Bad news first. Foremost, Obama is an American, elected to serve American interests. Period. Secondly, American made him who he is, Kenya did not significantly influence him. But even that asides, why on earth would he over-burden himself with a family/homestead/country that generally abandoned him when he needed them most? Would you? Even more convincing, Obama thinks as an American, and that is why the Americans selected him. Now, if you doubt that, consider the abode occupied by Obama’s paternal grandma.

( They say that Luo men take care of their women. Is that really so? So what happened here? Obama sr. was a strange man. How does a true  (Luo)  man do  what he did to his wife and kids?  )

Ok, the good news.

How can Kenya benefit from the Obama administration. Two suggestions:

1. Fire Oginga Ogego.
2. Appoint Auma Obama as ambassador!

1. Fire Oginga Ogego.

Not that he is not effective as an ambassador, but given the history he has with Obama. Ogego had castigated Obama over his interference with Kenyan Affairs.

Hear ye:

“If Kenya is to meet the challenges of the 21st Century and satisfy aspirations of its great people, substantially more progress must be made on the issues of tribalism and corruption,” Senator Obama

And,

While you seem to believe the Government is doing all it can, a number of Kenyan politicians, members of civil society, the media, and many ordinary Kenyans have told me the exact opposite. Many have welcomed my statement as a much-needed call to action,” Senator Obama.

This is the wrong man Kenya should be sending to talk to Obama on her behalf.

2. Appoint Dr. Auma Obama

Once you have fired him, replace Him with ( if you are as smart as i am, you guessed it).  Auma Obama! Stroke of genius.

Why her? Well, they seem to have chemistry when they met for the first time in Chicago.

“There was a lot of apprehension, I had a plan B in case it didn’t work out, but it worked out. We just didn’t stop talking when we met — it was absolutely as if we’d lived together all our lives.” Auma Obama

Still doubting the closeness? He mentioned her by name in his acceptance speech! Who could be better than her?

Bottom line, she will not need to have an appointment to talk to Him. She is family.

Is President Kibaki and PM Raila listening? Now let us see how big a man Kibaki is, and whether Kenyan interest matter more to him or his personal survival interests. ( It really should not be difficult for  him, since he and Obama know each other somewhat. Hopefully he is not afraid of such a choice. )

This is the way to get President Obama’s ear. If not, tell me how best to do this.

Oh, he is so cool?-thinks woman in yellow

There is no doubt that Obama represents a freshness that America is in dire need of, after all the blunders the GOP administration got them into. Like him or hate him, you can not fail to see the promise of a new America in him. But is America ready to embrace Him?

The woman in yellow represents a vast majority of Americans, not so?

Too close for comfort?

Nytimes reporting on the Mugabe/Morgan saga ( Nytimes.com, July 22, 2008). Accordign to the paper:

“Zimbabwe’s feuding political leaders appeared jointly for the first time in years on Monday to sign a preliminary agreement laying out terms for negotiations to wrest their land out of political chaos.

The two men did not shake hands, according to news reports.”

Yet, that picture shows them shaking something (or this is caressing each others hands..)

We talk about the wonders of science, technology and medicine, but fail to mention that the majority of the developing world ( especially in Africa ) have actually been regressing since these wonders began to occur.

Someone will respond with the usual arguments and say,

• “Before modern medicine came to Africa, child mortality rate was very high
• Before modern medicine came to Africa, people died of simple preventable diseases”

Science has worked wonders in the west, no doubt. The opposite has occurred in Africa. Consider the facts:

• Life expectancy continues to drop in Africa while it is rising in the west

I believe the usual culprit ( HIV/AIDS ) is an exemption ( excuse? symptom? ) rather than the reason. For example, Ethiopia and Somalia do not have high rates of infection.

In America, scientist and policy makers are now discussing possibilities using technology to slow the aging process, promising life expectancy of 150+

• Food shortage is increasing in Africa while there is over supply of food in the west

According to APPMA , the 2008 USA expenditure on pets is $43.4B. This includes food, medical care and general well being. There are 71m homes with pets.

In fact, most African children would live better lives if they were to be adopted as pets in the west!

Perhaps this “petting” of African kids will occur “naturally”, and we will be okay with it, the same way we have no problem with Madonna, BraNgelina, others adopting kids from distressed families in Africa

• More Africans die of preventable diseases and newer “western” diseases than before
• More Africans die from unnatural causes ( wars, environmental pollution, etc ) than they did before the introduction of modern technology to Africa
• Generally, affluence increases in the west, while it generally decreases in Africa

Again, consider that:

As life expectancy rises in the west, newer challenges are coming up. Newer resources would be needed to support this “new” population. The world has a fixed supply of resources, so resources have to be moved around somehow. For example, there is need for more medical support personnel to assist the longer living non-working population in the USA, UK, CA and Australia. So far, it seems, the answer has been to draw these well trained people from developing nations to meet this need.

