Open Letter To President Uhuru Kenyatta

Dear Mr. President,

Thank you for your great speeches that have given comfort and hope to many Kenyans during this trying time. I would also like to pass my condolences on the loss of your Nephew and his fiance, the loss of your/our country men and women. It is unfortunate that Kenya has to go through such a horrific tragedy. It has been said and it looks like there was a failure in the part of the government security apparatus resulting in the tragedy.

I will not get into the past but will put a few pointers for the post tragedy. Mr. President, I have never been a fan of yours and I doubt if that will change any time soon but there is a possibility that you could. I will start with the main message that I got from your speech. Many liked your speech and I must say that I was looking for every opportunity to dig holes into it but I was not successful. The only thing left for me after trying my best was to rush to a conclusion that it was all rhetoric and no action. So Mr. President, you have a chance to win me over and if you do, so will you win over many more Kenyans who do not care for you.

The main message that I got from you is that “WE ARE ONE.” My understanding of this is that, even though we have 42 tribes in Kenya, we are all Kenyans and belong to one Kenyan family. I hope I got the message right Mr. President. Your predecessor President Mwai Kibaki was a good man, I wouldn’t say I was a fan of his but I respected him as an elder. The problem I had with him was that he demonstrated a negative attitude towards the message “WE ARE ONE.” He may have said the words but his actions demonstrated otherwise and it is what I’d like for you to fix.

It was whispered to me that you will be chairing a National Security Council meeting today. Out of curiosity, I looked up who would be attending the meeting and my list came up as follows Uhuru Kenyatta, Githu Muigai, Mutea Iringo, Thuita Mwangi, Ndegwa Muhoro, Micheal Gichangi and David Kimaiyo. I know when you sit in that meeting, something will strike you about your “WE ARE ONE” message. You have spoken and declared that “WE ARE ONE.” From the National Security Council meeting that you had, I feel left out of the equation and so do many other Kenyans. The “WE ARE ONE.” message gets distorted and takes on a different meaning that I’m sure is not what you meant in your great speech.

The Westgate tragedy brought out the true Kenyan spirit Mr. President. You managed to capture that spirit in your speech. Can you capture that spirit in your actions? Ordinary Kenyans showed the world that “WE ARE ONE” by their actions and with their blood. Many lost blood and in their moment of need, many more lined up to share blood with those who needed it. A true “WE ARE ONE.” action. The ball is now in your court Mr. President, will you emulate them? Normally leaders provide the direction but this time Mr. President, the ordinary citizens have provided you with a direction to follow. You said “WE ARE ONE.” in words but Kenyans have signed a covenant and symbolized through their blood that “WE ARE ONE.” It is time for you to show commitment to this covenant by your actions. If you do Mr. President, you shall have won me and many Kenyans over. Kenyans await!!!!!

In Solidarity,

Eric Otiende

Kenya’s Parliament Must Apologize And Accept Responsibility………

   

 In June parliament approved the nomination of  Joseph ole Lenku as cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government. Dagorreti North MP Simba Arati however opposed the Motion arguing that Lenku was not qualified for the job.  “We cannot have a conductor jumping onto a pilot seat. We will have failed completely,” he explained. Now Parliament is furious claiming laxity in what is genuinely incompetence. They placed a man with experience in arranging relaxation to head a government department needing round the clock vigilance. Simba Arati has been vindicated by his peers. They nominated an unqualified person and now the result is a devastation to the country. Not to be left off the hook is President Uhuru Kenyatta. He nominated Lenku knowing very well that the closest Lenku had been to Internal State functions and disaster management was hiring watchmen to guard sleeping hotel guests. Yes we are one but on this one it is a one Jubilee mess that they need to accept and this time, Kenyans should not move on. They need to demand for the punishment of those responsible. Since the start of the tragedy, the President has made some very good speeches just like he did when nominating Mr Lenku. My personal opinion is that where as a good speech is soothing and may provide comfort, it is temporary and deceiving. If the President had true remorse and the interest of the country at heart, he would be showing it rather than telling us. The action I would expect from him would be to immediately apologize to Kenyans for poor judgement and to replace Mr Lenku. I see why this would be difficult for Uhuru. He himself was missing in action for over 10 hours, most likely having been given a comfortable bed by Mr Lenku where he felt very safe and very secure thus the trust in Lenku. 

