Manifesto for Webuye

WEBUYE CONSITUENCY



MR. LEORNARD WAKOLI




MANIFESTO




“The better option for Webuye”



WEBUYE 2007



GLOSSARY ON NON-ENGLISH WORDS

Boda Boda Bycyce operators who charge a fee when transporting a passanger from one place to another mainly to market centers.

bubwami bubwasio translated means leadership is good in its generation, whenever the generation changes it is time to change leadership.

Kitinda Cremaries Kitinda is a kiswahili for last born,a fovourite child. It is a name of a dairy company that collapsed.

Sesiefwe translated means “ours”

Bukusus one of the 17 subtribes that from the Luhya sub nation. It is the largest of all the subtribes

Luos one of the major tribes in Kenya, the second most populous

Babukusu siyanja barende translated means the Bukusus prefer strangers to their own. It means that the society prefers to import rather than produce its own products.

baraza la wazee vijijini translated means a council of elders formed at the village level.

Barazas translated means a sitting of elders

mwana wa mberi, translated means the first child or first born. It is title of a common folklore.

Misikhu, Lugulu Khalala Ndivisi Wabukhonyi Magemo are names of some of the market centers in the constituency.

FOREWORD
Many are the times I have been asked why I decided to vie in Webuye in 2007, but many more are the times I have come face to face with the burning ambition of our young girls and boys whose only mistake is that their parents are poor. Many are the times I have used Boda Boda paid 50 shillings but left wondering how such a man manages through life. Many are the times I have seen the effects of poverty, disease, ignorance ravaging our people, my people, the people of Webuye, Western and Kenya in general.

Many are times I have lamented on corruption, poor roads, poor leadership, and the many challenges my people face. The time to stand by and watch is gone, the individual attempts have made progress but my experience has taught me that the single biggest problem my people face is the poverty of leadership. Leadership has failed to bring our professionals, our youths, mothers and senior citizens to pull together for the benefit of my people. There is no doubt that we all feel a leadership gap.

Many have been times that I have intervened to bring solutions to the genuine efforts of our people. In a way education has been so dear to me and I have strived but within the limits of individual effort. I have in consultation with many of my people resolved that lest we deal with the leadership gap all other efforts will not amount to much.

I therefore present my self to you. I come to you asking that we partner and transform the lives of the current and future generations in Webuye. I am encouraged with the overwhelming and generous support that I have and continue to receive from many of the people of Webuye. My desire if shared with all us in Webuye is perhaps the beginning of a greater change in our politics. I bring a leadership anchored on honesty, truth and God fearing.

Through this little manifesto I give you my commitment to the affairs of you my people. I urge you to read through and reach us so that we can continue this important conversation of developing the resource latent in all people. Our mothers who trek long distances to the river for water, our children who cycle boda boda, our children who go to school barefoot, on an empty stomach but bright enough to pass examinations need our individual and collective support. That is what I, Leonard Wakoli promises, I promise you a new path of managing our resources, a spirit of togetherness and oneness of the people of Webuye. That is why you must prepare yourself to go out and vote and to vote Leonard Wakoli for that is your and our very best chance to work to better our lives and the future of our children in Webuye


Signed……………………………………………………………………..
Leonard Wakoli

Table of Contents
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS 5
· Community Initiated Projects 5
· Human Resource Potential 5
· Development Committees 5
· Consultation and Involvement 5
· Education levels 6
· Health concerns 6
· My Vision 7
· My Mission 7
MY COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION 8
Education for brighter future for our children 8
· Primary Education 8
· Secondary Education 8
· Higher Education 8
 Vocational Training 8
MY COMMITMENT TO INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT), TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE 10
· Information Communication Technology 10
· Transport 10
· Railways 10
· Electricity 10
· Water ways 11
MY COMMITMENT TO HEALTH AND SANITATION 11
· Health 11
Preventive 11
Curative 11
· Sanitation 12
Water 13
Pollution and Waste Management 13
MY COMMITMENT TO AGRICULTURE AND TRADE 13
· Agriculture 13
o Maize 13
o Sugar cane 14
o Dairy farming 14
o Sweet potatoes, Bananas 14
· Trade 14
MY COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN/YOUTH/WOMEN/ AND SENIOR CITIZENS 14
· Children 15
· Youth 15
· Women 15
· Senior Citizens 15
MY LEADERSHIP STYLE 16
· Development Committees 16
· Bursary Funds 16
· Participation in parliament 16
MY COMMITMENT TO CULTURAL FACILITIES 16
YOUR ROLE IN MY LEADERSHIP 17
THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WILL SUCCEED 18
· What lies on our road ahead? 18
· Why we must succeed 18
· Why give Leonard Wakoli a chance….. 18



SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

There can no truth in saying that nothing has happened over the times of the Incumbents leadership. To say so will be to close our eyes on the very honesty that we profess in our leadership. He has done his bit but as the Luhya say “bubwami bubwasio” he has made his contribution and it is time to pass on the baton of leadership. Our belief is cemented by the following:

· Community Initiated Projects
Many of the community projects have stalled. Examples are many but it is not my intention to complain. There is no networking among our professionals, merry go rounds by our mothers are starved of funding, the youth have not been trained in preparation of proposal writing so that they can take advantage of the youth fund. In short the people of Webuye have been on their own, they feel abandoned and neglected. This has to change

· Human Resource Potential
God, endowed us with capacity like all other people, the large pool of our professionals is evidence enough. Unfortunately most of them are working far from home and their benefits cannot be felt. Many of our students have continued to excel at KCPE and KCSE level showing that the problem has never been lack of talent. The problem is the means to nature talent. We ask how come none of our people are senior managers in factories and companies in Webuye? The answer may lie in the mistaken belief among our leaders that if you develop people they become difficult to govern. This too has to change.

· Development Committees
Perhaps the loudest condemnation I have ever heard is the composition of the CDF Committee. Though the law give this prerogative to the MP, there is no justification as to why no consultations are made when choosing representatives to such important organs. Why have not put they very best among us to manage such funds. And it is not just CDF; there are many other such as LATF, AIDS, This mode of rewarding loyalists and cronies at the expense of our people has to end. The end of a bad error and the beginning of a new era depends on your vote.

· Consultation and Involvement
Why the fear of involving all people in making decisions. Friends you will remember during the referendum our leader erred by not consulting and involving our people. We were lead the wrong way, we were isolated from other Kenyans and indeed we almost became the laughing stock. This is a leadership that you can no longer trust. A leader who abrogates his cardinal duty to his people because he has been promised a government job is a very dangerous person indeed. For how long will my people of Webuye be used to further people’s selfish and personal agendas? It is time we put a stop to this.

· Education levels
Free Primary Education is a blessing that many of us thought will help the very poor but bright children. My friends this is fast becoming a curse. Many of our good schools such as Misikhu RC have collapsed. Just look at the number of private academies that have sprung up and there is the evidence you need that free primary education needs support from the political leaders. Teachers in our public schools (and myself have been one) should not be condemned by any one. These people are doing their best but the numbers are overwhelming. Political leadership has failed us. They were and are not bothered to ensure that we have several good schools; these way students will be evenly distributed giving teachers a manageable load. The problem, my people, is that we had very few good schools and when Free Primary came we all flocked to the few good schools. What is needed is a leadership that will bring stakeholders together to map up ways of regaining our prominence in the province and in the country as academic giants. The current care-less-attitude leaders must be voted out and it is your vote that will ultimately count.

· Health concerns
Health facilities are still few and far in between. In fact in the last 10 years no new facility has been put up despite the increase in population. When weighed against the state of most roads in our constituency then it is easy to conclude that health care is not available to our people. This has to change. Preventive and curative health care for our people cannot go unplanned. We must partner so that together we bring change to health care.