So, science has greatly benefited people in the developed world. The benefits of science, technology and medicine is very minimal for the vast majority of Africans.

Given that A1=Advancement in science, technology and medicine, L1=Better Lifestyle in the West, L2=Better lifestyle in the Africa, H1=Good Health in the west, H2=Good Health in Africa, G1=Increased longevity in the west, G2=Increased longevity in the Africa

I posit that:

A1 (L1)(H1)(G1),

A1 1/(L2)(H2)(G2)

The Constant of proportionality includes such things as negative impacts of ethnicity in Africa, uneven playing field for scramble for limited resources, race and politics and human to human relations between the west and Africa.

It is also quite obvious, that while the practice of science helped reduced poverty in the west, it’s application is increasingly becoming expensive and out of reach for poor people. Science has become very expensive. How then do you buy it, and use it to drive youself out of poverty?

Perhaps it is time Africa stopped believing that the current practice of science is beneficial to her, and found newer ways to practice science, technology and medicine. Ways that worked for her.

But will anyone listen? No, we shall continue to drum and shout about the wonders of science, technology and medicine.

Again, i have of late been very critical of ODM and their leaders and people. I hope this is the last of such posts.

I find it sickening, that ODM and PM Raila would want to hold a homecoming party. Party? What are they celebrating? I do not see anything to celebrate. But then again, there is everything for them to celebrate.

• ODM and has the premier position.
• Many of them folks are ministers ( Oburu, KaJwang’, Otuoma, Ruto).
• They get over $20,000/month tax free to burn around, for doing absolutely nothing.
• They get chance to influence and “eat”..

William Samoei arap Ruto i can excuse. At least he has been behaving in a manner likely to suggest he is busy working, provisioning Billions of shillings to Farmers, in Eldoret North, and the Rift valley, and Nationwide.

How about his Nyanza and Western counterparts? What are they doing? Heard any statement from them that may promise something new for Western/Nyanza? Has Ny’ong’o talked of establishing referral Hospitals in Kisumu or Kakamega to help solve the mega health problems in Nyanza and Western? How about Modern Medical Centers in all major Western Kenya towns?. How about coming up with an infrastucture that enables those supposedly very good ( Luo/Luhya -and other well wishers ) doctors to offer their services to the community every weekend or so?

What new Ideas does Dr. Otuoma have for the Fishing Industry? Dr. Oburu’s constituency is a Fishing community. What plans does he have for his people? Nada. Nada. As long as he can get a cool drink at Ndori, everything is perfect.

Once a Luo/Luhya, always one. Party. Party. Party. Brag to your friends how important you now are. Feelanga important and good. Flaunt your big titles and cars. As for working, they most likely will defend themselves thus:

“Who said i was your employee, you uneducated peasant!”.

“I am a minister who works for the Nation, not just Nyanza“

“Do not expect handouts, you must work. I worked very hard to be where i am.“

Perhaps, but what is the reality on the ground? Yes, one may be a Minister who serves the whole nation, but history has shown us that the Minister’s influence can be used to at least raise the standards of life of “his” people. Surely the Nyanza and the Western people are at the bottom of the pecking order, so no one in his right mind will complain if they see a Minister using his good offices to improve the lives of these poor Kenyans, and Kenya as a whole.

I will cuff my wrists so that i do not write about these people again. If i do, the first reader who informs me within 1 day of the post appearing, will get $10.00 cash**. Promise.

**Small Print: Must be residing in Kenya. ( Of what use is $10 if you are out side of kenya?). Must have a paypal account. Paypal account email address must be the same as the commenter’s email. Beneficiary bears cost of paypal transaction fees. Payer not responsible for Forex fees, if any.Payee may substitute the cash prize for 1 minute of code development in Assembly, Machine language or lower similar lower language. Reader must have previously left a comment on the Blog before, the said comment appearing not less than 5 days from the date of the winning comment. I hold the final authority to decide on the winner. My decision is final and shall not be contested in any court of law on earth or space known to man at the time of writing, the said time being the 9th day of May, in the year of our Lord 2008 .

To the point:

• Luo Thinking: “this is nothing, i will do it”, whether he has considered the problem or not
• Luo Speaking: bravado, bravado, bravado.