    Kenyans need to see this government for exactly what it is and the appointment of Mr Lenku sheds a lot of light on it. This is a government that from the beginning wanted to go to sleep. They hired the most experienced lodging manager to make sure that they slept in comfort and it is telling less than three months after the culprit took office. We now have many Kenyans dead and property lost. The most amazing word that came from this individual, in a press conference televised to the whole world was the word “Mattress”. Surely, this man walks, sleeps and feeds on relaxation as a profession and a life style. Can someone please tell me how one could confuse Mr Lenku for a Internal State functions and disaster management professional? 

Propaganda Will Not Fly In Court And Ruto Recognizes The Fact

Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto and his Co-accused Joshua arap Sang took their places in the courtroom before the judges arrived both appearing relaxed and in good moods. Ruto and Sang are charged with orchestrating  the post-election violence that rocked Kenya in 2007/2008. The trials have now officially begun.

The prosecution took its turn to present their opening statement in which they portrayed the alleged crimes as not just random and spontaneous acts of brutality but as a carefully planned and executed plan of violence with Ruto’s ultimate goal being to seize political power for himself and his party in the event they could not do so via the ballot box.

What is important in these proceedings is the fact that propaganda time is over and time to deal with facts has finally arrived. It should be pointed out that Ruto’s  lawyers had prior to the trials warmed up to the ODM brass and looking at the teams opening statement, it looks like they have settled on throwing away the propaganda that we heard on the campaign trail and are sticking to the facts as they stand. I think with this new strategy, Ruto is bound to clear his name. One thing about a court room is that propaganda doesn’t fly. It is the place where facts overwhelm feelings and opinions. It is interesting that after blaming Raila Odinga for his woes at the Hague, Ruto has publicly brought Raila as his first witness via video. It was powerful to have the court room watch Raila Odinga’s call for peaceful Mass Action de-banking the widespread propaganda that ODM had called for Violence.

It now appears that the way out for Ruto would be to embrace his former party and denounce his political speeches from the last two years. Ruto now has to embrace the truth and clear his former party and boss from the plethora of propaganda that he and his new detractors TNA spewed. It is time for Ruto to accept that PEV in 2008 was spontaneous and he is innocent. It is not time for him to antagonize ODM on the contrary, it is time for him to call out PNU. It will now be evidently clear that unlike what was said on the campaign trail, the real responsibility for Ruto landing in ICC is not ODM but PNU. His lawyers will have to bring out the facts and point at the real enemies of Ruto. It will no longer be a tirade towards ODM but an embrace of ODM. 

Finally some truth will be shed and hopefully, the truth will set Ruto free. Looking at Ruto in court, one could sense a man who was getting comfortable with himself, the truth was beginning to come out and his soul was opening up. The time for reckoning is here. He has finally embraced Henry Kosgey’s line of defense. PEV were spontaneous acts and ODM did not call for violence but peaceful mass action. If Ruto uses this approach as a line of defense, then I do not see how he gets convicted. The trials have begun, let us see how they develop and come to an end. 

 

Consequences Of A Cheated Leadership!

 

Elections came, passed and now the reality is here for us to live with the consequences. Before the elections, there were calls for Kenyans as a nation to avoid placing Indicted criminals as their leaders and most heeded the call. However, there were those whose interest surpassed those of Kenyans and unfortunately, they had their way. Calls of accept and move on drowned the calls for justice and democracy and in the silent coup Kenyans got a leadership that they have learnt to accept. 

    Many Kenyans are now settled to a leadership that they do not trust, agree with or know where they are going. The one thing that is clear to all Kenyans is the fact that the leadership that they have is not about leading Kenya and Kenyans to prosperity but a leadership engaged in self interest and with a myopic goal of placing individual interests before those of the populace.

