We grow up with Kuyus because they are our neighbours
My missus is Kikuyu. She’s called Wambui – named after her paternal grandmother. Her shags is in Maragwa. Have you been to Maragwa? I have. If you come from a place like Kendu-Bay, just below the navel of South Nyanza, Maragwa comes as a little jolt. You get off the main road at the shopping centre called Irebu, then you plunge into greenery. Everything is green. The grass looks photo shopped. The leaves on trees look plastic. There are banana plantains, and maize and mango trees, and folk have tilled every conceivable piece of land, a show of both hard work and voracity. But God is a fair God. For what he gives the people of Maragwa in cultivable land – and a great weather – he gives them the most village drunks per square kilometre. It all levels out.
I was there in 2007, to meet her grandmother, my first time to venture so deep into Kikuyuland. I had no entourage, just me and my good Lord (today I’m sounding saved, no?). I sat in their humble stone house, feeling like a lab specimen, as cousins and nephews and villagers trooped in silently into the house to say hallo to the jaruo. The small talk that ensued was fleeting, itchy and marked by gaps that were filled with surreptitious smiles, most which had missing teeth. Mine. Even the passing hens stopped at the doorway to stare at me with cocked heads. The hens in Kikuyuland are all tribalists.
Finally, I was asked to go see the grandmother, who I found seated outside basking on a stool, after her nap. She’s very old. About 200yrs old. She squinted at me as I approached, I bet she saw a dark shadow loom towards her, the blackest chap she had seen in a while, and a jaruo no less. Village kids stared, and shoved for a better view. Her grandmother hang onto my hand in greeting, her dry bony fingers prying into my palms, she felt warm and fragile. I looked into her white-clouded eyes, and her face curved deep with age as she started jabbering in Kikuyu. And since I didn’t know what she was saying, I replied everything with “eeeeh!” You know how Okuyus say, “eeeh, eeeh” while conversing, even when they don’t agree?
“Eeeh,”…”Eeeh.” The womenfolk watching this spectacle giggled. Then I was shown the grade cows. And goats. And then I was given a tour of the farm, which they seemed mighty proud of. Then the good part. They served food. You know how people always joke about Kuyus boiling anything that can be boiled? It’s true. Trays and trays of boiled delicacy arrived before me. There was mukimo and meat with floating peas and potatoes and boiled rice…hell, I think even the toothpicks were boiled. Oh and there were cabbages. Why do Kikuyus have to have cabbages in all their meals? And in the vegetable family cabbages are the least lacking in personality. Cabbages look like they are constantly on antidepressants, now boil them and they totally lose their soul.
Also, I think someone (ahem) forgot to tell the cooks that I’m not big on red meat, so I sat there and struggled to eat these chunks of meat that I think had been boiling three days before I arrived, meat so soft they peeled themselves by just looking at them.
Nonetheless, they fussed around me as I ate; all smiley and suggesting that I try out this or that. It’s the thought that counted, but boy was that a long meal? In fact, they would later pack some of the food (the chapos were phenomenal) for me to take away. I always tell the missus that if I didn’t change my mind at that point when all that boiled food arrived at the table then very few things will make me change my mind.
Even though I was a Luo asking for the hand of a daughter of a Kikuyu I was treated very decently, but with a level of curiosity that I found amusing. I’m very certain that for some villagers who rocked up, they hadn’t really interacted with a Luo before. They had heard that the missus had defied tradition and gone to fish in the lake and so they came to see who the hell I was and how different I was. If I fit a stereotype of a Luo. I’m certain that apart from my large forehead, they found me pretty much normal. I hope.
I also happen to know many Luo guys, and not one of them is voting for Uhuru
Being the storyteller that I try to be, I regaled a few aunties with tales about my village. I romanticised Kendu Bay. I lied to them that I owned a small canoe, that when I go to shags I push it out into the lake for a fishing expedition. I told them I can debone a whole fish blindfolded and not get chocked. Ahem. You could say I pushed out the boat on that one. They laughed at some stories, or maybe they were just laughing at me.