Raila singlehandedly solves the IDP problem without support from RV MPs

Listen to Raila on IDP problem: “I will make it my personal responsibility to make sure the IDPs are resettled”.
Now, that would be wonderful thought. But why not keep it to yourself, and think about the root cause of the problem and talk in general terms ( what good is there in making a promise that you may not keep? ). Now consider:

• Who caused the problem that now appears as the IDP problem? Not Raila. It was Kibaki and Moi and Kenyatta, and some pale skinned Queen in a far far away land. For those needing some learning, there is a problem similar to the Kenyan situation. It is known as the Israeli-Palestinian land problem.
• The Kalenjins supported Raila in 2007, hoping he would help them deal with their enemy ( i am not saying the Kikuyu are the real enemies of the Kalenjins, but the Land issue has made them be the visible enemies ). But now, they listen to Raila’s words they think “Is he for us or against us”.
• Whatever good Raila has attempted, Kibaki has thrown chairs into his path. Why does he not concentrate on something else, and let Kibaki deal with the land issue? Surely there is enough work to be done ( ensuring Fishermen of Lake Victoria have a fair market for the produce, helping Western Kenya Farmers benefit from their sugar cane farms, etc) Why do the dirty job for Kibaki? Will he thank you? Will the IDPs thank you ( and vote for you )? Will you still have your support from the Kalenjin?
• Listen to Moi: Perhaps you should heed Moi’s advice, when he said about you and your pledge to tackle the RV land issue: “Ilinishinda. Unafikiri utaweza?”

On the Mungiki Problem, Raila says “Lets talk about your problem. It is economic.“

Your enemies said that you talk too much. On this point, i tend to agree with them. Perhaps “too much talk” was Ok when ODM was campaigning, but know things have changed. Every Kenyan hates the Mungiki ( except perhaps for the unfortunate Mother or Wife whose man is a Mungiki, and some Kikuyus who have not been touched by their evil and still believe the Mungiki is their secret army defending their rights). 99% of Kenyans will not lose sleep if all the Mungiki were rounded up, millstones tied on their necks and dropped in the Indian Ocean.

That notwithstanding, something to think about:

• The Mungiki hate you. To them, you are a boy who is trying to take from them what they have worked hard to achieve.
• The Mungiki problem is not just a “youth without jobs” problem. As one of them said, they run a billion shilling extortion enterprise and what not. Furthermore, youths in other parts of Kenya face worse unemployment than those in Central, but they do not resort to doing the “mungiki” thing.
• You may not fully understand the spirit behind the Mungiki, so you can not solve their problem. Michuki, Karua, Kibaki, Saitoti and Kenyatta understand Mungiki. It is their child. Let them deal with their wayward child.

In just 2 years, Orengo reverses the 100+ years of land injustice

Now listen to Orengo yap

“he will forcibly repossess grabbed land where evidence of graft has been cited.”

“He said all public land allocations will not be done orally and said that even the President will have to put down such requests in writing.”

“He said he will not consult the Attorney-General for advice on such obvious matters, adding that he shall proceed to right historical injustices inflicted upon Kenyans by the previous regimes.”

Phew.( The Bold text is mine.)

Now, listening to Orengo, one would imagine he had the powers of the president of the United States of America. One would imagine the Courts of the land were loyal to him and would do his bidding. One would imagine that all the enemies that he would create would somehow be unable to touch him. He is an intelligent man, no doubt and is just blowing hot air, otherwise, we all know, if he began to effect even just 1% of what he says here, we would soon say of him:

“so much promise, so much vigor. We hardly knew thee”.

Understanding Luospeak

Luos speak talk big. Perhaps other Kenyans would not be too wary of their ways if they realised that Luo speak is much ado about nothing. Among the Luo, there is something known as “Pakruok“, which loosely translated means, “bragging rights”. All those “Agwambo”, “Owad gi Akinyi”, “Tinga”, “Chuma liet Kimak” are just that, pakruok. Hot air. ( The site jaluo dot com even has a section labeled Od Pakruok or “Where people Brag” ).

So, how does the Brag help them? Luos like to “feel-anga good”. Such talk makes them feel good. People say Luos are proud. But i do not agree. Proud of what? Wealth? Achievements (Which?)? They are simply engaging in self promotion. They never are as important as what they would want you to believe. Unfortunately, other Kenyans do not know this, and the Luos themselves are blind to the fact that their attitude comes out as pride, and it scares others away and closes doors to them.

But sometimes, if you engage in too much Pakruok, you may start believing in those things you say about yourself. Let’s just hope that Orengo is not confusing his “paper” powers with real power that solves land problems on the ground. Lets hope that Raila does not believe that he is indeed “Agwambo” and that his PM position has powers that will enable him to set Kenya on the right path. If his PM powers had money and fire-power, he would, but, he has neither.