    So where is Kenya today? Let us first highlight the Sh163 billion budget deficit. How will this be financed? So many uninformed players on social media and in Kenya’s social circles have argued that Kenya is a sovereign state and should not heed the West. I would like to agree with their argument but before I do that , I would like to highlight a few factors. Over the years since independence, Kenya has had the privilege of being the most stable and consistent partner to the West in East Africa. This resulted in sustain aid and promotion of trade in the interest of Kenya’s strategic position and friendly engagement. For decades, the West has financed Kenya’s deficits, given humanitarian aid, trained Kenya’s defense forces, provided educational aid, trained professionals, allowed in immigrants, shared cultural experiences etc. The list is just too long. The only gap was the 90’s where the West held back due to President Moi’s abuse, corruption and disregard for democracy and humanity. Kenya quickly descended into a tailspin to where the Kenyan currency went from trading at $1 for Ksh 16 to $1 for Ksh 48 and counting. This was bad economically but internationally, Kenya was still held in high esteem as a country with great people and a very welcoming culture. Fast forward to 2013 and Kenyans are now grouped into a populace of criminality that even Nigeria with its notorious criminality is yet to see. Just the other day, I had to fight off a Somali(i repeat, a somali) who insisted that Kenya is led by criminals. Very sad… But that is besides the point. Britain has now chosen Somali over Kenya and do not be fooled. When Cameron Chose to take pictures with Hassan Sheikh Mohamed and non with Uhuru Kenyatta, he was sending a strong statement to the world that Uhuru is a persona non grata. The invitation to Britain was to the people of Kenya but the contact person was unwelcome, thus the famous phrase “ESSENTIAL CONTACT.” So now with a budget deficit, Where will Uhuru find the money to offset the deficit? 

     Many have talked about looking East, right! I wish it was that easy but even if it was, WHY put all your eggs in one basket? The naive leadership of Uhuruto have thrown all the bargaining latitude that they had with the East to where now the East are nothing but pedestrian negotiators. They do not have to do any opposition research cos Uhuruto have no place else to go but East and If they look West, they face a cautious engagement as opposed to a willing friend. How is that for leadership. Kenyans, How do you get a good deal from a position of disadvantage? BTW, looking East was a Oginga Odinga strategy, remember Russia Hospital in Kisumu? Question of the week. How does Kenya finance its budget deficit?

   Continues Next Week………..

Ruto

In 2008 ODM under the leadership of Raila Odinga found itself in a forced marriage with PNU in forming a coalition government after the stolen 2007 elections. PNU a predominantly Kikuyu party and ODM a party with a national outlook and following agreed to form a coalition government on a 50/50 power sharing formula, an agreement that would eventually fail to see the light of day as PNU only recognized the agreement on paper but never in practice.

Now Ruto is in a predicament where it is understood that the pre-election agreement that he signed with Uhuru seems to have been thrown out the window and he is unhappy with where they have come to. Just for the record, the agreement was that they would get into a marriage forming Jubilee with each party(URP and TNA) sharing power on a 50/50 basis.

Did Ruto see this coming? Yes, the writing was on the wall and for some reason or the other, Ruto chose to ignore it but just incase he did not see it, I would like to run him through some history to allow him to see how complex his predicament is and allow him to see that he is not unique to history.

There is a swahili saying “Mtoto wa Nyoka ni Nyoka” meaning, the offspring of a snake is a snake. One has to understand the nature of a person, community or culture to really make good decisions in dealing with the same. Ruto is in a position where he is dealing with Uhuru, the son of Jomo Kenyatta who happens to be a Kikuyu and has his strongest political capital in the Kikuyu community. So it is safe to say that an agreement with Uhuru will bring along with it Jomo Kenyatta, his communities interests and most important culture. Unfortunately but truth be told, Jomo Kenyatta and the community have never known an agreement that they ever kept dating far back to the 1800’s. It is also said that a seed does not fall far away from the tree.

In the struggle for Independence revolved on issues of Land and Land Rights.

The Lancaster House deliberation was land and land rights. Indeed the Lancaster participants debated on how they were going to divide the regained land. The Kalenjins, Maasai and Mijikenda put up a strong case for their land in Rift valley and coast region. It was agreed in the 1961 and 1962 deliberations that all British grabbed land were to revert back to the local communities. Indeed this was promised by Mzee Kenyatta himself on 5th February 1962 upon arrival from Lancaster. He said

“Katika Katiba Mpya, Serikali Yenu imeahidi kwamba kila sehemu ya nchi kama ni ya Maasai, itakaa kama ilivyo, ikitawaliwa na Maasai wenyewe…. Kama ya Wanandi, wanandi watatawala nchi yao, hiyo ni kusema ardi yao. Hakuna mtu kutoka inje kwenda kunyakua mali yao. Mashamba yao ni shauri yao kujua watafanya nini nayo” 

We all know what happened after independence. Immediately after independence,  former home guards from Central Kenya consolidated land in central province and displaced their own people into the Rift Valley. For example they transferred part of Rift Valley into Central Province and named it Nyandarua district, 650,000 acres of Nandi Land was transferred to Luo Nyanza, 850,000 acres of Nandi and Koony land was hived off and annexed to Western Province to form part of Bungoma, other thousands of acres were transferred from Kipsigis land to Kisii Nyanza (from Keroka to Chebilat). This was a shock to the Kalenjin community because Kenyatta negated his earlier promise of 1962.

