SOUNDS GOOD AND CONVINCING, DOESN"T IT??

Teacher: "Why didn't you Study?"

Student: "Madam, a year has 365 days for you to study. After taking 52 Sundays, there are only 313 days left. There are 50 days in the summer that's way too hot to work, so there are 263 days left. We sleep 8 hours a day, in a year that counts up to 122 days so now we're left with 144 days. If we fooled around for 1hour a day, 15 days are gone, so we're left with 126 days. We spend 2 hour for eating each day,30 days are used in these way in a year and we are left with 96 days in our year. We spend 1 hour speaking to friends and family, that takes 15 more days and we're left with 81 days. Exams and test takes up to at least 35 days in your year; therefore you are only left with 46 days. Taking off approximately 40 days of holidays you are left with 6 days. Say you are sick for a minimum of 3 days; you’re left with 3 days to study. Let’s say you miss class for only 2 days....you're left with 1 day. But that day is your birthday, you can’t study on your birthday!.....That's why I didn't study.

WILL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES BE EFFECTIVE IN A CROWDED FIELD?

The Kenya Presidential Debates that are being organized by the media and set to kick off on November 26^th  may be one of the ways of interrogating how our presidential aspirants plan to implement their various manifestos if elected into office. We are in the era where we no longer need to be hoodwinked by colorful manifestos and blue prints which promise us heaven on earth without spelling out real roadmaps and means to achieve the same.

The core objectives of such debates are;

    -      to inform and involve voters in the political process

    -      to promote an issue based culture of political dialogue

    -      to shape the electorate to vote character and vision

The US presidential and vice presidential debates date back to the 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The Commission on Presidential Debates oversees this process and ensures that debates, as a permanent part of every general election, provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners. Its primary purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the United States presidential and vice presidential candidates and to undertake research and educational activities relating to the debates.

It is a good thing that Kenya has finally decided to embrace this culture of debates. However it is quite a concern that we may not exhaustively engage the aspirants on the issues of national concern due to two issues:

1.      We do not have an incredible national debating commission or institute to undertake research and highlight areas of concern by the electorate and compile a list of debate questions.

2.      Our field of aspirants is so overcrowded that if it remains so then I am afraid the debates will not be effective and therefore will not meet their intended objectives. In short they will only be a mere parade of hopefuls.

(Currently in the race are Raila Odinga,  Uhuru Kenyatta,  Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka, William Ruto, Charity Ngilu, Eugine Wamalwa and Moses Wetangula. Others are MPs Martha Karua , Peter Kenneth, Mutava Musyimi, and former Permanent Secretary Prof James Ole Kiyiapi.)

MY OLDEN DAY MASHUJAAS

I was born in Marsabit town where my dad used to work as a primary school teacher. However to this day I have no memories of that place as I fell victim of circumstances when my father had to be transferred back home to the greater Kakamega District. That sent us back to our rural home at Maseno in Emukhuya village. My early life in this hilly village is one full of memories about the good and bad times and the people who shaped me into what I am today.

When I look back in time I see a life and a people totally different from the situation now. Those were the days when every village man meant well for each other and we had such a glue that binded us in solid brotherhood making village life the in thing. I remember all town folks would make arrangements for their families to travel to their upcountry homes during school holidays. Life was very much communal and everyone in the village was either a brother/sister, father/mother, uncle/aunt, son/daughter or niece/nephew. Our close nit way of life knew nothing like cousin as they were considered brothers or sisters. Villagers would suspend all their work to come together and assist each other during functions and also when one had to do major jobs like construction of houses etc.

I appreciate all the people who did whatever they had to do to make me what I am now.

I have a lot of respect for fellow countrymen and I regard every statesman as a hero/heroine in their own right. However for those of you who happened to play apart in my life I salute you and wish you A HAPPY MASHUJAA DAY.

A lot of names cross my mind when I think of my olden days in the village that I can not mention all in this post. However I will do a few:

THE STATELY MZEE OLENDO

This old man was a true statesman who used to tell us the history of the long struggle for our independence and how he had played a part in the construction of the post colonial Nairobi. He never bothered from where to tell us his account of how he participated in the fight for our independence. Most of the time he could do it by the road side and we loved it.

During public holidays Olendo used to dress in ceremonial attires of our national colours. He never stopped envisioning a land full of plenty and in which every Kenyan would live in peace and harmony.

FUTI MOJA THE WAG

He came from a neighboring village. He was so short and thus the name Futi moja or simply Futi. This man never earned the respect of his fellow villagers and as a result he spent most of the time in our village. He made some close friends, notably Kiporo and Olambo. The trio are long dead but their memories linger on.