MY VISION AND MISSION

You must now correctly be asking yourself that since our problems are obvious and need no more emphasis, what then does my leadership bring on board. My leadership is anchored on the most recent and modern leadership and management styles. Together with our professionals, and incorporating everyone we will draw up the vision 2030 for Webuye within my first year of leadership. This process will be consultative and inclusive. This is because just as Kenya plans to industrialize by then, where will be Webuye? Friends, it takes leadership and it cannot happen on its own. Here are some of my ideas for that grand plan for Webuye.

· My Vision

“To be an effective and efficient servant of the people of Webuye Constituency, Bungoma East District irrespective of gender, religion and age and without fear or favour, eradicating poverty”

· My Mission

“To gather the people’s needs through consultation, set up action plans and execute them in a prioritized manner, inform and educate the people on employment and business opportunities.”


MY COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION

Education for brighter future for our children

I am excited at the prospects I have for my people in the area of education. This is where my strongest interests lie mainly for three reasons. One, I know that education is the bridge from poverty for many of my people. I am evidence that truly education can lift one from poverty as I was born and brought up in circumstances similar to many of the children of Webuye today. Secondly, I have spent all my life in the education sector, I have taught various schools such as Kibabi, and finally ended up at the Jomo Kenyatta University as a lecturer, thirdly, and most importantly on this I invite you, my voter to judge me just one year into the office.

Friends, in order for education to became a vehicle transporting our people from the present often not so good, mostly deprived state to a future full of promise it must be of quality, accessible and affordable. Here in is my commitment to you and to the children of Webuye as my pledge towards education.
· Primary Education

With your partnership I committed to:

¨ Building two schools modeled on Starehe Boys and Girls (One in Ndivisi Location and the other in Webuye Division).

¨ To strive to promote education by working very closely with the Education Officers: Head Teachers, Parents and other Stakeholders to promote Education.
· Secondary Education
o Promote linkage between our secondary schools and Best Performing National Schools to emulate best practices
· Higher Education
o Establish an Institute of Technology and to get support from to get support from donors and well wishers
· Vocational Training
o Revamp existing Village Polytechnics and strive to upgrade them to National Polytechnics.
o Promote pre-primary education and adult education.




MY COMMITMENT TO INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT), TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

· Information Communication Technology
There is hope. Despite the fact that Internet, intranet, wireless, WAN, LAN are terminologies that mean not much to my people, there is hope. Despite the low computer literacy levels among my people, there is hope. The world today has gone digital. Indeed most transactions and trade are now being executed by way of informational technology. In Webuye progress towards IT is lethargic at best personal private efforts. There is hope I dare say. We must as of urgency prepare our children to participate and compete with other children in Kenya on an equal footing. We must pass on quality IT training to the young ones. I dare say there is hope for I have faith that our children are ready to embrace IT and compete effectively. What lacks is a coordinated strategy to ensure wide access and affordability of IT services in Webuye.

To achieve on this IT platforms I am committed to:
· Transport
I shall strive to repair and maintain all access roads in the constituency. With cooperation and support of major industries such as Nzoia, and Pan Paper coupled with the government provisions for improvement of roads surely our roads deserve to be in a better condition. My belief is that together private and government both central and local needs closer cooperation to improve the roads in the area.
· Railways
We need to place our farmers and producers at a point to take advantage of the revived railway service. This way we can be able to reach most markets including Nairobi in a cost effective way.
· Electricity
Electricity is a form of energy that will fuel our development. We must appraise the on going efforts of rural electrification by the government with w view of ensuring equitable distribution. Further our people must be educated on the need to pool resources and apply for electricity collectively. During my tenure I will
o Strive to electrify all the schools as a first priority
o Strive to electrify all village polytechnics
o Strive to electrify cottage industries and factories
o Eventually we must have a plan to electrify the entire constituency

· Water ways
Webuye constituency has several rivers. This include River Nzoia, we need to harness the potential of these waters. I propose to vigorously campaign for the practice of rainwater harvesting and conservation

MY COMMITMENT TO HEALTH AND SANITATION

The assertion that it is only a healthy population that can effectively take advantage of development efforts is as true for Webuye as it is for any other region. Towards this end I propose the following:

· Health
I shall work more vigorously with line ministries to ensure Webuye has sufficient number of and efficient Healthcare facilities. My focus is drawn both on preventive and curative measures:

Preventive

We must strive towards a healthy environment, healthy eating, and exercising to ensure that many of our people lead healthy lives. Special emphasis will be on the prevention of HIV –Aids.