We have been told of “willing buyer, willing seller” but even in cases where there were purchases, there were unfair practices. A bitter example of how the Kalenjins was denied their land right involved the RHONDA FARM in Nakuru. The Kalenjin Enterprise had bought the land, but PC Mathenge engineered its grabbing and was later subdivided among the GEMA members called Mwarigi. No money was refunded to the Kalenjin enterprises. Kalenjins also negotiated to buy NGATA FARM LTD led by Kibowen Arap Komen who paid Kshs 4million, but they were denied to buy the entire farm by PC Mathenge. He gave part of the land to GEMA people.

In 1974 Hon Eric Bomet and Mzee Jonah Arap Cheptoo negotiated to buy MAKUTANO FARM from Mr. PEARCSON (Maji Mazuri), but the DC Baringo Mr. A N N Ndoro ordered the arrest of the two who were locked up at Eldama Ravine. The land was later sold to GEMA people IGURE, hence IGURE FARM. Other areas included a farm in lower Subukia, Olmomoi. After the Kalenjins had bought the land, they moved in only for them to be arrested together with the initiates (TARUSIEK) who were still recovering. They were brought to Nakuru court and ordered to be jailed. Their money was never refunded.

As if this was not enough in 1970 Mzee Kenyatta came to Nakuru, Mob area (originally kuresoi land of the kipsigis and ogiek before British invasion) and distributed 17 former white settler farms to GEMA people who gave their tribal name, thereby erasing its true origin. The 17 farms were namely: Kiambereria, Kiambu, Ngema, Moto, Nyakinyua, Kererekamia, Kamwaura, Poron, Mushorwe, Kapkimani, Kathirika, Kimkasa, Sitoito, Tamnyota, Mutukanio, Matunda and Marwa.

Why do I bring these land issues up? Well, we can clearly see that Kenyatta never kept his agreement with the freedom fighters and who else would one think Kenyatta would honor his promises to? Uhuru is not only held by the forces that his father created but also by what seems to be a culture of unkept promises by his community.

 

Koigi Wa Wamere: Voters Have No Moral Authority To Criticize Greedy Leaders They Created.

 

 

By: Hon. Koigi Wa Wamere

Since Parliamet opened, voters and media have complained against salaries of MPs, governors and ward reps being doubled or tripled in defiance of Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s recommendations.

For demanding higher salaries when ordinary people have hardly one meal a day, leaders are rightly being accused of greed and insensitivity.

On reduction of salaries, we want to be on the same side with the poor, the weak and the downtrodden but many times people of lower classes are their own worst enemies.

But to get to Parliament and raise their salaries, leaders did not shoot their way there in coup d’etat. They were elected by voters in ‘free, fair and transparent elections.’ If voters elected these greedy leaders knowingly, they have only themselves to blame.

Worse, if voters elected these greedy leaders after taking their bribes, they have no moral right to condemn them for raising their salaries.

In case it is not clear, voters create greedy leaders by freely voting for them. As for the greedy nature of leaders, creatures cannot be more to blame than their creators.

Tragically, like apes, people laugh at the red backside of others but never their own. They condemn corruption of leaders but cheer their own for what they wouldn’t have without it.

Hypocritically, voters who complain against the greed of leaders forget they demanded money before they could vote. For their anger against the greed of leaders, Jesus would tell them to remove the log in their eyes before pointing at the speck in the eyes of others.

If voters elected ogres who lead and eat them, why do they forget they went to bed with them voluntarily and blame themselves for being eaten?

When voters elect thieves to lead them, can they be morally right to accuse “their thieves” for greed? If hyenas eat sheep they are given to take to the pastures, can they be accused of greed?

When voters were asked by the retired President Kibaki to eat the money of candidates during campaigns and cheered the emasculation of the Leadership and Integrity Act for letting them eat, how can they now complain when it is the thieves’ turn to eat?

