Whispers of the Unheard! – Part 1.

A few months back, I submitted this story to a Kwani! sponsored writing competition but they have never bothered to announce the winners or write back. They later announced a similar competition with same prices but with minor changes to it including a new deadline. I was pissed because common courtesy requires one to take just a few minutes to type an email and cc it to those of who bothered to submit our pieces prior to the first deadline. I have since written to them to express my disappointment especially because I looked up to them a lot and they have not gotten back to me yet. Because I will not allow my work to go to waste in some inbox called  “mykenyakwani@gmail.com,” I have decided to post it here but in parts because it was quite long.

I hope you enjoy it and look forward to your thoughts on it and its content…

When we were kids, we had this belief that our fathers were superheroes. This was apparent in the number of times we invoked their names as a defense mechanism. Whenever we felt threatened, we would bring into play these then magic words, “nitaambia baba yangu” which would always ensure our safety from would be perpetrators. We lived in a cocoon whose sheath was the illusion that our fathers were invincible. But part of growing up, for those of us that did, meant acknowledging that these fairy tale stories held no water. When the western kids on TV were crying themselves to sleep on realizing that Santa was not real, we were also coming to terms with the consequences of realizing that our fathers were just human, no more fallible than the next man, woman, or even us. After our fathers suddenly became obsolete, invoking their names in our defense became a sign of weakness and those who did became the subject of ridicule and were even dared to go tell. To survive this new phenomenon, we had to learn fast that the farther we could isolate our fathers from our brawls and start fending for ourselves, the greater our odds became. This meant we had to get into fist fights, arguments, competitions, and so on to establish hierarchy both within us and with other rival kids. The illusion was over and the reality harsh but especially so for those who were late in dispensing away with these illusions.

During my teenage years, I realized that these illusions were not restricted to children alone but extended to our parents too. Illusions were a national pandemic and whereas our parents already knew the limitations of being human, they still held on to some false belief that having some prominent personalities in government would augur well for their tribe in the same way our fathers did before we saw the light. It was tantamount to being rehabilitated of a cigarette addiction only to take up cocaine or opium; a new high. I remember how in our childish games we would recite how patriotic we were. This unconditional love for our country was rarely invoked unless it had the name of some prominent personality attached to it. “Be a patriot like Kenyatta” or “Be a patriot like Moi”, we were told and likewise we recited with a sense of pride that only children would have. In the eyes of our parents and teachers, these were the men to whom we owed our independence and democratic rights and to who we should be forever grateful. They were passed as selfless leaders, heroes who sacrificed to fight for our independence, the embodiment of righteous men who deserved to lead this country. For us kids that had just grown up from one fantasy, our parents were doing a good job ushering us into the next one; the delusion of tribal politics.

And so it came to be in school. The compulsory history lessons were filled with sound bytes of Kenyatta this, Moi that, Odinga this, Mboya that and so on and so forth. But something in me was not buying it. I was one of those kids who thought that my father was unconquerable but I grew up and was not going to fall prey to the same script with a political cast. At that young age, I remember hearing my dad angrily curse a man when we were driving to his workplace and I was shocked. Parents weren’t supposed to curse. Then over the years, I saw that his coming home late was because he was struggling to make ends meet. I was shocked that he was not the boss where he worked and the full scale of this hit me when he was retrenched and we had to move from the company staff houses. He now had to struggle on a whole new level for his family and the strain this had on him was now more evident than ever. Though we never lacked, to see my father in that vulnerable position where he was just another man with his faults, fears, and who everyday struggled like every other man with a wife and kids to do right by them was an eye-opener for me. Informed by this, I treated our GHC (Geography, History, and Civics) lessons with great skepticism. It was all too neat.

Later in life when I had developed a good enough brain to interrogate issues, I realized that our history lessons had hitherto read like storybooks in the cliché sense of the word. I began to notice the discrepancies in the text and sense the words that rung so hollow they echoed. But the beauty of vacuums is that they are in a constant lookout for something to fill them. That was how I came to notice the conversations taking place around me. These conversations were so markedly different that I wished our history classes would have comprised people simply talking, asking questions, giving opinions, sharing, agreeing, disagreeing and engaging as opposed to the bird’s eye view kind of history that we were taught in class. Soon after noticing them, these conversations began taking over every space; each choosing its own topic and recounting its own version and understanding of issues. From talk shows on TV, chitchats while playing cards, high profile panel discussions to street corner deliberations, conversations were taking place. Reservations were cast aside as debates were raging, feelings were expressed, rumours were exchanged, facts articulated, opinions conveyed, and questions posed. From all the above came new understanding, greater insight, renewed doubt, more questions, a couple of answers, and death to delusions.

