Kenya Stockholm Blog

“Making A Difference” Up And Running With New Projects

Would you like your children to participate in any of the M.A.D´s Projects?  We, members of the M.A.D organization, have started some Projects which require both children and the youth`s participation. We have met with some of them and they are very interested and eager to start. The whole intention is for us as parents to help our children to make a difference. And who wouldn´t like doing so? We can encourage our children and the youth because they have a big potential of making a difference. If you are interested, please contact any of our members so that you can enroll or enquire more about the Projects.

With Regards
M.A.D
MAKING A DIFFERENCE

For more information Contact. Cathy Maundu (0762034963), Nzoro (0736289306), Sandy (0737803451),  Carol (0700225087), Liz Onyango (0739180804)

November 11, 2008 Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis | Leave a Comment

KSB Creeping Back Into Activity

Watching Plasma at Kogelo under a tree

Now that Obama is the President-elect of the United States, I am back to pick up the pieces from where we left at KSB. A Kenyan had passed away and Kenyans were meeting to organize a funds drive. I have info that the meeting went well.

Over the week-end, Purity was supposed to be in Denmark. Is there anybody who has intel on this meeting. I have contact with a Kenyan in Denmark and I will call him for some info. Instead of organizing an Obama vigil in Stocky, our little Purity had put Awuor and company on the road to Denmark for a cup of coffee in a coffee shop. I took a flight to Kenya when the Hellengate scandal was still playing. May be, it is time to bring it to a conclusion.

Okoth Osewe

November 11, 2008 Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis | 1 Comment

Tonny Odera, Brayo Under Attack From America

Tonny: Attacked for his "Luoism"

I now have spare time here in the USA to read how two Luo men in Sweden are making a monkey out of themselves by narrowly emphasizing ‘Luoism’ as if somebody is out to rob them of it. One is Otieno Odera, almost 50 years old from what I gathered during his US visit 2 years ago, and the other is Brayo Arwa, in his early 20s from records on his Hellengate saga at KSB.

Arwa, who is young and should bring change by thinking as a Kenyan, has narrowed his perspective down to thinking like a Luo. (Remember the word is PERSPECTIVE, not your tribe LUO, but the way you think as a Luo: your worldview/outside the box.) There is nothing wrong with being a Luo. However, it is when that Luoism in one is used to degrade other tribes that it awakens elements of tribalism.

Arwa suggests that Maina Mwangi is a product of Kenya’s failed leadership. So is he a product of a successful Kenyan leadership? What is he doing in Sweden talking of being a Young Turk, yet he is equally old-fashioned in his perspective of being a Kenyan? Obama is an American and he will never add extra ugali in the sufurias of these two activists of Luoism.

Despite their generational gap, the two men share similar parochial views. The young Arwa is borrowing a leaf from old boy Odera: How to be a chest-thumping, bragadocious Luo. Odera claims Dholuo is the language of Pharaohs (LOL).

Arwa has pasted his grandfather’s photo at KSB purporting that he was a relative of Obama senior. Meanwhile, he cannot determine how they were related: cousins or whatever. This is not only cheap name-dropping, but also a sign that Arwa suffers from an identity crisis, looking for recognition. To both of them I say: “The European Alaska (read cold Scandinavia) is taking a toll on your reasoning levels, so calm down.”

Osewe opened up the comments section and wrote a wonderful statement on Obama. However, instead of these two Luo men engaging in meaningful responses relevant to the story, they have decided to expose their tribal bigotry. Anybody reading their comments understands why they have derailed and don’t measure up to the occasion. They are a laughing stock here in the US-Luo community: displaying ushamba instead of writing celebratory notes on Obama. With a mind like Arwa’s, I see no reason why the old politicians should leave the Kenyan scene because he thinks like them.

Odera and Arwa are both against Maina Mwangi who has continually remained civil and has not written a single word about his tribe, repeating that he would never use it (tribe) to debase them.

After a thorough beating from Maina Mwangi (and it is clear from records), they are weakly defending themselves that they are not bigots. You notice that they do not pick on Osewe who told Odera from the start not to use a language not understood by non-Luos. I think this is because Osewe “belongs to them”, while Maina is a member of the supposed community that they have “blocked”. Maina is not the reason why Kenya is underdeveloped. Arwa so naively claims that they have “blocked” those who are messing up the economy of Kenya.

As far as I know, since they began their noise-making at KSB, nothing has changed in the Kenyan economic landscape in favor of their likes. Kenyan Luos are still 67% poorer than other tribes. So whom have they blocked?

Odera has now gone philosophical thinking that by promoting Luoism he will get wiser. He is not grounded and has no idealogical framework to discuss anything Luo. I believe he has not read Paul Mboya or Ochola Ayayo, otherwise he would be showcasing his thinking maturely.

At the end of it all, I can see why so many Luos like Odera and Arwa have a long way to go before becoming progressive.

Omondi Okoko
KSB Reader

November 11, 2008 Posted by makozewe | News & Analysis | 17 Comments