Without a social contract with leaders not to eat while in Parliament and government, voters cannot scream at MPs when they begin to eat. It seemed silently agreed that people would eat during campaigns and leaders would eat later in parliament and government.

One may sympathize if voters elect as president, MP or governor a bad person they don’t know, but not when they elect a thief they know into parliament or government. There are no sympathies for self-inflicted tragedies.

Many times Kenyan voters have rejected Jesus as their President or MP and instead elected Barrabas to lead them. Why should they weep when Barrabas starts to rob and murder them?

Voters deserve the bad and greedy leaders they elect. When people sell votes and leaders buy leadership, aren’t leaders henceforth free to use leadership as a personal enterprise with which to make money from salaries, allowances, service charges and bribes that accrue to corrupt leadership?

Michael Carson was right that choices have consequences. When voters elect hyenas they must expect their goats will be eaten.

But why do people elect hyenas when they know the consequences?

Voters have failed to elect good leaders so many times that they have gotten used to it or given up voting differently.

After concluding that leaders are thieves and good leaders are hard to find, bad leaders take over and transform society into a jungle. As herbivores, voters have resigned themselves to a sad belief that whatever they do leadership, power, government, parliament and courts, all belong to carnivores and electing a sheep is impossible, futile and purposeless. Subsequently, power is for carnivores, from lion to leopard to hyena to jackal to fox.

Why then is anybody surprised when MPs vow to raise their salaries?

There could be surprise only if voters elected hyenas without knowledge, a crime that can lead to people electing hyenas which they do. As for the alternative, it is worse. When voters elect someone because he or she has failed so many times to get elected and should be given a chance to recover their money, why would such a leader not become an outright thief to recover his money?

People who have spent so much or tried so often to get elected can only recoup their expenses through increased salaries, allowances, per diems, charges to ask or not to ask questions and corrupt deals with Anglo-leasings and Goldenbergs.

After so many failures, voters must now know they are the ultimate losers when they elect corrupt leaders and reject good ones. While leaders are beneficiaries of corruption, people are its victims when fleeced government cannot deliver development to them.

Once a deal is cut between a corrupt voter and an equally corrupt leader, in the next five years, corrupt leaders disappear to make their money. Equally, rejected good leaders like Moses, Bildad Kaggia and Joseph Murumbi disappear from public service abandoning people to their own devices.

While voters are bribed for almost nothing during campaigns, in the subsequent five years of no leadership, they lose trillions of money that thieving leaders steal from them or development they don’t deliver. All developed countries began with enlightened voters electing progressive, non-thieving leaders. On the other hand, poor countries are so because corrupt voters elect corrupt leaders who become big thieves while in power.

Voters are right to hate the greed of leaders. They must however hate their own greed more because being weak, they lose more from greed. To move this country forward, greed of all – and not just MPs – must be eradicated. Only then shall we save Kenya. But salvation must begin with the education of voters – if they will listen.

The New Kenyan Politics

It is here but only the wise can see it. Raila Odinga has seen it and is already playing it. The only person who may best benefit from it is still playing watermelon politics. Kalonzo! when will he ever learn that politics is about taking chances?

While Kalonzo is playing it safe, seeking a way back to parliament, his partner Raila is busy creating a new profile outside of parliament. I love Kalonzo but I have to say that the nice guy from Ukambani is a poster child for a choir rehearsal and not a steadfast leader for a serious political party.

Labour Day is here and gone without any national festivities that would show a country in Jubilation. After all the symbols, shouts, abuse, laughter and prophesies about the year of jubilation, it seems like the workers of Kenya have nothing to jubilate about, especially after the Jubilee President found his way to a park named after himself but lacking in jubilation. Surely, reality is more than a words gallery. It is a mixture of words, feelings and humanity….DONGE! Some call it Vitendawili….