The trio of Futi, Kiporo and Olambo were a sight to behold, especially among the children. They were very entertaining and carried with them a box guitar, esiriri and shakers with which they could entertain crowds by the road side or in functions. Of the three, this man Futi was the binding glue as the other two could not hold together soon after his demise.

I have always remembered this man with some of the tunes he sang to us like the one below

Ndekombanga khwiche khwichumbane;                     (I wish that we could be able to grip each other;

Amenjele kayie khutekhe esiturungi;                           Githeri is ready so we can cook tea; After that

Khwakhamala makhwesabe amakhono;                      then we wash our hands; So as to eat ugali with

Makhulachile obusuma neinyama.                               meat.)

Eh Futi olindanga sii?                                                 (Eh Futi what are you waiting for? I am waiting

Nindaga indeche, indeche yichanga.                           for a plane which is coming. We want to fly away.)

Khulenya okhupulukha.

Eeeeh…. Khumekanenge lipwoni;                               (Eeeeh…. We should always share the potato; 

Khuli bulala mama, omwoyo nekarata bane…….        We are together mama; The heart….)

  

And they could sing on and on. (don't mind the translation, I am not a master like Mwalimu Bosco)

These tunes which he seemed to compose with a lot of ease became so famous that women and children could not resist the urge of singing along as the trio entertained.

That aside, it was not very clear whether Futi owned any land or whether he had any children. I remember one day as we took an alternative route to the market, my friend Tambo showed me a tiny triangular piece of land that was believed to be his possession. It was so absurd to own such a tiny piece of land – one would better remain landless, or so we thought. Nevertheless he indeed remains in our memories.

KAJOJI

Kajoji or George as we later came to know him was two years my senior. He liked the company of junior boys (mostly my age mates) because he could control everything we did. He used to dictate our  movement and the type of games we played. He could command me and my friends – Magoyogoyo, Stiaka, Tambo and some that I cannot remember – to fight each other, in turns as the rest cheered.

He commanded everything including the time he thought was right for each and every game which included bantas, etiolo(spintop), lisondo(some kind of ball game played without one’s bottoms parting with the ground), safari rally, football etc.

He was so cheeky that he would send us to peoples’ farms to uproot ebirombela(sweet potato remnants after harvesting just as they begin to propagate), after which he would collect all of them and decide how to dish out to us.

Kajoji would later go to live with his aunt and from that time we have never seen each other again. Nevertheless I still remember him and the things he made us do in those days.

ANGATIA

The late Angatia, peace be upon his soul, was a cobbler by profession.

For a long time this elderly man (or should I say he appeared old to us by then) was the only cobbler in our shopping center, Emabungo. He was by all fair standards very rude and arrogant to his customers. He cared less about the aesthetic value of his finished products and this made us not to like his work. For instance he would drive long tacks in the soles of our shoes that would later start piercing our feet after some time of usage.

However he was so politically motivated that he usually attracted his fellow male friends who would read, analyze and debate current affairs in the dailies provided by him.

Due to this none of our parents would sent us to any other cobbler when our shoes had to be mended. In fact our fathers used to deliberately send us without money as they would settle these bills later as they congregated around him to politic. One would be forgiven to think that the value extracted from the newspapers surpassed the cost of his shoe repairs by far.

Though those were the strict days of KANU single party politics, Angatia seemed to belong to some kind of opposition for as long as we knew him.

He came from several villages away to ply his trade in our shopping center. He would later be pushed out of his trade by old age related ailments before we would hear of his demise much much later.

CHINJUNE

Injune (singular) in my language is a guy who pinches children’s ears. We had two chinjunes in record,one female and the other one was male.

The male injune used to be so swift that many a times we children would just find ourselves in his hands as he enjoyed doing what he used to do best.

The female injune on the other hand always carried a basket full of fruits that she sold at the market. She could roll down the slopes of Maseno Hills on her way to the market and then climb back again in the evening. Unlike the male injune, she always tricked us by pretending to offer us a banana and any of the kids would go for the offer at their own peril. She would get hold of us in a tight grip and start pinching our ears. One funny thing is that we never learned her tricks as this would repeat again and again.

This ear pinching business was like a possession to the two chinjunes. I have always wondered why they did not pass it down to their children.

OF GIRLS AND KALONGOLONGO

There were several girls with whom we played kalongolongo as they would complement the roles of mothers, aunties and sisters in our play group. Notably in my peer group we had Bebi, Nora, Melisa, Kusa and Hadija. We played together harmoniously but occasionally we could also fight each other. I vividly remember how one day Nora and Hadija sweet-talked me into dismantling the whole sleeve of my sweater so as to get thread and learn crocheting. That day I saw real fire at home.

