Re: The Independent State of Somaliland

Paul Nyandoto's criticism of Meshak Owino's thoughts about having a working regional government in Luo Nyanza can not go unchallenged.

Nyandoto asserted that- ''Kenya has greater potential than Somaliland, South Korea and even Switzerland''. My question is; Mr Nyandoto, Can you please tell this forum why this ''great potential'' still remains a pipe dream, 45 years after Independence?? When will this potentiality be realised?? Just to get the adjective right, the word ''potential'' simply means possible achievement when the necessary conditions exist. Can you please write more about cultural background and upbringings that is to blame for underdevelopment?? Please dig more and explain this vis-a-vis the AIDS ''pandemic''. Your letter contradicts many things, i.e. partly blaming cultures, upbringings etc while at the same time you fail to understand as I do, why we still run on a one way rail system??. Despite all these, you don't want us to blame, Kenyatta, Moi and the current Kibaki regime!! Where is your stand then??and whats' your point?? I hope that you will find time to tackle all the above questions. .

Bwana Nyandoto, from the outset, I want to argue that one of the reasons we have not managed to find an escape route into the highway of development is that we do not have strong leaders capable of overtuning systems. I blame our past and the present government for this state of things and the death of Kenyan Project. Our past leaders never valued those who voted for them seriously thus not taking ''Project Kenya'' seriously. This is the reason why, there exist a great need for visioneries to come forward and show direction. The massess in Luo Nyanza are at loss and therefore need answers to continued isolation, lack of jobs, massacre, political assassination, police brutality, meaningless bussa and chang'aa arrests etc.

Luo Nyanza is not in a state of emergency, Kisumu is not Basra Mr. Nyandoto. I don't see any reason of having government offices in Luo Nyanza with all occupants coming out of the region. This partisan style of governance will not add more railway lines. If this is what you call national cohesion or diversity, then I beg to disagree.

My purpose is not to dwell on what you have not heard or read or experienced before. I merely want to offer an opinion based on realities of the past 45 years of Uhuru. This is a subtle re-interpretation of the so called nation called Kenya. If we must take Kenya seriously as you want us to, I believe we need to reconnect with facts and interpretations forbidden by official interpreters. My intention is to show how the problems that we face, regarding the failure of state institutions, the lost battle against mega corruption, poverty, visionery leadership, the replacement of democracy to Luo bashing, the collapse of the rule of law, are all part of the many ways in which different groups and nationalities refuse to take Kenya Project seriously.

Lets' not cheat ourselves, Kenya is tribes and thats why cardinal focus is on ethnicity about which, on a ritual basis, we ignore uncomfortable facts in our history as if that would eliminate the problems. Mr. Nyandoto, tell me, the reason why we as a marginalised community must keep on betting year after year with no clear indication of winning anything??.Our suffering has continued despite having de-ethnicised our politics. Is it not time for an end to this poker game??

We have voted for Kikuyus en masse but when I look around our region there's nothing to show for it. Instead, they have increased the number of police officers in Kisumu, Siaya, Homabay and Migori arresting our mothers, sisters and brothers.

Have you ever received a text from any of your relatives about police brutality? i.e young boys being rounded up and all their 16 hrs of hard Ngware sweat taken away??.

Ethnicity connects with pervasive corruption and the absence of the rule of law in our society. We are in the current murky waters in our national life because we mismanage it, either by attempting to deny its existence in order to turn all of us into ethnic neuters, or seeking to put other ethnic groups under the suzerainty of one or a few as a way of reducing national diversity. The point is that it is not ethnicity but how the past regimes (that you don't blame) mismanaged it. This has completely stopped the country from working, having realised this they recently invented --''Kenya a working nation'' to try to sell a rotting product. As you may be aware, lies only last for few days. In the year of election, I sympathise with the proponents of this rebranding process. This propaganda has made ''Project Kenya'' a non viable project with nobody to invest in. That's why Anglo Leasing was invented to steal peoples money and retain power under all costs.

When will known tribalists realise that a common morality exists where the idea of doing unto others as you would want them to do unto you prevails??. In the same course, lets not forget that even the Jews and Gentiles were made by the same creator and must be judged in accordance with the same code. We are not the only tribe who needs other tribes. This brings in another important question, what have we done to them that requires an apology??I think we need to insist that we can only displace tribalism and Majimboism from the centre of our national ethos, through a capacity to apply a common morality to all Kenyans. This is really the sense in which a people are called either civilized or uncivilized. Also, it implies a form of moral dignity, a quality of mind and perceptions that prevent serious people from changing their minds on ethical questions to suit every wind that blows. I rest my case, thank you all.

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"I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they'll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action." MALCOM X