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