There was also Dorica, Kajoji’s sister who was about three years my senior but taught us a lot of things and would more often than not protect us from the cruel hands of his naughty brother.

During all these kalongolongos, the common denominator was the endeavor on our part to enact the harmonious way of living demonstrated in our families then.

There are many other individuals and groups of individuals who impacted on me especially through schooling and whose various contribution I hold dear and spare for another day.

All in all I wish to depart from all that and state my appreciation to all those who have done many things for the good of our country and fellow countrymen by asking us not to tire doing all that good. I ask all of us to identify such people and just tell them THANK YOU as we mark Mashujaa Day.

IF WE BELIEVE IN OURSELVES AND BELIEVE IN EACH OTHER FOR COMMON GOOD THEN OUR VARIOUS LITTLE DEEDS WILL COLLECTIVELY MAKE OUR COUNTRY BE THE BEST TO LIVE IN.  JUST LIKE MY VILLAGE WAS THE BEST TO LIVE IN THEN.

I PRAY FOR PLENTY TO ABOUND WITHIN OUR BODERS AND FOR US TO RESTORE BACK THE PEACE, LOVE AND HARMONY OF OUR FORE FATHERS.

GOD BLESS US AND GOD BLESS KENYA.

HAPPY MASHUJAA DAY TO ALL

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THINGS THAT I NEVER LEARNT

      

In my entire life I have learnt, discovered and done a lot of things. I have met a lot of people, gone places and made friends. I appreciate that in life one gains a lot as dictated by the environment. For example we went to school and learnt a lot of things – how to read and write, how to count numbers, art and music, and also many other complex things like calculus, laplace transforms and Fourier series. This was all in the name of education.

Then came in a whole new angle in the name of technology. We were introduced to the computers, mobile telephony and the dotcom era. We were told that ICT, or simply put new technology, is the way to do business. We went to industry and got firsthand experience of all this as we shaped our skills in the process. We also learnt new habits and interacted with different cultures.

Back in the day we were also taught to cook, till the farm and plant crops. We learnt how to look after livestock, and care for our younger siblings. We learnt sheng and Kiswahili alongside vernacular languages and became fluent in it with time. We played many games in the hood and made friends from neighboring hoods. These were the so called extra-curricular or informal education. It helped us discover ourselves and shape our individual character to become who we are now.

In short I have learnt many things and the list is endless. I have impacted upon others and them upon me.

However there are a few things that I never learnt or got used to in life. I remember I used to have problems with my mother regarding not making my bed first thing in the morning – that has not changed. I still walk out of my bed and start doing other things without caring to make it. I have problems up to now remembering that one uses a nail cutter to cut their nails and not biting them off. I also don’t have a liking for brooms and mops. I have never known how to tie my tie or cook a meal of chapatti the same way even if I try it one hundred times.

There are a couple of two other not very desirable habits that I cannot mention here and which have refused to go away no matter what.

From my honest point of view I can simply say that this is just who I am. I believe all of us have something to tell about who they are.

ARE HUMAN BEINGS SOCIAL BEINGS?

HUMAN BEINGS ARE SOCIAL BEINGS……
Yes indeed human beings are social beings but only to the extent that they have satisfied their greed and individual egos. In fact one would argue that humans are largely a bunch of species with selfish interests. Sample this: why are guys fighting in the Tana delta? Over what and for who? Why have most modern day families turned largely nuclear as opposed to the earlier extended family ideologies? How many of us trust that our neighbors have our best interest at heart? Or better still, if we had only one woman on earth n the rest of us were men (or vice versa), what would happen? Would we still be positively social to one another? This kind of scenario would indicate exactly how social we are. They say God is love, why? Because human beings posses hate and negative energy, without which no dictionary would have the word love as we would know no other – Why can’t we be like God so that love would be the minimum standard and we would not have any other words to explain different types of love or lack of it? These negative values are always in a state of latency as long as we have adequate resources and enough for our own self convenience and for our immediate family. Did I just say immediate? – Aren’t we just one family? Does God the creator look at humanity as different families? If we went back to the way God intended us to be – Love one another as one family then we would even not crave for heaven for the earth in its present form would become paradise. If there was no hate would we have another word to describe God? May be no. Because we would be like Him and Him like us, as intended from the beginning where He says He indeed made us in His own image. Yes IMAGE. Do we as humanity have image?!!!!! Does this script make sense even to myself?!!