HIV – Aids

The role of leadership in taking a leading role in the prevention of this greatest disease of our times is more urgent. I will personally take a lead role in fighting stigma and enabling my people to make informed choices.

Curative
Even with the best preventions strategies some of our people will still fall seek and need hospital facilities. It is expected that when people visit such centers they get the best and quick attention as well as the drugs be available in the Government Hospitals. My drive is: -

§ To ensure closer cooperation between hospital administrators and local community leaders
§ To ensure that the free government treatment for children is accessed by all

· Sanitation
A clean environment will without doubt contribute to healthy living amongst my people. Standards of sanitation must be deliberately raised. Some of the efforts I propose include:


Water
Our water problems have accumulated over time and today we have intermittent supply of piped water to very few homes in our constituency. Many people have resorted to drilling their own boreholes; while this is a temporary solution my people deserve piped affordable water. I therefore propose to:
§ Strive to have every home have access to piped water.

Pollution and Waste Management
The time is now to attention all major industries to their civil duty to use environmental resources both sustainable and responsibly. We must confront the challenges of air, water, and sol pollution. I undertake to work closely with all establishments towards a cleaner and responsible industry. We cannot make mistakes now for it will be too late and too costly to correct them later. I will address
§ Pollution by Pan Paper Mills
§ Pollution by Nzoia Sugar Mills
§ Waste paper plastics especially in our market areas

It is my intention to lead an annual tree planting session. Friends this can’t wait, let us all commit to making Webuye better for the future generations.



MY COMMITMENT TO AGRICULTURE AND TRADE
· Agriculture

It has been said and rightly so that Webuye has some of the best climates for agricultural production. I know that all of us are farmers, we plant maize, sugar cane, coffee, bananas, sorghum, millet, sunflower, raise animals such as oxen, diary cows, sheep, chicken, kamabata, pigeons just but to mention a few. Over the years, there has been consistent neglect in efforts to help our people move from subsistence farming to productive and profitable farming. The collapse of factories such as Kitinda Cremaries is a pointer to a leadership that does not prioritize empowerment of its people. I seek to reverse all these. I will endeavour to:

o Maize
I will work closely with the National Cereals and Produce Board to find a way of them coming to the markets to buy maize directly from farmers. The reason why many of our farmers sell their produce to middlemen is because we son not have lorries to transport it to the Boards.

o Sugar cane
Hard questions must be asked here? Is sugar cane farming still profitable? We must ask the experts and they are many to assess this for our farmers. We need to establish whether there is need for Nzoia to pay higher prices for cane delivered. We must be innovative. We have to find out whether for instance we can venture into new areas such as horticulture, fish farming and many others. My leadership will invite and harness ideas to revamp our main cane farming areas.

o Dairy farming
I will set aside funds, and seek partners so that we establish cooperative creameries. Our dairy farmers must be enabled to come together and form a huge cooperative society to process and sell milk products. Besides seeking market for our packaged Webuye milk elsewhere I shall market the product to all our constituents. It is time we started appreciating sesiefwe. This notion of Babukusu siyanja barende is responsible for our downfall. I will vigourisly market this product locally, nationally and internationally once we have the requsite factory production capacity.

o Sweet potatoes, Bananas
These are agricultural products for which we have comparative advantage. My input will to encourage farmers to pull their efforts together. There are economies of scale and my people must benefit in combining efforts. For instance now that the railway is being revamped, we must ask ourselves whether we can book and transport our produce to Nairobi in large quantities.

· Trade
My emphasis throughout my leadership is what is the shilling worth in it for my people. Trade is the cornerstone of all our development efforts. We must in conjunction with the Webuye Municipal Council revamp, modernize and create more markets. My leadership will lay the greatest emphasis on trade because I know my people do not want handouts, my people want to have opportunities with which they can earn their own living. The people of Webuye are resilient and hardworking, they deserve support to reap from their hard work through trade that does not favour only middlemen.

