09/11/2003
WECHE MOKADHO
JEXJALUO ****
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Cont......
I overheard someone quiping that the 15 acres and the ownership of the late VP's residence in Milimani is a PR creation of the press, the state house and myself. I want to tell that person that this is not the time I want to exchange vitriolic diatribe with him. I'm Eulogizing a mentor, a former neighbor and a leader of my country.
If I were to delve deeper into the details of the property ownwership, and how it was acquired back then in 1994, it would look like I'm giving myself alot of credit. It is a long story. I don't want to go there. Now as I'm writing, the people of the republic are saying goodbye to their leader, and Raila Odinga who is said to be his enemy has mourned him with dignity. We have 50 other tribes in Kenya, who else mourned like Raila odinga? They crept in and sat quitely in the dais.
Raila Vs. the VP.
These people were never political nor personal enemies. They disagreed only on idealogies based on how to run Ford-K. Their disagreement was as a result of a Radio station. "It was a Radio station stupid". After Mike inherited Ford-K from Jaramogi, he and Raila were inseparable. They started to look for various ways to promote Ford-K. They were traversing the world in search of solutions. Then Mike went abroad and somebody donated a Radio which was to be used to spew Ford-K propaganda. Blame it on the donor. when Raila followed, he promised Raila the same Radio.
This donor is the one who planted a seed of discord. The VP then came on ealier while Raila proceeded to the U.S. to look for more help. Mike brought the good news personally, Raila announced it from overseas. People didn't know who really secured the Radio. But that didn't matter. The problem was that president Moi. Moi said that only on his dead body will Ford-K establish a Radio station on a Kenyan soil unless it is a no man's land.
The VP being a cool guy did not want to anger Moi with this Radio thing, so he took a trip to the Coast and off to Manda Island to look for a no man's land for the Radio. There was really a no man's land out there in the Indian Ocean. Then Raila as you all know him was not going to let Moi get away with it. Raila was like " who the hell is Moi to oder that we establish the Radio station in a no man's land?
This is our country, we are going to build the Radio Station right here in Nairobi. He told the VP that budging to president Moi will not enable Ford-K make it to where we want to go. If you are going to be the leader of an opposition party, you must always be in a position to twist both arms of this guy. otherwise we won't remove him. Raila was like I'm not going to work with a slow moving creature I have a job to do.. therefore, lead, follow or get out of the way. The VP felt that Raila is pushing him so hard.
Then Raila said, well I'm decamping I will meet you ahead. All that there was is one destination but separate ways. Raila wanted to reach there quick. I'll see you when we get there. As you can see they took separate roads but tthen got there when their roads met again in NARC. Even tho' Raila never visited the VP as James Orengo was and a bunch of other Luo MP's, the VP was speaking so great of Raila. He admired the courage and the charisma of Raila. He needed Raila the most but his pace as he admitted was too slow for Agwambo.
Jim was a frequent visitor to Milimani. I knew when he was coming because the VP when passing he would stop by and tell me to come over in the morning if I want to speak some dholuo. Ja-luo wako will be here . he knew I miss speaking dholuo and when someone speaking dholuo is coming over he made sure he let me know. One thing with these guys is that they cruised across the country in the middle of the night.
Jim will arrive in the middle of the night. I swore! Don't ever drive across Kenya at night if you still love your life. Irate bus and lorry drivers would flatten your car in the middle of the road like a pancake the next morning when you are found. they drove under the influence of Chang'aa. They kill motorists like crazy. The VP always travelled far and wide at night. so is Jim and other MP's. I was wondering how comes they are not dead yet? Then I found out that these guys employs the best drivers in the world.
Former soldiers who have a very good night vision. They can smell danger from far and beyond. Some of these drivers are trained in Israel and Russia. So they bragged! I never understimated them because they were not ordinary drivers. You can see how quick they escape out with their bosses out of where the hell broke lose. Jim slept in the guest house and woke up so early sharp and ready to go.
The VP is a sleeping puppy 9 AM he is still in bed. he was sleepy day time. he stayed up all night playing chess/scrabbles with the younger people. He whooped everybody in the games. Newspaper cartoons used to make fun of him snoozing in public meetings. I hate table games they are so boring to me. Here in the U.S. people invite me to dinner then bore me with these table games. Can I go home now please? the VP was living big back then and people speculated that he got a cut from Kamlesh Pattni. The godlenberg scandle.