But of course the missus confided to me later that they had questions they couldn’t ask me. They wondered why she would go “so far away” for a man. They asked her if she wasn’t scared. I asked her, scared of what? Our tradition, she said. What tradition? I asked. Well, they asked if she would be forced to sleep with the dead (gulp), or be shaven bald in case of a death in the family or that “tero buru” lore. I said, Of course! We shall also take you to the Lake at midnight and make you spend a night in a boat wearing nothing but a headscarf. We will also make incision in your skin with a rustic knife and rub herbal medicine in there to protect you from evil. At some point we will also remove your seven lower teeth. And if there is time, I added, we shall also teach you how to Nightrun. And no, you can’t wear running shoes for that. Barefeet. Buck-naked. Jango style.
Here is the thing. I realise through the missus that although our parents raise us in towns, they still manage to deceptively put in our heads subtle but very rancid ethnic vibes about other tribes. Every time the missus spends a night in Kendu, she normally insists that I push a table against the door of my Simba, on top of bolting the door. Why? Because growing up she was told of naked Luo night runners who hurl themselves against doors, especially behind doors that visitors sleep in, or pee and shell at doorways. Like you would be sleeping in the Simba and suddenly a naked man, lithe and black as Django, suddenly bursts into the house with the door then proceed to run off laughing hysterically into the night. I told her those are old tales, that in all my years going shags I’d never heard of a night runner doing that stuff. But she always insists on that table against the door. Sometimes we lock doors, thinking we are locking out night runners while all the time the night runner is in the house (Insert evil laughter).
But seriously. We grow up with Kuyus. We grow up with them because they are our neighbours; we go to school with them. We copy their homework, steal their pens. We do this because we don’t see them as Kikuyus. They are just like everybody else. But sometimes, you will hear something from your parents’ mouths, something they didn’t mean to say before you because they claim to raise you differently. You hear fables of Kikuyus who will steal from you at the drop of a hat. Sneaky Kikuyu women who will kill you in your sleep and take off with your wealth. I sort of grew up knowing that all barmaids are Kikuyus. There were stores of Kikuyus who will stab you in the back for a song and go right out and have a beer. Probably a Whitecap. We hear all this collage of tribal stories at home as we grow up, socialised in them but they are a complete departure from Kimani or Chege you know. And I’m sure the same happened in Kikuyu homes. Whispers. Seeds planted. Jaruos are this, Jaruos are that. Jaruo will marry many wives. Kehes.
As fate would have it, we grow up and we start chasing Kikuyu tail. Then we dragged them home and looked at our parents’ faces, as they remained ensnared between modern thought and dark ideology. Some of us are lucky to have had it easy, others aren’t so lucky.
At the end of it all there are many things we admire in Kikuyus, like the ability to boil everything
Being a Luo married to a Kikuyu means while the 9 O’clock news is just news for the rest, for us it’s an art of political correctness. This means that often she will say something that will piss me off. Hell, at news most things she does just piss me off. If she coughs when Raila is speaking, I will stare and go, “surely, that wasn’t necessary, did I make any derogatory sounds while Uhuru was speaking? Why disrespect Jakom like that, eh?” Because we are both voting differently, it sometimes gets a tad emotional when someone utters something that is deemed derogatory. Which means, as much as I want to say something smart about Uhuru’s eyes, I just can’t. Because it will be tribal and someone will sleep on the couch. Someone with a blog. Consequently, the only thing we agree on politically is that Kajwang should stop singing.
Truth is, most of my Kikuyu pals aren’t going to vote for Jakom. And I have gazillion of Kikuyu pals. But does their decision mean that they hate Jaruos? Does it mean, also, that I value them less or that they think less of me? No, it just means they are scared if Jakom comes in, Uhuru Highway – as a mockery to UK – will have a lane specifically for Luos. A lane cleared marked “Luos” and “Others”. OK, Turkanas will be allowed to share it. And Digos. But that’s it.
Their decisions are informed by comfort. That they are pandering to familiarity. I also happen to know many Luo guys, and not one of them is voting for Uhuru. I don’t see that like they hate Uhuru. They just feel that the presidency isn’t a province of one tribe. Or family. That surely, how else will the world know that the Luos posses other talents other than fishing? And throwing stones.
And ethnic pride shouldn’t be confused with tribalism, the line is thin, yes, but it’s not the same. Tribalism is spurred by ignorance while ethnic tribe is marked by information. Still, we are so scared of being branded tribalists just because we find comfort in our own ways.
