RE:Quest for Regionalism

I read Loise Ochanda’s letter and responses to it, and concluded She has been responded to with some element of kid gloves.

For a start it is a fallacy to contend Moi was nasty to the Kikuyu’s, unless Lois was living in a different Kenya from all of us. For your information the Kikuyu economic advancement and sojourn into the Rift valley occurred more during Moi’s than Kenyatta’s time. Whereas Jean Marie Seroney stood for saving Kalenjin land for the Kalanjins and stopping wanton settlement of Kikuyu’s from Central Province mainly through land buying companies, Moi in a way bribed his way into Kenyatta’s government and eventually succeeded Kenyatta by being subservient, acquiescent, collaborative and beneficiary of land grabbing. When Oginga Odinga had a short period of rehabilitation under Moi after Kenyatta’s death, and was appointed Chairman Cotton Seed and lint marketing board, and Josiah Ougo resigned his Bondo parliamentary seat to pave way for by-election which Jaramogi was going to win against any candidate hands down like he did eventually in 1992 general election, Jaramogi went to Mombasa and at a rally said words to the extent he disagreed with Kenyatta because he was a land grabber, what happened?

George Githii whose paper did not even cover the event for loath of Jaramogi, took over this story reported by a rival Sunday paper, and made it headline in his Monday edition. The onslaught on Jaramogi started; he was barred from standing, Ougo tried to stand again, Omamo went to Court, and Ougo was stopped from standing by the courts on grounds he submitted his papers late.

The onslaught on Luos then continued unabated under Moi. Jaramogi was removed from the post. How did you expect Luos’s to react to this onslaught, To love Moi? What a joke.

Moi and his men then sponsored candidates in Luo Nyanza against anybody perceived to be pro Odinga or pro Luo emancipation. This marginalization continued throughout Moi’s time till the ill fated Ford-K Corporation after 1992 election started by Jaramogi when he, Kibaki, Matiba etc lost in a rigged election to Moi. It is common knowledge how Moi’s government printed money, unleashed YK92 launched by Saitoti at Nyayo Stadium, financed by the state; Prof William Ochieng , Philip Ochieng, and other YK92 operatives at various public Universities used as morons to spread propaganda, dish out money to the electorate to re-elect Moi and his thieving elite, including Joseph Kamotho, Ndolo Ayah, The Shariff Nassir’s, Kalonzo Musyoka etc.

When you blame Luo’s wholesale as anti development I can’t agree with you. What investments have been made in Nyanza during Moi’s time? Nothing: no roads to the hinterland to take farm produce to the markets, no agricultural credit which was being extended to counterparts in Central, Rift valley never to be paid. How much loan money did Moi write off for farmers in Central, Rift Valley compared to Nyanza to enable them have another start? They ended up buying box matatu’s plying routes into Kisumu from Eldoret, Kericho. Kisii etc. No roads to the beaches to transport fish to the markets, no Cold storage to keep fish fresh, no electricity to spar rural Jua-Kali transformation, no telephone network to enable business communication in Rural Nyanza, No piped water for drinking, cooking and washing; schools have mud walls, good teachers always getting transferred out to Rift Valley and central, employment opportunities dished out to those either close to power or whose relatives are in high places and position of influence, water, medical facilities deliberately run down to the extent that an admission to Siaya district Hospital for an operation was like a death sentence, The New Nyanza Provincial hospital over crowded, with little facilities.

Do you ever remember that it is only Luo Nyanza where Moi never built Nyayo Wards? Was that out of love for Luo’s, loath, fear, abandonment, or what?

How do you expect children who go to school having only taken a glass of water, stay the whole day, come home after school to parents with empty stomachs to succeed in school?

The working people have to find work only in Cities like Nairobi, far way. Disposable income reduced by expensive house rent, food costs, travel cost to and from rural area to the extent you can only make a journey once a month or quarterly or annually at most. Building a home in rural area is a night mare from a distance as those in Diaspora have also come to experience; it might cost you twice as much had you been there to supervise or contract it out.

You can only invest from net savings or borrowing. Those who were close to Moi’s system once they gave you a contract and knew how much you were paid, they would call you to harambee every week till they are sure all the money they gave you got finished. You also had to facilitate their stealing or you never got appointments or new contracts.

When did SK Macharia business begin? Let us not be naïve. This was one of those facilitated during Kenyatta’s time. Moi frustrated him with Madhu Paper International where Magugu as Finance Minister had given him waiver on duty to import machinery for Paper manufacture against the law. Saitoti did the same to HZ and Company on fuel for construction of Turkwell Power station, and when the twin sisters of Kobil and kenol were facing financial problems in 1986/7, in June budget he waived VAT on fuel backdated to January giving these two a cool KSh100 million (US$ 5M at the time).

Is this the kind of money you claim has been earned through hard work? How come the so called hard working people don’t invest in manufacturing and large scale agriculture? Why would Karume wait to sell his land in Molo to the government at inflated price when as a so called seasonal farmer and businessman of repute he can make money from it by himself? What happened to his ill fated castle breweries?

The plain truth is business in Kenya has always been mixed with politics and corruption. Without these three ingredients however clever genius you were you cannot succeed. We know about Nyachae’s and tyre imports, GG Kariuki with pony, Mahindra; GG, Nginu, Nyamu and the Golden gate Scandal which led to the construction of Plains View, and Golden Gate Houses financed by Kenya Re. When some of them now own St Christopher’s Academy or other such investments, have shares in insurance companies which never pay compensation and go under as soon as the law catches up with them like stallion, leaving the owners stinking rich with this stolen money, how can you blame the victim.

We know of sale of Import Licences by those close to power who had been allocated: the Somaia’s, etc. Before Kenyatta died, Oil Companies had been ordered to sell their Headquarters to “Locals” at a price to be paid by the Locals. Agip House on Haile Selassie Avenue went, Caltex House on Koinange Street went, Agip Motel in Westlands went. Were these buyers’ necessarily shrewd businessmen or collaborators in corruption, nepotism and asset strippers?

We have shown many times that Nyanza has been a net contributor to the Treasury over the years while regions like Central have been net recipients. What does that portend?

I conclude that this whole sale attacks on us Luo’s is ill placed, ill advised and devoid of facts.

It is because of our failed experiment with a Unitary and centralized form of government which has led to our political and economic marginalisation, disenfranchised us, robed us of our dignity and self respect, exacerbated poverty in our Land, made us tax payers without a say on how our tax is used, made our leaders resort to hero worship and subservient collaborators with elite looters of our economy, made many leave home to seek greener pasture abroad, made corruption an honourable way of life for use to buy power and influence; we advocate change. This change is good for all of Kenyans not just Luo’s. There is no Democracy in the World which is governed by a Unitary System of Government. Even the Brits when leaving gave us Regional Government, and Senate. Local people must have power to decide on what affects them; elect their local Leaders, have a say on how their taxes are used, decide projects they give priority to, protect their environment, control Health, education, infrastructure development, Water and sanitation, Revenue and taxation, Regional Planning, Agriculture and Animal husbandry, Mineral Exploration and exploitation, Land and land laws, Law enforcement, Judiciary etc. This is not Biafra; that was a totally different issue under different circumstances. It is NOT civil War because we were never conquered in the first place.

Belonging to a Union is a voluntary measure just like USA, United Kingdom and else where. Advocacy of Cowardice and fear cannot and will not help our Course.

Joseph Okumu
London
22/05/2007