So, dear Kenyans: Ignore all that attention seeking bravado.

People keep bashing Kalonzo, and make fun of his “miracle” statement.

But, going by past occurances, Kalonzo will be a president in Kenya. Why?

The presidency of Kenya has always gone ( so far ) to those who never sought it. It has always been given, i dare say, by the providence of the good Lord, to whomsoever he chose!

Kenyatta never sought to be president. Not that much. Apparently Jaramogi gave it to him on a silver platter.

Moi never sought to be president. As they say, he was pulled out of a classroom to be a politician and “providence” gave him the presidency.

Kibaki never really sought badly to be president, more so after the accident, but thanks to Raila, he got it.

Now consider those who had a burning desire to be president: Mboya, Njonjo, Karanja, Saitoti, Raila.

Kalonzo’s greatest ambition is not to be president, but rather to be loved by people, but lo and behold, he is just one step away from the presidency of Kenya.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kalonzo shall be president, even if for just 90 days. And after that, Ruto shall arise out of the Rift Valley with great force.

First, i was really elated to know that RSA and Zimbabwe refused to allow such arms, knowing just too well what the “duly elected president” Mugabe would use them for. I am also happy to read that

“South Africa’s dock workers also said they would refuse to unload the shipment, a call backed up by the country’s powerful coalition of trade unions.”

More men like Prof. Wangari maathai needed

Second, i think Professor Wangari did a proud thing by rejecting to be part of the Olympic torch March. China can not change from within to be more “humane”. Only such “shaming” displays might help make them have a little “feeling” when they do things. As the “Genocide Olympics” protest showed, this tactic actually works, as it hits them at a vulnerable point.

Now back to kenya. I do remember that early this year, there was a similar shipment of about 4000 ( or was it 400,000? ) pieces of arms Kenya imported from the same Chinese company. I know the GoK can buy arms from whomever it wants, but hat was not the right time for such goods ( especially since we really did not have a known government at that time ). And, who knows into whose hands the arms fell? Surely, you can not believe the government’s explanation then that those were routine shipment meant for Police force. In any case, having just “lied” about the election, why would they tell the truth about the arms?

But that is all gone now ( and fortunately we do not have investigative reporters to unearth for us wheather the arms ended in Central or the RV ), but what we missed was COTU and an Atwoli urging the dock workers not to handle the cargo then.

Lead Plant in Nakuru

But there is something we can still do. There is something we can force China’s hand in. The secretive Lead smelting plant in Nakuru. Where are the activists NGOs? Where are the Egerton university students going to Nakuru and protesting about this plant?. China has no conscience. China ( just like most most Nations ) does not care that Africans in Nakuru will die of cancer or that their children will be born with deformities. The poor mothers will probably think it was just God’s will.

Think. If some Chinese companies could ship toys containing too much lead to US retailers, can you imagine the number of Chinese-made products with unacceptable levels of lead and other harmful compounds being sold in Kenya’s stores?

Genocide Olympics

But, the chinese care immensely about “honor” and “shame”. If something is going to dishonor them, they will listen to avoid such dishonor coming their way. We in Kenya, who are closer to the Sudan, should join Spielberg and protest at Chinese support for the murderous government of the Sudan. Maybe we should protest at their local ventures ( those road construction companies-we can give the contract to Kirinyaga Construction Co. ), and threaten not to buy “made in China”.

But i doubt we will. Apart from Prof. Wangari, kenya does not have men having any beliefs. Or we won’t, perhaps because the same unbridled desires that drives them, drives all of us.

On a mellower note: Or perhaps it is the time of the Beast of the East, and our protests will not have a lasting effect. Perhaps the Dragon of old has awaken. Woe unto those in his path.

What is the message here?

Several come to mind:

1. We are one, and are all united for one purpose.
   The purpose? To have it good over here, while you survive on less than $1/day,stupid. We are your leaders.
2. In the new government, everyone wins
   • You longing for the Moi days? These are the Moi days.
   • You love Kibaki’s style of doing things? Kazi inaendelea.
   • You believe Kenya needs a leader like Raila? Behold, happy days are ahead.
   • Looking for supernatural help to get Kenya into vision 2035? Kalonzo has a miracle.
3. The only thing that does not change is change itself. Kenya will remain vivo hivyo
4. No businessman need panic. Your man is in power.
   • Made campaign contributions to any of the three? You did not lose. Payday is coming.
   • Made money in the Moi days? You still can
5. And, finally, Moi is telling us: “Look at my Children, all playing together nice and good,. I told ya, i am the professor of politics”