He was the chairman of the Public Account Comittee PAC. he owned a fleet of sleek vehicles. A Range Rover, 2 black Mercedece Benze with tinted glass, a Pajero intercooler, Izuzu trooper, and a bunch of the look alike Nissan Sunnies. The berg was going around even the mighty Jaramogi got a cut off it before he died. He later on admitted that a youngman of Asian origin went to see him in his office at Agip House and offered to give him a donation of 20 million.
Ford-K back then was cash strapped. he didn't know who the youngman was. it later on turned out to be Kamlesh Pattni. Even the sleek willy Paul Mwite got a cut of the berg.
Jaramogi Vs. the Young Turks:
Jaramogi was a god and the young turks worshiped him. They loved to be around him. Everybody fought to be closer to him. The VP got the position of the assistant Ford-K chair because of Masinde Muliro. Omwami was second to Jaramogi in command and so when he died, Mike who was closer to him had the opportunity to sit on that chair. Don't forget that Jaramogi dictated that. The VP was a very lucky fellow he played the dice with everything. Jaramogis demise thrusted him into the leadership of Ford-K.
These young fellows were all brains but when it comes to Jaramogi they agreed that the oldman is the smartest person on earth. Even the VP who spoke the Oxfordian English, fizzled when Jaramogi spoke the Queens langauge. The English of Jaramogi can only be checked out in the encyclopedia. No odinary dictionary contained them. He spoke bombastics mixed with jargons. he made sure nobody understood him. Every langauge Jaramogi spoke was directly translated from Dho-Luo.
People think that unbwogable is a new word started with some musicians? Jaramogi is the one who invented dholuo-english words eg unbwogable, ismarwa, etc. he floated journalists. Nairobi law monthly magazine and Finacial Review quoted him verbatim. Anything Jaramogi said was taken seriously by the turks.
I remember there was a time in the process nyayo terrorists nubbed us and threw me and my friends, my namesake Harrison Oluoch and Ibrahim Bruce Oyamo in the filthiest place on earth (kenyan jail) Oluoch used to be a journalist with the daily nation. He drove his bosses nuts and I guess they fired him. Now he is editor with some magazine. Jaramogi heard of the arrest and immediately commsioned Lawyer GW Kapten to comb every police station and get us out.
Kapten ganged up with 8 other lawyers when we finally went to court i didn't know who paid them but it was a free legal representation by the word of Jaramogi and his right hand man Ja-kobuya (David Dimba). Someone said, Jaramogi must be turning in his grave because David Dimba is forgotten by the governement of Mwai Kibaki and NARC. They need to give him a plum. Jaramogi won't be happy.
These young turks who are now running the NARC governenment were kissing his feet just to let them see Jaramogi the. He was personally incharge of Jaramogi (god). He was also very smart he wrote speeches and correpsondents on behalf jaramogi. People think NDP just started with Raila when he parted ways with the VP over Ford-K? It was there before. Ja-kobuya (David Dimba) gave us its manifesto to distribute in Trans-Nzoia. The orignal FORD was not even launched yet. Matiba was still in Jail together with Charles Rubia. Jaramogi wanted them out.
NDP is the second opposition attempted by Jaramogi after the morribund RADET the first and foremost opposition party in the Moi era. Moi quickly fired Jaramogi from Chairing the Cotton Lint Board. In those days If Dimba said " Jaduong koro onge nga'ma neni iol" ( nobody is seeing you now you are tired) that will be it..... Unless Dimba changes his mind. It doesn't matter who you are. Being his friend meant limited access to Jaramogi.
I hear people talking of how they were twitched at the Nyayo House. Some of us don't want to talk about it. It is a bad Memory. I want to know where this goon called Opiyo is? Opiyo was working for the devil and Nyayo House was his hades.
Back to the VP:
Mike lived his life to the fullest and now the Kenyans said goodbye to him like a real hero. There is only one thing I know he will regret. He wanted to buy a 200 acres of land in town and build a historic house. That dream was never realized. That is perhaps the only thing he will regret to have never acomplished. He loved good things! He had most of them from his childhood. He desired to have more in the later in life, but who knows. In this life we are a pssing cloud....
God bless Kenya
Harrison Wayoga
Albany, GA.
Ka in gi mari moro ma di wandik ka to
orni
Akelo nyar Kager
jaluo@jaluo.com
Daher winjo dwondi in bende,
iwinjo?
Inyalo oro twak kod weche manyien ne: Mig. Ajos wuod Atiga
WuonAbila@jaluo.com
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