So what began as whispers in bedrooms, at street corners, and in university hostels had now grown into…

The RINGERA–MAU TRADE-OFF: Controversy vs. Compromise!

I remember vividly an episode of Boston Public that I watched a while back where this teacher could not bring herself to compromise on a heated topic. Every time that it seemed they would reach some deal, she would say something that would throw the whole thing into disarray. At one point, the head teacher of this Boston Public  just lost it after this lady yet again refused a deal that was proposed. “Why do you always snatch controversy from the jaws of compromise?” he snapped. This lady then cowered and went ahead to compromise on the issue at hand.

But is controversy such a bad thing and compromise an exceptional quality. I think not. Today, Ringera, he of the cover-up corruption fame and toothless tiger excuse games was on the one end of a controversy and the Mau issue was on the other. If you ask me, both of these things should never be susceptible to compromise. Ringera is a stooge of the president and all his morally inept loyalists and nobody with a moral fibre in his/her body should be on the side of his illegitimate and illegal appointment. The Mau is too important an eco-system to even be a subject of debate as to whether people should evacuate or not.

Over the past few months, the Mau has been at the centre of debate that has pitted politicians against each other. The beneficiaries of Moi regime’s dishing out of forest land were vocal claiming that “our people” need to be compensated first. One need not be a prophet to see the vested interests and greed in the likes of Isaac Ruto and his other mouthy counterparts who seem lost to the power that words have especially ethnically motivated ones. On the other hand of the debate were other thieves who having been on the receiving end of corruption allegations for a while now saw this as a chance to call out their partners in crime as thieves hoping that it would lessen the corruption glare that has been with since the Angloleasing and the election debacle.

While the Mau debate was heating up with accusations and counter accusations, the president thought it best to consolidate his corrupt ways by reappointing the only person who had a stellar performance in turning a blind eye and claiming he had not teeth. The country went ballistic in shock and horror because this appointment was not only illegal; it was done in such a way that even laymen knew something was up. I watched the parliamentary proceeding that followed this appointment and I was impressed to say the least. It was a massacre against the government effort to defend the Ringera reappointment and to even stop a parliamentary committee from discussing the estranged reappointment. It was strange to watch the Justice Minister who just a few years back called for the resignation and investigation of Ringera now fervently defend him.

The cabinet was split on the issue and the few men I respect in this Government, Prof. Anyang Nyong’o and James Orengo said it best when they told off their cabinet colleagues on this issue. Strange though is the fact that the person who moved the motion to discuss this thing is the same Isaac Ruto who thinks that maize and wheat are worthy replacements of trees in the Mau. But all the same, the government lost, the motion passed and the committee on legal affairs discussed the Ringera affair whose report was to be tabled and debated in parliament today, Tuesday 15, 2009. From reading the mood of the members of this committee, it was clear even before the report was tabled what the verdict would be. The majority of the country (save for the PM was has avoided this issue like a plague (letting those with guts like Orengo take it on), the VP who is a b*tch eagerly singing the tunes of the master like he sang for Moi for so many years, and a few other characters who have something to hide and Ringera is the safety deposit box) has been apprehensive about this appointment.

Foreseeing an overhaul of the president’s illegal appointment of Ringera, the subjects of controversy became points of compromise. A meeting by the side of the coalition supporting the Ringera reappointment resolved to scratch the backs of those MPs who can retire on the billions of shillings they hope to illegally garner from the compensation package of the Mau evictees. In return, they will turn a blind eye and see no evil in the Ringera reappointment. It would therefore be a win-win situation for both parties when it comes to the voting on the Mau and Ringera reports. But not quite, today, there was only enough time to ensure one win. God! It was so embarrassing seeing the very MP who just weeks, days, ago wanted everybody out of the forest or in the least only the legitimate cases compensated suddenly “strongly” believe that anybody with a title deed, legality aside, should be adequately compensated. So the motion was amended to that effect and it passed. So the thieves of the Moi regime get to steal one more time but only because by doing that, they will allow the thieves of Kibaki’s regime to not only cover their tracks on past robberies but to in future steal knowing that it is their wolf that is guarding the chickens.

Michuki, the man who brought sense to our roads; the man who gave the order of shoot to kill Mungiki’s whenever they went on their murderous campaigns; the man who raided the Standard building  and had no apologies to make; the man who in now in charge of the environment was a frustrated man today. I must say that I disagree with most of what he has done over the years. The raid on the Standard was just callous and so was his attitude when the police took the shoot to kill order too far until it reached a point where it was difficult to differentiate between the Mungiki and the police. But even so, that is a man I would vote for if he ran for president, even at his age. The reason is simple. Whenever the man makes a decision, he stands by it and will not shy away from engaging you when you put him to task. You got to give it to a man who is willing to stand up and fight and today he did not disappoint when he let parliament feel the hit.

