I AM THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

Just overheard a few pals of mine talking as they were going to watch an English Premier League game, they were a little bit drunk so they were letting off what they had in their minds in a more generous manner. They seemed to be late according to what I heard them say.” Omsakhulu hatujachelewa na hata kama tumechelewa hapa ni Afrika…African time bana...” This got me fascinated a little bit, it was 10:50 PM in the night, I supposed the game had kicked of some five minutes earlier. On the other end another friend responded “..by the way hata hivo ndo maana tuko nyuma hivi watu walirauka mapema wakatuacha, na sisi hatuna haja ya kukimbizana nao wacha waende…”.

These talk just hit me hard eking a little bit of emotions, they were just some drank up guys trying to justify why they were late I said to myself. However the small talk I overhead got me asking myself some leading questions, which every African out there should ask him or herself just to help decipher great problems and how best avoid them.

It’s high time we start to believe in what we know is right and hold onto the true virtues that our conscience reckon with. Africa is one big continent that can do better if only and only gets its priorities right. That is taking the initiative to wake up from slumber and doing what ought to be done.

Together We Are Strong

We have some good examples out there Mauritius, Botswana and even of late Zambia, have shown that believing in something that has got sustainable interest of the country at heart is the way to go. Mauritius for instance did not implement the SAPs (structural adjustment programmes) and that to them really paid off. (Check on the Mauritius Success Story ())

The problems we are facing are minute, and just a walk over if the continent gets to realize the true potential it posses. What some of our pioneer leaders once dreamt of will always be the driving force. Realistically maybe it was not possible at the beginning to unite Africa but when we have certain issues that critically cuts across the spectrum of values being upheld by humanity in general we have to come in as a bloc to give a hand. That is the noblest thing that can happen at any given time. 

Africa in general is faced with problems and needs solutions, which can best be solved through its own initiatives. These problems range from drought, diseases, civil unrests and bad governance and the list goes on, just like any other continent. These problems though do not need rocket science geniuses to unravel them.

 However we need to really come to believe in our own initiatives; and above it all, avoid the monster of apathy. It’s the evil that makes us be content with the situation we are living in. The human rights abuses in Darfur, Northern Uganda and Congo and the humanitarian crisis in Somalia are not normal instances. They need to be stopped. We do not need some whistle blowers somewhere to always keep pointing out to the world that something is wrong somewhere so as to finally ring a bell to our scruples. Kony’s case is a good example; thumbs up to the African Union forces though for acting. We should have done that long ago so do other cases out there. At times we need that external eye but our consciousness too should always be on the alert.  

All in all we are to a great extent our own problem, its answer and its finite/ ideal solution.

THE REBIRTH OF KENYA

The Rebirth of Kenya

The new constitution has offered Kenyans, something to hold on to, to cling on the hope that if they press the right butt
ons development levels will always be registered in double digits. At times I have this feeling that if our founding fathers chose the wrong way then this is the right time to ‘rewind the hands of time’ and take the right  path that will lead us (Kenyans) to Canaan. I hope that will come true because opportunities always come once in a life time.

Power in the right hands

With the new constitution in place, power is now finding its place to their rightful owners somehow; at last. Like anything good it will not come in a silver platter but it ought to be taken, yes be taken. This will be possible through holding the representatives elected to serve the people accountable to any sign of degeneracy. The ability to put up measures to check balances, which were previously left to one or two arms of the government have come in handy to salvage the situation that had bumbled. The restrictions that have been put in place now gives the citizens power to recall representatives that are sleeping on their jobs and to vet and give restrictions (i.e. education qualification) to aspirants. Other measures too have been implemented giving the mwananchi an upper hand.

The push

Just like a rock on a hill with colossal potential the Kenyan economy has been given that small push that will soon result into full a swing, given the Kenyan potential, (that if tapped to its fullest) will yield into superb outcomes. The push began a long time but the frame work was yielded when the third Kenyan president got into power steering up key and vital mechanisms that saw the country come back again to the path it once rode on, a path were the economy grew in an amicable manner.

 A blueprint

A frame work on vital areas were identified and given priorities, these areas include the development of infrastructures especially road, rail, water and air combined to enable trade and to ease human mobility to and out of the country and also that of her neighbors.

Infrastructure

The construction of road networks all over Kenya is a good example and a good factor to development in a holistic manner. A plan to open up (already tendered) a port in Lamu to ease the congestion currently experienced on the port of Mombasa is another superb move on the right direction. A ground breaking of the mega project sums it all. The electric railway line that will magnificently connect Kenya to the rest of Africa is underway. The rail will start from Lamu to Cameroon, via Juba (South Sudan) and Ndjamena (Chad) and finally to Duala Cameroon. Actually it is considered the biggest development investment in Africa, its results just as the investment tag price suggests will be ample in all aspects!

Human Resource

Kenya has one of the finest human resources that hold a very important role to the country and to her neighbors. The industrious nature of Kenyans can be spotted all over the globe and around East Africa is where they have manifested their enterprising activities.