Kenyans have accepted and moved on but Where have they moved to? Kenyans have moved on to the house on the hill where people talk in whispers on things that matter but put on a show on a daily basis. They have learnt that Uhuru and Ruto do not have the same ideology but are bound together by selfish reasons, so what do the Kenyans do, they pretend to get along and learn the language to deceive each other. Families invite each other for dinner, birthday parties, fundraisers, weddings, parties, graduations, baptisms etc but behind all these festivities lies the tribal suspicion or implied perception. Everyone tries to wiggle away from the tribal tag yet it holds them stronger than a york. They laugh, hug, share pictures and eat together yet they know it is all a facade. Reality is in the phone calls during the week, early weekends or late sundays when tribal sentiments are dished out to friendly ears. When Ruto feels like half of the ministerial appointments he is entitled to have to come from his Kalenjin community and Uhuru on the other hand nominates his half from the Kikuyu community, do we really say that Kenyans have moved on? It may be that those were the best candidates for those positions but it would be very difficult to convince Kenyans that tribe did not play a part in those appointments. So it begs the question, What do Kenyans have to accept and to what do they move on to? It is easy to say accept and move on. Let us now define what we have accepted and to what have we moved on.

Political leadership is about inspiration and that is where Raila has perfected his art. Raila, love him or hate him is always evolving to Kenya’s reality. Sarah Palin said that one does not need political office to lead. I agree with her. The new Kenyan politics is not about political office but about inspirational leadership. Uhuruto are soon discovering that assuming office is one thing and effecting leadership is another. While Raila has graciously allowed them to cement their tenure, they have failed to inspire the Kenyan constituency. Labor Day was a missed opportunity to rally Kenya and especially the youth to a path of hard work and solid investment to the future of Kenya but I am soundly disappointed because the newly inaugurated government cares more about appointing 16 people than it cares about the welfare of the Kenyan worker. After the professionals do their work, we will always need the village joker to breakdown their work to the villagers. Kitendawili?

Kenya’s Land Problems Part 1(Understanding The Kikuyu View)

In order to understand Kenya’s land problems, it is very important to understand Kenya’s land history. One has to appreciate the different cultures and their view of land as far back as the time such communities can claim ownership on what is generally considered ancestral land, wade through the colonial era and look keenly into the post-colonial Kenya. A common phrase that comes into play when land is mentioned in Kenya is “historical injustices.” Here, I try to trace back where those injustices may have occurred, not by pointing fingers but by finding understanding. I have had discussions with many friends on the issue of land and found out that there is a lot of ignorance not only on what many communities have come to disagree with but also in the events and parties that led to the current problems. Today, I will start with the Kikuyu, how they got their land, their land laws and challenges they face with the land problems today.

To the Kikuyu, land has always been a very important part of their lives as a result, for one to understand them, one needs to understand traditional Kikuyu land laws, customs and its relevance to modern times. The Kikuyu can be traced back 300 years ago to the eastern slopes of the Aberdares in Muranga from where they spread north and south along the forested lower Aberdare slopes with some crossing the Southern Chania river into what are now Thika and Kiambu Districts.

How did the Kikuyu get land? The initial Kikuyu land holdings were dispossessed from the forest-dwelling Agumba who they chased away by force and are today extinct. However the Southern Chania land was purchased from Dorobo or Ogiek the currency was goats or its equivalents. However, before any negotiation could be concluded, the ground had to be set so that the legitimacy of the transaction would be recognised by both the seller’s and buyer’s societies. So, both had to first become members of one another’s societies. This was done by the Dorobo seller being adopted as a Kikuyu and the Kikuyu became a Dorobo, so that both became bound by one another’s laws. These steps were directed by the law-interpreting elders on both sides. Once the Dorobo seller was a Kikuyu, he was protected by Kikuyu law and could appeal to the arbiters of Kikuyu law for protection in the event of any “breach of contract” or agreement. The land bought was known as the new owner’s githaka (estate). Each person became the mwathi of what he had been bequeathed or purchased. In this manner, individual private land tenure could be passed down through successive generations. A point worth noting and of great importance is to understand that if the proper ceremonies supervised by the appropriate elders were not performed, then no land transaction was recognised or protected by Kikuyu law. In the event of the death of  mwathi his estate became the property of his descendants or mbari (sub-clan) and was controlled by the first-born sons of the deceased’s widows. Kikuyu land law therefore recognised both private individual land ownership and communally land ownership. Looking back, it can be agreed that what was Central Province has no existing land problems with any other community cos the foundation of those agreements were strong and mutually agreed upon but one can also say that the fact that it is Kikuyu land, there are really no aggressor since most land issues arise from Kikuyus being the aggressors.