MY COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN/YOUTH/WOMEN/ AND SENIOR CITIZENS

I have had the fortune of travelling around our world. Of all the countries I have visited Malaysia strikes me for its concern for its people. It is people that can drive any agenda. It is not the plans, it is not the manifestos, it is not the political parties, neither is it the grand promises made by politicians. It is the people of Webuye who can make this, their very own dream to work. Having this in mind I propose the following as my pledge to my people.

· Children
The best gift to our children is education. I have already said that I shall put up two centers of academic excellence modeled on the successful Starehe Concept. This will be a refuge for bright but needy children. We shall through available bursaries; old boys and girls associations ensure that no bright child drops out of school because of financial constraints.

I know have special children amongst us that have been neglected for so long. I am drawing your attention to special children, those with intellectual and physical challenges. They do deserve a chance in life not as a favour but as their birthright. I know we have few institutions and trained people in Webuye to handle these cases. I am committed to addressing this challenge effectively incorporating NGOs, Governments agencies and private partnership.

· Youth
That young people are leaders of tomorrow is a long outdated statement. The youth have the passion, vigour, energies and talents that can and will transform our constituency. My leadership will facilitate the creation of a democratic constituency wide youth movement. It will have elected representatives from each sub location. This will be a vehicle through which I shall implement my youth programmes.

· Women
Our mothers are several steps ahead. Already they have merry-go rounds well organized and running. There even NGOs such as widows against aids and many others that are already in place. I shall during my tenure use this existing organizations to implement all my plans be they in education, trade, agriculture etc. my first step is to assist them to be formally registered so that members contributions are safeguarded. Further, once they are registered as societies I shall endeavour to assist them in seeking partnerships and funding to boost their activities.

· Senior Citizens

Our senior citizens are custodians of our history. Besides using them as a resource to document and store our cultural heritage for future generations I shall assist them to form baraza la wazee vijijini. This will be a useful tool in resolving some of the minor conflicts at the local level. Further these councils will serve as advisory board for my leadership. For those among our senior citizens suffering due to delayed processing of their benefits or no source of income I endeavour to find a means of ensuring that they live a life of dignity in their sunset days.

MY LEADERSHIP STYLE

In order to change the fortunes of the people of Webuye we desire a leadership anchored not on political grandstanding based on illusions of chasing presidency at the neglect of the prime responsibility of an MP. We need a leadership that genuinely connects with people from all walks of life. I call you to partner with me in this new consultative and inclusive approach in managing our affairs. Specifically I need your individual contribution in:

· Development Committees
All development committees must reflect the diversity of people of Webuye. I know it is difficult task but I pledge to have representative committees on development. By representative I mean representation both from all the divisions, gender and age considerations. To my mind development committees such as CDF must the training ground for future community leaders.

· Bursary Funds
It is for a fact that there are loud murmurs on how the Education Bursaries have been allocated in the past. Examples are given of sons and daughters of comparatively well to do people benefiting from the same kitty. This is the greatest injustice to our bright yet poor children. During my tenure I shall publicly provide records of all beneficiaries. You will be my eyes in ensuring that funds meant for the bright and needy end up there and not diverted for selfish aggrandizement of a cabal of cronies.

· Participation in parliament
When you cast your vote for me in the coming elections you will employ me as a lawmaker on your behalf. I will be holding periodic sessions in Barazas to appraise you of the bills being discussed in parliament. More importantly I shall seek your opinion before casting the vote in parliament. Plans are already underway to put up an interactive website for this purpose. I shall also open offices in all areas. Feel free to write to me, leave me a note at the office, send me an email, call me, send me a text or even flash me. I will always personally get back to you whenever possible. If not myself my staff both at the constituency office and Nairobi office will be there to attend to you. You have my word all communication to us will be responded to.