The fact that some of her neighbors are in need of skilled human due to civil unrests that have sadly pinned them down for long, gives Kenyans an upper hand to play the big brothers role in trying to salvage the situation via providing its human resource. Southern Sudan and the yet to stabilize Somalia are some of the key beneficiaries; just to mention a few. That is how interdependence can prove to be the ultimate move if strings are pulled right.  

County governments

A new system of management that comes with the new constitution is county governances. This system will delegate some of the duties previously held by the central government to the county governments. This will mean a lot, both economically and politically. Each county will therefore have to be accountable for what is going on both economically and politically as leadership will then be right at the door of the citizens. With upright mechanisms accountability and integrity can be easily upheld hence setting on track development.

Some of the vital areas where the county governments will be manning are the agriculture, county health services, trade development and regulation and also the county planning and development (which incorporates statistics, housing, land survey and electricity and gas reticulation)

Another key aspect of county governments is that it will be a good avenue to bring about resource redistribution hence incorporating the previously lagging behind areas into the bigger dream and also importantly tapping into new avenues of investments and opening up to them: Especially the upper side of the country.

Finally

Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.  ~Hugh Allen. Just as Allen foresaw Kenya too should grab an any opportunities whether big or small to achieve her dream.

  

KENYA'S CIVIL SOCIETY

The civil society in Kenya

Civil society

A civil society is simply an arena outside the family, the state and the market where people associate to advance common interest. It is voluntary to join a civil society and it is usually free from the state backed structures.

The civil society is a key component of a society that enables its proper functioning. A society without a civil society is definitely in a comprising situation to all kinds of vices and hence it’s either chaotic or ‘perfect’, which in reality is not true.

The Kenyan civil society has come a long way, struggling with all the ills in the society to take shape and stand on its feet, to be a liberator and a championer of people rights; dealing with matters relating to human rights and good governance.

One of Kenyans key moments credited to the efforts of the civil society is during the multi-party campaigns of the 1990s where the civil society with the aid of international community the (international financial institutions), forced the KANU regime of the then hardliner president Daniel arap Moi and his cronies to yield to multi-partism. This was achieved by the repealing of the constitution Section 2A, hence giving Kenya a chance to become a multi-party state.

Geog Hegel

Geog Hegel the influential critical thinker and mentor to Karl Marx stated in his law of interpretation said that, ‘Things which oppose and compete each other come to resemble each other’. This is the situation that the Kenyan civil society and its antagonist are now at or are in the process of being. It is a big problem considering the pertinent roles the civil society plays in the society.

With the corruption of civil society by the strong external forces, mainly the government and the influential business community, the civil society becomes vulnerable and cannot help but dance to the tune of these strong armed ‘gangs’. This leaves the citizens vulnerable like sheep in a jungle wandering without its shepherd. With this problem in hand all kinds of social ills in the society are inevitable, ranging from poor governance, lack of transparency and accountability by the government and its employees. This is a cancer that slowly encroaches, all sectors of the government and may bring a country to its knees if not curbed early and given the seriousness it ought to be given.

Co-option

Majority of the Kenyans who were once in the civil society, for instance those who fought for the amendment of the Kenyan constitution (Lancaster) popularly known as the ‘second liberators’ are now serving in political positions or are either running big businesses. Just as Hegel had fore seen majority of those who were vocal during their time on what should be done are now perpetrators of those ills. Their version of preaching water were changed to wine when they took their first step on the corridor of power or when their ‘business’ ventures made their first unreasonable profits.

Credits

The Kenya civil society is credited though for its endless and fearless effort towards achieving the Kenyan dream ;of a prosperous country where the interest of all are placed before the interest of any mortals, and a prosperous Kenya were opportunities and justice are served to all in equal measure and proportions. The likes of Timothy Njoya, Martha Karua, Raila Odinga, Martin Shikuku, The late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, Paul Muite, Koigi Wamwere and Gitobu Imanyara just to mention a few who without their relentless effort Kenya’s history would be different today.

A new crop

Just as Leonardo Da Vinci once said ‘He who does not punish evil commands it to be done’: A new crop of individuals need to come out, bold in spirit and without fear to fight for what has eluded Kenyans for long, and that is justice. Resources have been embezzled and squandered by those who are in control of the means of violence (those in government) and who those who ran domestic politics like their own personal affairs.

In quest for justice

Kenyans have long suffered from mega scandals and corruption cases, regime after regimes and it’s high time those unscrupulous means of earning money be stopped and those who perpetrated them be brought to book, just as Zambia has managed or is trying to bring former heads of states and individuals who earned money through unlawful means to face the wheels of justice so do Kenya and any country out there that wants to build a firm foundation of their state via serving of justice equally and via upholding the rule of law, so as to achieve the dream.

The new constitution has provided a chance to Kenya to awaken, dust off all the dirt of their past and wash its linen once again. The process though will be hard and therefore needs to be approached with open mindedness by all.

The focus

To conclude the civil society should also not forget their key function;

-Protecting the civilians from the state’s political powers &

-Protecting the civilians from the economic power of money.

v  With these in place Kenya will be able to come round and regain its initial status and momentum economically and development wise and hence have its decent piece of cake in the competitive international arena.