It is extremely important to note that historically Kikuyu land ownership was not restricted to land in actual use and did not lapse when lying fallow. This fact is very important when looking into Kikuyu land ownership in the diaspora(Kikuyu land outside central province). Kikuyu law also provided for the formation of what would now be called forest reserves. A man who had bought a large area of forest sometimes left a deathbed curse prohibiting any of his descendants from ever bringing tenants onto the estate thus leaving the land undisturbed an examples of such is Karura Forest Reserve lying between Nairobi and Kiambu which was made a reserve by four landowners jointly, Tharuga, Gacii, Wang’endo and Hinga.

With increased population, there was increased pressure and those who felt crowded on their land became residential tenants(muthami) of a rich man, cultivated on someone else’s property as a tenant-at-will(muhoi), or became a tenant in a dwelling that had vacant land. Again of utmost importance was the fact that as per Kikuyu laws the tenant’s rights expired upon his death and if the family wished to continue the tenancy they had to renegotiate with the landlord. Here again comes another important fact to note in that Kikuyu land laws were well-developed to include long-term land ownership and the respect for such ownership. It would be fair to say that while Kikuyu laws were not codified in writing, Kikuyu land tenure had many similarities to British land law. 

With the coming of the British it should be noted that the  early colonial administrators believed that  Africans did not have evolved long-term land ownership because most African farmers practised slash-and-burn agriculture and had to move to new land every few years which was fundamentally wrong where the Kikuyu were concerned. It is on that false assumption, that in 1904 the government allocated some Kikuyu land to the white settlers it had invited to come to Kenya and develop large-scale agriculture. The new settlers felt that as the government had invited them to come to Kenya, it had to help provide the labour without which they could not farm on a large-scale. However, the government  had not foreseen the need for labour leading to some settlers approaching the Kikuyu directly. They agreed mutually that in return for providing specified quotas of work, they would allow the Kikuyu and their families to live on their farms, grow crops and keep livestock(muhoi). Those making this offer were unaware that, to the Kikuyu, it was tantamount to becoming athami with access to the wide acres that had previously only been grazed by Maasai, under the protection of the white athi. Many Kikuyu jumped at the opportunity and became athami on white-owned farms.  By 1933 there were over 110,000 Kikuyu living outside the Kikuyu districts on white farms and by 1945 the number had shot to 121,181 Kikuyu squatters in the White Highlands.

Something worth noting here is that according to Kikuyu land laws, these squatters had no rights to the land to which they were residing and farming on neither did they have legal rights as per the colonial laws. I will conclude here so that I can address the other communities involved in the land disputes in Kenya. Next I will look into the Maasai in Part 2. Keep up with me, things will get very interesting when we tie all these facts together and come to an ideological and layman’s legal conclusion.

Real Devolution Comes With A Challenge To Perform

As the new Kenyan Governments(yes governments) settle into office, I would like to wish them well and implore the leaders to serve those who elected them. This obviously means those who voted for and against them because it is from the net total that they sit in their respective offices today. Here at RealTalkWithEric we will simplify devolution so we can all understand what it means and be able to constructively engage the government in developing ourselves, communities, the county and the country as a whole.

Having said that, I’d like to delve into our new devolved system of government that is generating a lot of excitement. What we are seeing is a new dispensation that has brought government closer to the people. What the people need to do now is to understand government so that they can take advantage of it to prosper. Government in itself is not prosperity and very few ever prosper from government the world over other than through corruption. Prosperity is an individual’s effort, investment, persistence and ideas.

One of the arguments that I have heard is that devolution will bring funds to the counties. This is true but the funds will be of no use to the individuals who sit back and wait to be fed. One has to prepare his/herself to participate in the County economy to benefit from these devolved funds. I will use Kisumu county as an example since it is the county that I understand the most. If you are a university graduate who has not had gainful employment for the last five or more years, it may be time for you to stop looking and apply yourself differently. Get with your county representative and seek some county land to lease for food production. The county government has access to huge parcels of land that can be placed on leasehold. Also encourage your county commissioner to push the county government to allocate some grants to unemployed university graduates who want to invest in farming. I would encourage the graduates to form a cooperative union or lobby groups that would champion their interest as well as buy and sell their products at the best advantage. On the contrary, waiting for the politicians to create jobs will be an act of futility. To the Governor of Kisumu County(this applies to many other counties too), you are in a unique position to spur prosperity and create a legacy. I would ask you to be careful and start small. Create sustainable projects that will spar prosperity in the long run as opposed to short-term thrills. Realize that your job is not to please special interest but to appease economic growth. The central government will give you money to run your county but you also need to find alternative revenue. I urge you to find idle land in the county and unleash the knowledge of a few experts and the many university graduates and start a food production project that would make the county self-reliant in food within the next five years. This will achieve additional revenue, create employment and a new economy, broaden your tax base, spar growth in other industries and lower food cost.

