As the oracles would otherwise counsel, “A friend who sneaks your limited food portions to your enemy during the times of war, is also your enemy”. In order to ensure that my thinking is not considered in bad faith, I need an ‘ear’ witness as I ponder this. So let me permit you to eavesdrop as I loudly wonder. Can someone educate me a little bit; why are we (some Bungoma residents) so excited with Uhuru’s and Ruto’s visit to Bungoma? But hold on, don’t answer me just yet…things are getting a little more interesting than I thought.
More than two decades ago, when our long gone great patriots like Masinde Muliro, Kijana Wamalwa, Oginga Odinga (may they R.I.P) and others were under Kanu’s gun for defending our ‘bakheba’ commitment to “Haki na Ukweli”, our own sons, Elijah Mwangale and Moses Wetang’ula, sided with our oppressor – Moi and his then youthful errand boys including William Ruto! Of course you probably had a cousin, a friend or may be a neighbour who became a ‘squatter’ following the so called 1992 and 1997 tribal clashes. Our traitors have now become our heroes! How quickly we conveniently forget!
Indeed, in those days, as our brothers and sisters were being slaughtered and their houses set on fire on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, Hon. William Ruto and Hon. Cyrus Jirongo were busy antagonizing us with the infamous YK92 youths. Why are we “idolizing our publicly known persecutors?” After all, we don’t even have a single hotel for them to spend their night in Bungoma. They will come in with their V8 4X4 Range Rover Vogues with tinted glasses, a couple of body guards and a powerful P.A system to inject us with their political anesthesia so that (as they say) we can balance the political equilibrium for them – numerically speaking. I just hope that you haven’t forgotten about the South Korean poisoned arrows that some ‘warriors’ used to root out the unwanted “madoa doas’ from the Rift Valley. There is no spare wheel for our lives so we need not gamble with them!
The Ministry of Finance has employed more than 60% of people who speak the same language as Uhuru Kenyatta, a man who is potentially the only Kenyan conceived on a State House bed, raised in absolute comfort as a King’s son and understands none of the struggles of ordinary Kenyans. Bungoma County, we can still get this right… let us go back to the basics for if we don’t, history will judge us harshly. As long as we continue supporting or forming ‘Coalitions’ with men and women who have questionable track records, we will forever sing about resuscitating Panpaper Mills, Kitinda Milk and other industries but our lot shall forever remain, spare wheels for the known mafioso!
Given the aforementioned, I would wish that the powerful Finance Minister and his equally rich friend William Ruto, work hard to show and reciprocate some goodwill to Hon. Eugene Wamalwa by introducing him to their people in Gatundu (Central Province in general) and Eldoret North (Rift Valley province) respectively just in case the two gentlemen get ‘prematurely’ detained in the Hague.
Given Uhuru Kenyatta’s position in government, he will need to release funds to upgrade the Kanduyi Airstrip. As they sure will, Uhuru and company will need to fly in next time they come back soliciting for votes. Further, Uhuru will have to re-introduce the train service for our local folks to trade across counties, fix our roads, ensure healthcare coverage for the unemployed and underemployed in our county (including boda boda people). Uhuru will need to explain to us why Bungoma County continue to “export” freshly seasoned tobacco to Thika for processing, and why the Head office of Mumias Sugar is in Thika County. If these questions and others are not satisfactorily answered, and the goodwill returned to Hon Wamalwa, we in Bungoma County will need a completely new brand of leadership.
Remember, “a rolling stone, gathers no moss” I can feel the elder Wamalwas, both father and son, writhing in anguish as they bleed their hearts out for the people of Bungoma! Let us stop too much yapping and look at what our leaders have done or are doing for the County. What ideas are we bringing to the table? Politics is all about numbers in the ballot box – yes, you got it right, numbers in the ballot box, not platform popularity contests! I rest my case!
Taxpayer T.O
About the Author
People should not waste time with foolishness of Politics. Who is Wamalwa and Uhuru in Kenya to talk about Kenyans? And who is Wamalwa in Luhya land to lead Luhyas? Those are the questions one must ask himself or herself?
A Call for All Kenyans to Rise Up and Demand Accountability and Transparency in the Public Sector
Revolution is contagious! From Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Middle East, now it’s Kenya’s turn to demand positive social change and good governance.