MY COMMITMENT TO CULTURAL FACILITIES

Bukusus and indeed all Luhyas have a galaxy of interesting pieces of cultural practices. The value of our cultural heritage is so much that it is un- forgivable for the current generation to let our heritage die. We must embrace all positive aspects of our culture, more importantly we must capture, document and freeze our cultural heritage in retrievable formats for future generations. Have you ever wondered why music from our neighbours the Luos is so prominent that you can buy it off a street in South Africa and even UK? I refuse the persuasion that Bukusu music is inferior. Have you not even had musicians from other communities singing our songs such as mwana wa mberi Our problem, friends is our leaders who instead of supporting our musicians have resorted to just giving then hand outs. This has to end. I propose to:

· Strive to promote sporting activities, especially by embracing the idea of commercializing all sports, particularly soccer, Volleyball and Athletics.
· Strive to harness the theatre talent displayed by the youth in schools.
· Establish a constituency choir that will commercialized
· Directly market our music nationally and internationally
· Encourage our musicians to patent their works to avoid copying



YOUR ROLE IN MY LEADERSHIP

It is apparent to me that no single person can do all that needs to be done. I have yielded my self with all my talents and resources to the service of my people, the great people of Webuye. You have a stake in my leadership. I want to invite all my people to play their rightful roles in raising Webuye from the abyss of neglect that characterizes it today.

Your first and cardinal role is to always let me know what is important and urgent to you. I need to appreciate the needs of that Boda Boda in Misikhu, I need to know the needs of the lady selling onions at Lugulu Market, I need to be in touch with the young lad trekking to Khalala Primary School. My intensions must resonate with the Pastor and followers of various church organizations, I must know the needs of a power saw operator from Wabukhonyi, I must listen to the choir of Ndivisi secondary school, just as I must know the state of the lab at Magemo Secondary School. A good leader knows his people. I dedicate myself to knowing my people and I ask you to let me appreciate your needs so that I can serve you better.

Better still, for those who have the fortune of good education and are now working you have a stake in my leadership. Besides playing a role in mentoring the young I will be calling on all of you to establish and revamp old boys and girls associations for both your primary and secondary schools in Webuye. Through you I hope to raise the standards of our education.

In the end, it is every one, it is all of us, it is me your leader talking the lead but beckoning on all of us to summon all energies and talents to confront our common challenges of poverty, disease and ignorance. We must give ourselves a chance to change destiny of Webuye. This will only start if we decisively confront the challenge of poor leadership facing us. It is time to vote out bad leadership, it is time for a fresh start, it is your time, and it is Leonard Wakoli’s time.

THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WILL SUCCEED

Even the bible says that people without a vision perish. We are making, a partnership around a vision for better lives for current and the coming generations. We will succeed for the people of Webuye are better and deserve better. In whatever capacity whether as a boda boda, a hawker, a cane cutter, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant, a housewife, a retiree or just an ordinary citizen I invite you so that we make a partnership for a better life.

· What lies on our road ahead?
It will not be easy. It was never to be easy. We are up against an incumbent, obviously with more money than us. We are up against many who have benefited to the exclusion of the majority. We have outlined our policies and yes we expect them to shrug off some people. But friends, of what use is leadership if it is not principled? Our people must eat the money but our chance for a fresh start is not for negotiations.
· Why we must succeed
In the name of future generations we must succeed. In order to liberate ourselves we must succeed. Another tenure under the current leadership is lost time. We must catch up on the IT front; our teachers deserve support to establish exemplary schools, our people deserve a chance to better their lot. We have two choices, first we must root out bad leadership and secondly we must root out bad leadership. They may have the money, but aren’t we the majority, the poor, the jobless, the youth, the women and men of Webuye who matter?
· Why give Leonard Wakoli a chance…..
Like all humans Leonard is human with faults. He is no angel. What sets Leonard apart from the rest is his record. Leonard has toiled in the education sector providing so much support to many long before he even thought of vying. The Bungoma Maths Contest is a case in mind. This man has demonstrated humility in the many positions he has held. Wakoli is a mentor to many of our students. In him they see possibilities of them defying the current challenges and scaling the academic ladder as he had done.