Many will ask, how does this create a new economy? It really does. Most of the food currently consumed in Kisumu is imported from other parts of the country thus making Kisumu County a consumption economy, by producing the food locally, the economy balances into a consumption and production economy but it doesn’t end there. There will be need for storing, packaging, branding and distribution of the food and who would be doing that? The unemployed will pick up these duties thus providing them with gainful employment. I had mentioned lowered food prices, yes. Food prices will be lowered by eliminating the transportation costs that are currently levied on the food imported from places as far out as Muranga.

There are many other areas that the County Government may get involved in but I think in Kisumu County, this would be the best investment because it not only provides the county government with additional revenue, creates employment and increases food production, it also traps the money that the county loses to other parts of the country by purchasing their food thus growing the Counties economy. Kisumu County unlike many other Counties, starts from a position of advantage in that it is an untapped market in itself. That is a luxury many Counties do not have.

Related articles

• Part One: What Devolution means for the people of Kenya (governanceanddemocracyineastafrica.com)
• Jostling in Kisumu ahead of deadline for CDF positions (nation.co.ke)
• Nyanza counties explore common investment plan (businessdailyafrica.com)
• Governor, county commissioners clash looms (capitalfm.co.ke)
• Devolution, a poisoned chalice? (sakunian.wordpress.com)
• Governors threaten to amend devolution law (nation.co.ke)

Raila Can’t Be Wished Away

While it is a great publicity stance to invite Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga to State House for pictures, It is important to understand the implications. At one point the most sought after political operative was William Ruto. With the inauguration behind us, a new political reality is settling in and it looks like all the operatives are well positioned and aware of their place in the new dispensation. Previously, alliances were built around the fear of or for Raila but this time round, no alliances are cropping up but there is still the fear for and of Raila.

Love him or hate him, Raila is the heartbeat of Kenyan politics. Newspaper sales came to an all time low with his absence and I must say it was an act of political genius to go to South Africa, away from the prying eyes of Kenyan journalist while releasing photos that showed them as down to earth leaders peacefully enjoying a break from kenya’s heated political stage. Many analysts will come to appreciate the move when history takes its place.

Do not be fooled, Uhuru and Ruto are not extending an olive branch to Raila because they care to do so but because they are boxed into a corner where the only exit is Raila’s good will. How is it so? Ask Richard Nixon. Watergate was a huge PR problem for Nixon despite putting more emphasis  on PR than any of his predecessors. Nixon’s problem was not the break in itself but to convince the public that he played no role in the cover-up of a crime and that he had no idea as to who ordered the break in. Which was not true. There are these words that haunt and will continue to haunt the Uhuru administration “I look forward to working with you once some six people decide.” When the chips finally fall in place, Kenyans will realize what a defining moment that was and it is from those words along with the fact that Raila cannot be wished away that the Uhuru administration is bending over backwards to accommodate Raila. A PR problem is in the horizon and how best to deal with it than to recruit the victim?

Raila in his part is savoring the moment. With one interview, Raila has altered the plans Uhuru and Ruto had for their administration and with one swoop, the Enigma of Kenyan politics is back on the drivers seat. At the BBC interview, Raila talked of other means of keeping the government honest, something that has thrown panic into the administration. They know the Enigma well having been his students and they know that he does not say such things without having something to back it up. So now as Uhuru and Ruto fill up their cabinet positions, they are scratching their heads wondering where they lost the lock of political irrelevance they had purchased for Raila cos now he posses the biggest threat to their plans especially after refusing to accept their trap. Armed with carrots that they dangled, unknown to Ruto and Uhuru was that they were dealing with an evolving Enigma. While they thought he was a rabbit, Raila had evolved into a turtle, exhibiting all the patience that saw him through the coalition government. So no carrots for the Enigma this time. Its getting interesting……

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