Re: MKIDA Meeting

Dr Nyambane and Mr Omandhi, Your comments regarding the just concluded conference are greatly appreciated. This is an indication of your concern for the issues discussed in the forum and willingness to get involved. However, I wish to vary alittle on your view as to who qualifies to be an elite in society. Having the title "DR" behind one's name is of course covetious but is not enough to make us elites. It happens that in the long walk towards achieving that title, one gathers experience some of which practical that makes him/her an authority in a particular field. This experience may also be gathered through long years of service like those Mr Patrick Monyenye and Mr Onyando have had. Some of these individuals have had landmark achievements that cannot miss to be mentioned when history is written at the end of the day.

The MKIDA function was a success in highlighting the issues affecting educational standards in Gusii. As one of the attendees, one thing that came out clear was that the mammoth problem requires the participation of everyone, academicians and non academicians, the young and the old, those in the diaspora and those on the ground. During the proceedings, it was clearly stipulated that input from the people on the ground was crucial and was not to be ignored in any approach to the problem. Infact one of the ongoing projects is being done in collaboration with institutions on both sides. It's in recognition of this fact that the organizers invited elites like Mr Monyenye to this function.

The MKIDA conference organizers may have missed to invite more people from the ground but let's not forget that we have to have a start which in this has been in the diasporan community. MKIDA has shown exponential growth interms of outreach and membership base hence the need to mandate GEAR to take on the education aspect of its goals. Of course the participation of local(Minnesota) elites was highly noticeable and yet MKIDA is a brainchild of Minnesota, this should not lead us to digress from the real issues. We should ask the ranks of GEAR and MKIDA to look for ways of incorporating their ideas if different from those raised before in the whole program and get the project rolling.

Am sure this was a learning opportunity for the leadership as is any such event and any leader worth his salt which the MKIDA officials are will not ignore the sentiments of the led.

Mr Omandhi, aint the findings of the Ogutu task force still not relevant to Gusii? Do we have enough reason to feel that more resources need to be spent in identifying the problem than those already spent? From some of the sentiments aired in the conference by people from the ground, there was alot of concurrence with the Ogutu findings! Wont we be better off addressing the issues already clear to us as we research into the rest like Dr Nyachama said? I believe this is what was meant by a multifaceted approach to the enigma of plummeting education standards in Gusii.

Let's all join hands in commending those that have brought these issues to the fore and bring in more fresh blood that's need to tackle them.

"Live simply so that others may simply live"
Michira Charles