Wakoli is not alone; a vast number of our professionals are backing his bid. Many ordinary people are comfortable and free with him. Wakoli is an ordinary man, mingling and mixing with people from all walks of life. He represents a fresh beginning, a new way of thinking, a new approach to managing our affairs and a new pair of hands genuinely seeking to serve. These and other reasons are the very reasons why Leonard needs your support and vote to become your next MP for Webuye


Brief on Leonard Wakoli C.V.

Dear H.E Emilio Mwai Kibaki

OPEN LETTER TO H.E. EMILIO MWAI KIBAKI PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA.

DEAR MY PRESIDENT.
It has been a long time since I wrote to you. I would have dropped by to say hi but am told Lucy has of recent taken to slapping anybody who does not seem to be your voter. I am not that bigoted and as you read along you will see sense in what I have chosen to share with you.

Our country Kenya teeters on a knife edge between a peaceful and prosperous future for all and a dark cloud of social disintegration and destruction that threatens to sweep our hope, our dreams, our beloved motherland and with all these our very own lives out of a map of prosperous democratic stable African states.


Within less than five years, powerful evil forces have converged and with unprecedented force that has torn our country’s social fabric like never before. It is by grace that Kibaki government has not plunged Kenya into chaos by inaction. My heart of course goes out to the people in Mt Elgon, Kuresoi (and other areas that press is yet to tell us) that know what Kibaki’s hands off style of management means. In the face of this doom saying, it is the young generation of Kenya appalled by a quarrelling government that should cut through all clouds of corruption, outright lying by state officials and set the record straight. University students have for ages been a barometer for social movement in their respective countries. In Kenya today, their silence implies that they are either ignorant of their sacred role or they seem not to care. Kibaki has taken us for a bunch of unthinking citizenry. We entrusted him with our hope and he has roundly quashed and frustrated our aspirations. We have long forgotten about the new constitution because the leadership today has forsaken ideals that make a new constitution a vital tool of governing people. It is saddening that not long ago today’s power barons cheated us into believing them as democrats. Lets never forget the sorts of Mr. Michuki “of you rattle snake fame” With such actions, meant to gag the press, it is pretty obvious they have lost direction.

This was meant to be an open letter to my President. Mr. President receive warm greetings from me your dutiful taxpayer. I am told you have spent about 139 million of my money without my consent on your campaigns. This message continues to sadden me. I am dismayed that an Economist of your stature can dish out districts just to avoid people walking out of your rally as you did in Kisii. But Mr. President I must confess I loved you sir and you don’t seem to know that. I together with my other poor folks were so optimistic that your leadership will make the biggest change in our lives. Remember in 2003 when you came back from Hospital, we lined your way all the way from JKIA that is love Mr. President. We braced all challenges to sweep you to power. We never slept criss-crossing the country seeking votes for you. We came in numbers and united in sprit to witness you being sworn in. “mimi Mwai Kibaki naapa ya kwamba….” Oh what a nice memory. In a moment our joy was renewed. Your speech echoed and reverberated all over the country as you declared that long gone are the days of corruption. We pelted Moi with mud balls for believed he was responsible for our bad nation. We desired a new life, a new Kenya, a Kenya free of political maneuver with evil ethnic undercurrents, a Kenya where corruption is an exception and not a norm, a Kenya with a new constitution. We looked at you as a bright economist who would in a short while restore meritocracy; create wealth and jumpstart the economy. We were overjoyed by the plans of your government such as Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation. Unlike Moi, you had new prism with which to look at Kenya. For instance we agreed with you that creation and distribution of wealth is the only way to deal with our huge poverty levels. You promised us a leaner and more efficient cabinet, we believed you when you said appointments would be based on merit. When you appointed your first cabinet we celebrated with you. Engineers were out in charge of roads, economists in charge of finance and it all fitted well in our understanding of merit based appointments.

