership?? - (that is, PNU & ODM - am just clarifying for the idiots here who still view everything through these unfortunate caricatures of political parties).

    ReplyDelete

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