It is time for genuine political reforms and implementation of the new constitution. Our leaders must be held accountable to Kenyan citizens and transparency must be the norm!
Wamalwa cannot be elected as a President of Kenya ,he is so childish .He cannot either be trusted to lead Kimilili Sugar Factory .Wamalwa cannot diff Btw Maina Njenga a Mungiki Leader Whose hands are covered with the blood of innocent People he killed ,and very soon he will be arrested and charged in a Local tribunal.
Eugene Wamalwa has already started paying the political price for associating with the inner-core of PNU. The not-so-secret financing of his political rallies by the flamboyant spouse of the President…and his naive lending of his Hon. Wamalwa Title & official letter-heads for use on errands that he has little clue about, has already landed him in the international watch-list for global narcotic traffickers. He is damaged goods politically.
Why is Wamalwa being seen with Mungiki Leader in all his political meetings?
Doesnt Wamalwa know who is Maina Njenga?and how dangerous is to be linking himselve with a Murderer!
we Kenyans need to stop being so “forgetful” of what these leaders have put us through…I keep wondering out of all 15 or so Millions adults in Kenya..arent there other leaders???? do we have to be “stuck” with these goons? Moses we need people like you back home..taking over leadership and transforming the country..its high time Kenyans realized that this leadership game is about the haves and the have nots….they just use the tribal card to polarize Kenyans so that they can continue ruling and stealing……that is why they will make Kalenjins kill kikuyus when its convenient only to turn years alater and form KKK allicance again only when its convenient to them…these leaders are playing a very stupid game on us….we Kenyans can not be so naive…we better wake up and see throught the smokescreen..popote tulipo
As soon as the Saboti mp declared his interest in seeking the country’s top job, he set himself up for a critical look from fellow politicians, political analysts and the general populace. His campaign platform is generational change, but just what does he stand for? Is he being used by the western nations, especially the usa to engineer a youth revolution and sweep away the political old-guard? What about his alliance with former Mungiki leader?
Wamalwa has a long way to go, warns Njenga
Monday, 07 March 2011 00:02 BY BRIAN OTIENO
SABOTI MP and 2012 presidential hopeful Eugene Wamalwa has a lot of ground to cover if he is to become Kenya’s next president, former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga has said.
Speaking at a Mombasa hotel after attending a rally at the Tononoka grounds at the weekend also attended by Wamalwa, Njenga said Wamalwa is still not popular with the youth and it will take time for the youthful MP to sell himself to the masses.
Njenga was apparently not pleased with the way the rally was conducted as the programme was not adhered to and protocol was ignored. Njenga who had ferried in more than 900 youths from Nairobi in about 40 buses, mini-buses and matatus, said Wamalwa had not been able to rally the youth behind him and he (Njenga) had to organise the rally with a Mombasa businesswoman Mumtaz Omar. “He is still young in politics. He needs to do a lot of work even as we throw our weight behind him. You could see the rally was not properly organised,” said Njenga.
Most of the youths appeared tired and they were seen sleeping in different places around the Tononoka grounds. They had travelled overnight using buses from different companies including Sunbird Coach, Diamond Star, Destiny Special, Nairobi Bus Shuttle and matatu including Mololine Prestige Shuttles and Narokline shuttles.
Accompanying civic leaders from Nairobi were booked in different hotels in Mombasa. At some point during the rally, Njenga had to desert the dais after some leaders from Western region invaded it. “It started looking like this was a rally for people from Western. I had to get out of the place,” said Njenga.
Soon after he left the dais, the youths left to eat food prepared for them by Omar. Wamalwa told the hundreds of youths to take up the challenge and seek high political offices in the county governments.“They said the youths are leaders of tomorrow. All this time, they said we will be tomorrow’s leaders. The time has come for us youths to say we can also lead the country,” said Wamalwa.
EUGENE WAMALWA MUST PLAY POLITICS OF MATURITY, NOT MERE RHETORIC.
By Philip Etale.
On Friday evening, I sat in my living room glued on my Television set to watch. And when news time came, I tuned into my favourite channel to update myself with the current affairs of the nation and the world too.
However, I was dismayed with an item on the catastrophic Budalangi floods which have displaced thousands of families. In the news item, I saw Saboti MP Mr. Eugene Wamalwa accompanied by Nominated MP Mr. Musikari Kombo and former Budalangi MP Mr. Raphael Wanjala make wild allegations rather than coming up with proposals to end the perennial floods in the area.