Five years later….
Mr. President, now we know; now we know what you meant by a leaner government. From your appointments and creativity in creating jobs we perfectly understand your thinking of competence. We never knew then but for sure we now know that you had many friends who have only this time to be ministers. When you address us on national occasions and you so proudly enumerate your government’s success we are reminded of the short story written by George Orwell called the animal farm. Echoing though the microphones we have heard you time and again extol free primary education is a huge success. I am sorry Mr. President that when I return to the villages like I often do I am faced with the grim reality that we have been conned with this free primary thing. For beginners no one clearly understands what this free primary education is and what it is not, secondly your lieutenant in charge in education our good old Professor George has time and over repeated things that even he doesn’t believe in himself. He asserts that there is nothing wrong in teacher handling a class of over 100 pupils. We thank God there is a Sakuda and George may never see parliament again. Without proper policy interventions especially to address issues of quality and sustainability of the whole FPE then Emilio, we have no options but to conclude that this free primary thing is a conspiracy. Many scholars agree that Moi’s quota system was a clever scheme to address specific regional educational needs. I postulate that free primary education is a class conspiracy. It is meant to further confine the poor of the poor to poor quality and not–so-useful education for in such areas no infrastructure exists to sustain the ambitious programme.

Mr. President I should let you know that we have long forgotten about your slogan for a working nation. In fact I should let you know that we feel abused that you even thought we have not been working hard enough. You may not know this because from the vantage of Muthaiga Golf club how can you know that it takes hard work, I mean hard work, Mr. Emilio to put a meal of Sukuma and Ugali to a table of a family living in Kibera. At times Mr. President it involves pushing a wheelbarrow of sand up a 4 storey building the whole day. Is that not hard work? We have given up in looking at your government for economic emancipation. We are so sure that your will leave us more indebted than KANU did. Nothing makes me more sick and tired than that management style you invented called hands off style of management. You have treated as to a theatre of the absurd. When your ministers quarrel and make fun of you government as they do, your silence is wanting. For a while we believed that your silence was a strategy but we now know for sure that you aren’t bothered. Our only hope in fact it is a prayer to God, that he gives you fortitude to maintain peace till December 27th and thereafter the temerity to hand over power.

We have reflected and learnt from our mistakes. Our passion for change clouded our thinking; we danced to a wrong tempo. My ultimate message is we must as a nation act decisively, collectively and immediately to alter the trajectory of our country from a catastrophe of self-destruction that a small power hungry clique is slowly but surely leading us to. As a student leader I crusaded so much against Moi, and all I know I have no apology for doing so but we have to explain our actions. We thought Mr. Moi had a mental flaw that drove him into destroying Kenya; we have since realized that if that were to be true then we have many new examples of men and women with fundamental mental flaws.

Let God allow us to temerity to forgive Moi, which would have been so easy until we saw Matiba on our TV screens, the once powerful icon with a singular honour of distinguished service to his country in public and private sectors. His state of health has much to do with his detention. Our hearts have hardened and we wonder should Moi be speaking in this country? Mr. President that you have enlisted Moi as part of your campaign team completes your cycle of transformation. Moi could assert his right to speech but is that not what Matiba paid for by his own health? What about Matiba’s right to health? And what about many others whose life was cut short? Surely Moi must be called to account. God will grant him long life till we get a government with a conviction to bring him before a truth and reconciliation committee. Moi must tell us what he knew, what was his role and above all he ought to seek our forgiveness.

Mr. President, I conclude by thanking you for serving me as my President, I have no illusions that such was an easy task. You were so overwhelmed that Atur Maragaryan visited us and this Anglo leasing thing took place as you took an after lunch nap. Never mind my language but again you are my employee is it not so? Even this Kroll report that says some few people have stolen 130 billion of my money seems not to interest you.

And as you go back to Othaya, I will foot your bills and those of your family by doing hard work. I think it is Prof Anyang’ who passed such a lucrative retirement package and I think it is not to much for a man who has served us for 5 good years. Well done Emilio, Well Done, like your earlier days in Makerere you are a first class material. Distinction is reserved for people like yourself.

Till you hear from me again goodbye Mr. President God bless and Keep


Makokha Wanjala M