“We have sunk too low. If the Ringera issue is more important than the Mau issue where people have to trade, I must confess that I am ashamed to be in this Bunge,” said Michuki in a fit of rage after those from his camp suddenly switched sides to support what they had all along opposed until this morning when it was politically convenient to support it. I guess Michuki finally felt the pain of being played. Sweet words had been whispered into his ear, people fought for his cause, shouted on his behalf, and even when he asked whether his ass was fat, he was told no and he was happy. But today morning, someone better packaged than he moved in next door and suddenly he was relegated to yesterday’s cause, a lost fight. He got dumped in front of parliament and he was bitter. How dare they? He confessed that he was ashamed of Bunge in the way so many of us have been for so long. I guess he just realized even his colleagues, one of whom is my MP, were shouting about the Mau only because it was the right side of the argument; it was politically convenient because it resonated with the pubic; but then a major piece in the chess board moved and the leverage moved with it. It was a checkmate to him and he never saw it coming and hence the reason he was so angry.

So tomorrow is another day and we are all waiting to see whether the compromise holds? I am especially curious to hear what the mouthy Isaac Ruto who moved the Ringera motion will now say. I want to hear him justify why Ringera is the person for the job now that his efforts to get compensated for the illegal allocation of land he was given is almost won. Because in the same way that those calling upon the Mau eviction never really cared about the Mau or the environment, he and his friends in the Mau axis probably feel shit about Ringera or corruption. It was just another piece in the chess board that he played to inflict pain on the other side.

So now I am taken back to the issue of controversy versus compromise. There are things that are too important to compromise and the Mau and Corruption and this coalition government are the perfect examples. There should be basic minimums in what can be compromised beneath which we should snatch the controversies from the jaws of compromise. We all have those principles that we can never compromise and I am curious what yours are?

Ringera, KACC Board, as Corrupt as the President

I have just come back to edit this top part and the title of the blog. First, I have to say that following the revelation in the news just now, I am sickened though not surprised. I got over being surprised in this country a long time ago. 5 members of the KACC board, instead of their scheduled meeting were caught in the act meeting with Ringera (tunda mbovu) at a city hotel and ran after the cameras caught up with them. COMPROMISED is what the police call it when one of their own is sleeping with the enemy.

The same Advisory board to the KACC which yesterday condemned the appointment of Ringera today skipped their much hyped meeting to meet Ringera at a secret Rendezvous point.  While I will not blanketly condemn the whole board, it is sad that the very board whose powers were usurped by the president have now softened their stand and are playing the tune of  the president. Though I expected behind the scenes armtwisting to take place so that Ringera is accepted, I did not expect it to be this soon and with the Board Chairman sneaking around like a cheating husband.

Below is the blog I had written earlier in the day.

– -

This has been a difficult past few months for Kenyans. First we were told that there was no food, and then there was no water, and when energy went, I honestly thought that we could in no way sink further than this. But apparently I was wrong. We have sunk and this came in the way of our mad president who reappointed Ringera as the Anti-corruption czar.

From a distance, you may think that this appointment has nothing to do with the water, food and energy crisis. Look closer. Is the big picture getting clearer? If it isn’t, I will educate you.

For starters, we have no water in the country. Blame the gods all you want but we all know that we had a big hand in all of this. Since independence, our shameless leaders have been handing away land to their families and friends like lollipops. These are not lands situated in Kitui, or Samburu, or in North Eastern but rather are prime land inside our then forests, now ranches. From Aberdare, through Mount Elgon to Mau, forests were felled to make way for farm land and this is going on to date. These were our water catchment areas and they have run dry. The acquisition of these forest lands were in no way legal. Furthermore, there were those illegal connections redirecting water from needy Kenyans to some influential affluent personalities’ homes. These were corrupt deals by the various regimes and hence the work of the anti-corruption commission which Ringera headed.

Then the food crisis came and we had a thousand reasons for it. We blamed it on the post election violence, and then the drought, and finally the funny dealings by our leading politicians in the name of Ruto and some relation of the Prime minister. The result has been the starvation of nearly 10 million Kenyans. Those that did not starve would have been given poisoned maize had alarm not been raised. Yes, for people to starve the way they are now, some people are making good money trading on this bad fortune of “shortage.” When people could not relent in demanding accountability because they did not take lightly people trading on their livelihoods, there was questioning of these leading figures by the anti-corruption commission which Ringera headed.

