Kenyan Idiot

“However deep a sense of loss (Ngunju) feels regarding his missing son, he has no right to visit such callousness and grief on other families as he has done to me and my son,” These were the fighting words of the late professor George Saitoti’s widow Margret last week after a couple in Subukia made claims that would have undoubtedly made her late husband   roll over and cringe in shock and possibly anger and disbelief... that his only son Zachary Musengi was in fact their long lost- kidnapped- son Stephen Wachira   who was taken from their Nakuru home in 1988.   This all began when Maina   recognized the person he claims as his son- Zach- when he saw Professor Saitoti’s funeral on June 15. Maina says he recognized him because: ‘He resembles my children.’ With that the couple: teacher Sebastian Maina Ngunju and his wife Elizabeth Njeri both 55 did what many now do; they took their claim to the courts- with time this is becoming the Kenyan thing to do if one h...

On Thursday a would be disaster was swiftly averted. When the Administration Police (AP)-whose job it is to guard government offices- of Eldoret County boycotted their posts in protest their lack of payment. They cite a pay package agreed to in 2010 which if it was adhered to would have paid them in three phases but which as most financial deals was soon to dry up. The murmurs of a strike within the force began when an SMS was passed around amongst the disgruntled man in uniform urging a strike from the 1 st of this month until they were paid, the writer of the text went on to urge his fellow officers to down their tools, ‘No guards, no arrest, no escort, no investigation...Paralyse what you can.’ The officers wanted a salary increase of at least 20%, and the harmonization of pay within the AP. This may perhaps be the shortest boycott in the countries strike filled history as the slightest whiff of disaster led the normally hard lining and tight fisted MP’s and treasury into a...

The blame game officially began last week with the IEBC and the government engaging in a not to subtle verbal mudslinging contest. The stakes in this match were higher than most, and with an ever deepening time crunch looming one can understand a sense of panic and fear creeping into the core of the IEBC. More questions were asked ofAhmed Issack Hassan and his deal sealing and time management skills not to mention his organizations independence or lack thereof.     To make things worse for Mr.Hassan unflattering comparisons and conclusions were come to in the Media and beamed across the country then sent out to become viral and induce worry in the hearts of many if not all Kenyan hearts. All this furore, back and forth and fear were brought on by electronic devices: Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits to be exact.     There were then more questions (and worries) for the IEBC to answer (and quell) on just how Safran Morpho ended up supplying the coun...

Politics is often like a children’s playground game of hopscotch: The aim of this game is to retrieve a marker thrown onto one of the squares on a grid that’s marked on the ground by hopping on one foot across the lines adjacent to the object. In recent weeks our politicians seem to be hop scotching – leaping or jumping from their original or elective parties to other perhaps greener pastures- a lot, eager to find a new home that will sail them into either State House or the promise of a plum job in the government of a newly minted ally. As with every move or strategy: something has to motivate it and in our politicians case one key motivator was the Ipsos Synovate Poll earlier this month which tabulated an outcome of the election were it to be held then. The opinion poll stated the Prime Minister would lose in a Run-off with his Deputy Uhuru Kenyatta. This reading sent Mp’s in search of new homes and in some cases to broker new deals or ‘Marriages’. One thing was painfully clear t...

It no longer comes as too much of a shock to Kenyans when we seen live and in Technicolor that our men in blue- those that are supposed to be securing our roads and keeping us safe- accepting bribes from matatu and lorry drivers whose vehicles they should be thoroughly scrutinizing with fine tooth combs, checking and rechecking for bombs, grenades, guns and other harmful weapons and   more recently parts with which to make explosives.       But instead of looking out for the people they seem to be skimming the cream off the milk and keeping it for themselves and thus possibly endangering thousands of lives across the nation.   This is not the only safety concern we have to worry about because those with ill intent do not just lie around and do naught, they like any others who make a living do their research, learning and thinking on their feet; those in wajir have now wised up to the idea that graves are not only for the dead but that they w...

The mouth and more importantly the words that emanate from it are very powerful tools which when used recklessly, is not harnessed or for any reason goes unchecked can land anyone in real trouble and situations more slippery than quick sand. This is even truer for Kenyan politicians whose angel (who sits perched on one shoulder) seems to have taken a semi permanent hiatus or whom these men of power consistently ignore. Good Advice: ‘Never pass up a good chance to shut up’ these were the wise words of advice passed down from a father to his son- granted that the two were actors in a Series remake of the most popular soap operas in television history: Dallas remade for a newer younger audience and that both father and son are ruthless and evil, -but one must admit it’s excellent advice that Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu would have done well to heed. The MP whose lofty ideals of ascending to the dizzying heights of political power by securing the Governorship of Nairobi may now be ...

For any Kenyan teacher, doctor or nurse life is more about the calling that these professions are. One should ideally be ready to give more than receive- even that which is by law due to them. They will give their time and lives first with many years of schooling, then even more in University, eager, finally to get down to the hard but rewarding and gratifying work of saving and moulding lives. This is the picture anyone dreaming of a future in medicine and teaching must paint for themselves, and painstakingly nurse in their minds eye. To serve humanity, impact and often change lives, a noble cause indeed. But this long nurtured and worked for dream is quickly shattered by the harsh working conditions and almost zero like pay these young optimists will undoubtedly have to endure. When it becomes increasingly difficult to feed themselves and pay for the roof over their heads, dreams do precious little to fill a hungry belly or -if they are fortunate enou...