The legislators and the former MP visited the camps and started talking politics when their hosts (the floods victims) pondered where they will sleep that night, what they will eat and how they will reclaim their lost homes.
As a layman, I expected Mr. Wamalwa and his ‘God Father’ Mr. Kombo to address the matter at hand, rather than politicking. Their presence in Budalangi was more of a campaign platform for Mr. Wanjala than a session to console and sympathize with the affected families.
It seems Mr. Wamalwa has developed a trend where he only waits for a disaster to happen then he rushes to the scene with his troops only to shed crocodile tears thinking Kenyans are still the same Kenyans of yester-years.
Two months ago following the incident where four people died after a fuel tanker exploded and went up in flames in Busia town, I remember watching Mr. Wamalwa disparage at the ODM leadership over the incident as if the party is the cause of tragedies.
He attacked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government Mr. Musalia Mudavadi blaming him for the incident and was left wondering why Mr. Wamalwa had all of a sudden developed such ‘infinitesimal thinking style of politics’.
I wonder what he could do if he were in Mr. Mudavadi’s shoes. I know, he would do absolutely nothing. Mr. Wamalwa should know that well done is better than well said.
Back to the Budalangi calamity, it is an open secret that the people of Budalangi Constituency have for the last four years lived happily without floods despite the heavy rains that have been pounding parts of Kenya during that period.
With the good leadership of the area MP Mr. Ababu Namwamba, the people of the entire southern part of Budalangi particularly Maduwa, Bukhuma, Bulwani, Iyanga, Runyu, Khajula and Bubamba have never had their villages marooned as it has been a year in, year out trend in the past.
As a TV journalist way back in 2006, I made an extensive tour of Budalangi when the Southern dykes had broken and homes submerged. I saw the sorry faces of women and children looking up to the skies in agony while seated helplessly in tents at Mukhobola Health Centre. The relief food seemed enough to those who had never encountered a disaster, but too little to the victims at the Health Centre.
That was then. Surprisingly, Mr. Kombo who was then a powerful Minister for Local Government and the then aspirant for Saboti Parliamentary seat Mr. Wamalwa were never there to console with the victims.
It is shocking to see how today Mr. Wamalwa, a Presidential hopeful can stand before the suffering people of Budalangi and start attacking Mr. Raila Odinga, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya claiming that he is seeking cheap political mileage by visiting the floods victims in Budalangi. As a matter of fact, it is Mr. Wamalwa himself who is seeking that publicity, after all, Mr. Odinga made a name long time ago.
When the Late Vice President Mr. Michael Kijana Wamalwa (RIP) was alive, I never heard him make unashamed attacks at his political opponents. He treated funerals with the respect the dead deserve and used appropriate words where applicable. The younger Wamalwa is totally different. He is always at war with everyone, perhaps barking on someone’s behalf.
A great German Philosopher and Politician Johann von Goethe once said “to think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.” It is time Mr. Wamalwa realized that politics of confrontation are long overtaken by events. Kenyans know what they want, whom they want as their next leader and how they want their country to be governed and not mere rhetoric from some leaders.
As a person from Western and in my early thirties, I believe the people from this great region deserve leaders who are sober, focused and development conscious. I pay tribute to the great sons of this region the Late Mr. Masinde Muliro, the Mr. Moses Substone Mudavadi, the late Mr. Michael Kijana Wamalwa and the living legend Mr. Martin Shikuku. In their days, Kenya was young but they played mature and selfless politics.
Kenya is greater than insults leveled against an individual. In know common sense is not so common but we can do much better than what we are doing today to make Kenya a better place than we found it.
It is never too late for Mr. Wamalwa to learn and change. He is young and has the potential to better his image. This is not personal, but as a brother, I am only lending free advice. He must be a team player and respect other leaders elected. He must stop these blind attacks on other people.
In my life as a journalist, I have never had Mr. Odinga insult President Kibaki neither have I heard Mr. Kibaki insult the Prime Minister, though they are opponents. During his Presidential campaigns in 2008, Mr. Barack Obama never hurled insults at President George Bush. He attacked him intelligently on matters policies and not just merely saying things to please the masses. The present World is no longer the World of the sixties. It is changing and times too and a man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it, is committing another mistake.
Ends……
The writer is the Director of Communication – ODM.