On the energy crisis, I do not where to begin. We can say that the water which ran dry because the forest cover land illegally allocated to influential figures has effectively killed the water catchment areas is to blame. But then again you have to question why a power generating plant has taken close to two decades to be completed. But then again you could look at the president commissioning that energy project way before it was ready as the reason two decades would pass before something gets done. There was also that guy who caused a loss of close to KES 8 billion and then was handed a one way ticket India. These are all corruption cases because somebody did something that they should not have and which have put us in the crisis we are in today. Ringera who headed the anti-corruption commission had his men look into this I think.

For clarity, I am saying he headed because I hoping and others are praying that with legality of his reappointment being an issue, he will not see the inside of the KACC unless he is the one now being questioned by a more competent less partisan, correctly vetted, and legally appointed Director.

So there you have it. The entire crises we are facing as a country have a corruption bearing and to avert future crisis, it is important that this institution that is called KACC is headed by a competent and impartial person. Under Section 8, sub-section 3 of the Act of parliament that set up the KACC, the advisory board is supposed to the recommend the names of the director and his assistants to the national assembly and once approved they go the executive who can the sign off on them. The wisdom of those who coined that clause sought to ensure that what the president has just done could not be done, legally. It also sought to ensure that a competent and impartial person would survive the vetting process and lead this important institution. This appointment therefore represents another crisis for the country, one which should not be swept under the carpet because there is already too much garbage there is no longer any space under there.

Ringera is not a toothless tiger; he is not even a wolf in sheep clothing, no! He is a chameleon in a plain lizard’s clothing. Five years ago, I gave him the benefit of doubt and looking back at his record, no more attaching benefits to my doubts. If I doubt you, prove first that you are beyond reproach and then the benefits come without the baggage of doubt. Ringera was at the helm when KACC when the Angloleasing scandal came calling but he refused to answer to his call of duty. Instead, according to Michela Wrong’s book, he accompanied Kimunya to London to try and convince the only man who answered the call and exposed this scandal, Mr. Githongo, to put a seal on it. I do not know about you but when you hire a hyena to guard the hen house, that is exactly what you get. This is a whole anti-corruption chief who was involved in the cover up of a scandal regarding his relations. And then he is put in charge for a second term! We all know what that means, right.

Kibaki is a man of many hats which have made him hard of hearing. Before he started acting funny, I was his staunchest supporter. Now, I am his biggest critic and I let that known from the onset and if I were to have a one on one with him, guest what I will call him to his face. Over the years, I have learned that I sleep better at night when I say what needs to be said without beating around the bush. So here goes… Kibaki stole the elections felt nothing. He in fact went into state house and slept for two months as the country burned. Then he came out and acted surprised, wondering what all the fuss was all about. It is said that we will complain all day and night for even a month and he will not do shit about the appointment. He will not even react to all these words against him. Then when we keep quiet, he will have had his way. True. That is how he has survived to date. And that is why I support the Imanyara motion which strips his ass off immunity. We’ll then see whether he will choose to keep quite when he has charges to answer to.

Ringera is the only man Kibaki trusts to cover his ass. He has done that successfully for five years and Kibaki needs a man of Ringera’s moral aloofness to protect him and his cronies. I have heard LSK and Human Rights bodies claim that they will head to court to protest this appointment. I wish them luck. But given that the head of the Judiciary donned his official gear on a Sunday and swore in the president at night without as much as the national anthem playing, I doubt these legal efforts will go far. If this guy can turn a blind eye to the constitution of Kenya, he won’t even have to turn not to notice a mere legal order by a judge that he appointed and hurriedly swore in while his justice minister (the one that resigned in protest) was out of the country. Again, I do not know about you but I am keeping count of all the affronts that this guy is doing against my beloved country. When the immunity goes, I am moving in. These people must learn to respect the rule of the law. The law may be an ass but it should be an ass to all of us on equal measure. I hear Moi now coming out of the woodwork. He may be right on some issues but if I were Kibaki, his ass would be in Kamiti or his land and that of his project in the hands of squatters.

But since Kibaki is now our (this generation’s) problem, he should pray that he dies before this country gets better otherwise, he will wish Ocampo would have come for him and taken him to those fancy jails out there.

I will confess again that Mutahi Ngunyi may have been right when he said that the legacy of Kibaki may be to sink this country so low that we cannot sink any lower. The only other way would be up. I am hoping that this Ringera appointment is rock bottom but knowing this man, he has his henchmen digging day and night for a new low and he might soon declare Jimmy his project.