Re: Yes, Kenya is a failed state!

Rodgers,

You can write this article almost everyday and find numerous incidents in any particular day to declare Kenya a failed state. While it is OK to cite Ngilu's alleged attempt to "lift a friend out of police custody", I think it is pale compared to the Artur brothers saga; the president re-appointing ministers caught on tape played all over the world in a corruption scandal that involved millions of tax payers money; police summarily executing suspects; the level of corruption in Kibaki's government-do you believe that 32,000 ghost teachers were being paid into individuals bank accounts every month while primary schools were operating at 30% staff and thousands of trained teachers sitting home unemployed because the government could not hire them but was paying 32,000 non-existent teachers every month?;

There are so many examples of failed statehood in Africa that has made many educated Africans give up and joining the school of thought now known as the African Pessimists.

Raila describes himself as an African optimist-meaning that he believes that Africa/Kenya can still be saved but also acknowledging that it will require a prolonged and sustained struggle because the forces of status quo are powerful, entrenched and will do almost anything not to give up political power without which the forces of change cannot succeed.

Right now in Kenya, the forces of status quo are putting up one hell of a fight after it realized that Raila and his forces of change actually have a chance to succeed in the the upcoming national elections. Breaking up ODMK is now their number one agenda because ODM did beat them in the referendum and they are not taking any chances this time around. Kibaki is their natural candidate because he one of the powerful Kenyatta group who not only designed and laid the foundation of this system but ran it for years and knows how each and every single part of this engine works. Those who benefit the most from this system are cycling the wagons around Kibaki. You saw Uhuru and Biwott get together, Kalonzo and Moi coming back together to help Kibaki retain the current system that has favored them so much and to which they owe their ultimate loyalty.

The African pessimists understand the problems, blames everybody except themselves and complains constantly but does nothing about it because they see the problem as insurmountable and do not believe anybody can change it because they lack the imagination to see how. The African pessimists has become so cynical that he lumps all politicians together and is blind to the forces of change and the forces of status quo. This actually favors the forces of status quo who has nothing to lose when people are unable to tell the forces of change from them. This is why the forces of status quo are not worried about the African pessimists because the pessimists paint every politician with a broad brush and in their cynicism are incapable of identifying the politicians who are seeking change and those who are not.

I have come to believe that African pessimists like Rodgers Akombe is more dangerous than those who support the status quo.

To the contrary, the African optimist, understands the problem, realizes the uphill battle to change, but never gives up because they believe that one day the people will also see the problem as clearly as they do and support them to bring about the desired change. This is why people like Raila are still struggling after being in Jail for 8 years, after they have been abused, betrayed and called all sorts of names, they are still seeing the light at the end of the tunnel even when they are lumped together as the same by the pessimist and advised that the light they see is actually the headlights of a train coming to crash them.

Someone like Raila would have given up along time ago and joined the eating party or became an intellectual pessimist. Both sides would have welcomed him with open hands. Raila being a pragmatist even tried to camouflage himself as an insider when he joined Kanu, but Moi, a true status quoist, saw right through him as reformer disguising himself as one of them. That is when Moi told him point blank that "Kanu ina wenyawe" and refused to hand over the keys to Kanu-the vehicle to power at that time- and instead gave it to Uhuru. Raila does not know the word "giving up", so he decided to look for another vehicle.

Many people who have not been able to conceptualize the struggle between these two forces think that Raila changes political parties for fun. What they do not understand is that the forces that Raila is fighting are very resourceful and each time Raila tries to find a national political vehicle to effect political change, they infiltrate or try to break it up, forcing Raila to move on or tie him down fighting small battles instead of the big battles of changing the country.

Raila thought Narc would be the vehicle for change but the forces of status quo quickly took over Narc. Raila moved on and painstakingly built ODMK, block by block, but you see they are trying to break this one up too, using Kalonzo, Maanzo and showering the "secretary"/driver and the "nanny treasurer", with money. The forces of status quo are very formidable. If they cannot buy them they make them cynics and pessimists like Rodgers Akombe because they have figured out that cynics and pessimists, may rave and rant but they are not dangerous as the optimists like Raila who not only believe that change is possible but are actually doing things to make it happen.

The African optimist has a tough road a head but they do not have the luxury of giving up, blaming everybody, lumping everybody together, and doing nothing like the pessimists.

So long as even one African optimist like Raila is a live, African still has hope.

Joab