At the end of it all there are many things we admire in Kikuyus, like the ability to boil everything. And I’m sure they are stuff they admire in us, like how we can be so totally comfortable in our (fore) skin. There, I’ve exorcised the elephant in the room. Can we all move on now?
At the end of the day we all want the same things. I look at my friends in their 30’s and we are more similar than we are dissimilar. We go to the same bars. We nurse the same dreams and fears. We have the same anxieties in life. We all want the same things for our children. We all want money in our pockets. There is homogeneity of our wants and needs.
I don’t want Uhuru to win. But if he wins, I will pick up from where I left things off. I will use the same route to the office. I will still have my black tea sugarless. I will still worry about the schools fees for Tamm’s class one next year. I will go back to worrying about the state of my car’s suspensions. I will visit the same bars. I won’t change my whiskey, or change my friends. Life will go back as it should because ultimately your direction in life isn’t anybody’s business. Raila won’t send bread to my house every week if he wins. Nor will Uhuru. Or Diba (though he might send some strippers). These folk will go back to their lives. Like we all should.
I look at my Kikuyu pals and I ask myself, Have they had better opportunities the past eight years when Kibaki was president? Have they progressed in life faster than I have because one of their own is in State House. Of course not. Ok, they might have had roads built right outside their shags but they hardly ever go to shags. Very few can claim to be happier and safer than say Papa Shirandula because Kibaki was been president.
If Raila wins, the world won’t stop. OK, it will for a two minutes, but life will move on. There will be the initial bravado on Facebook and Twitter. Horns will be tooted. Jokes will be made. But at some point we shall all realise that we have bills to pay and that Raila won’t write us a cheque. And we shall get on with it. Life happens very quickly when you focus on stuff that doesn’t add too much value to your life.
So let’s not get our knickers in a twist over elections. Let’s make it peaceful, if not for us, then for our kids. There is a scene in Pulp Fiction, towards the end, where Samuel L Jackson is telling that white lady – the robber- standing on the table, brandishing a pistol, to “be cool.” With his own gun trained on her, and her boyfriend held in a headlock in his hands, he asks him repeatedly to ask, “Honey Bunny,” to “ be cool”. Be cool Honey Bunny. Be cool. And that’s what we need, we need to be cool.
Bizokulu
About the Author
The Luo – Kikuyu divide is more than political
Otieno Kenyatta
When two bulls fight, the grass feels the heat. The scenario (let me not call it bad blood) between the Luo and Kikuyu in this country is peculiar to Kenya. When these two tribes find a reason to work together, Kenya jumps major huddles- but only for as long as the ‘marriage’ lasts. These two communities can decide to unite and share the presidency between them for long, may be their ‘animosity’ is a blessing in disguise to ‘small’ tribes.
The Luo – Kikuyu divide is more than political
When two bulls fight, the grass feels the heat. The scenario (let me not call it bad blood) between the Luo and Kikuyu in this country is peculiar to Kenya. When these two tribes find a reason to work together, Kenya jumps major huddles- but only for as long as the ‘marriage’ lasts. These two communities can decide to unite and share the presidency between them for long, may be their ‘animosity’ is a blessing in disguise to ‘small’ tribes.
In my attempt to try and get a solution for Kenya, I have realized that the difference is more than political. It is engrained in the DNA of the two communities; there are many fundamental differences that will have to be bridged before the political difference is solved. I will speak as an outsider though I acknowledge I am a Luo with two names from both communities.
Kikuyus are generally farmers while Luos are originally cattle keepers. The two cultures have followed the two tribes to the city and into the diaspora. The Kikuyus like all farmers are patient- they will invest (plant) and wait for the season of harvesting. The Luos who are pastoralists turned fishermen, are used to going to the cattle shed or the lake, fish out what is available and feast for the day.
The Kikuyu are used to seasons of crop failure so they will save for the dry season. The Luo on the other hand are used to living one day at a time. Cattle is slaughtered, dried for preservation or eaten fresh as a community. They will go fishing everyday and not miss what to eat, the lake is a constant. Now you know why Kikuyus are good investors and Luos good spenders.
Politically, when Kikuyus get into positions of power they fence it off like all farmers. They slot their henchmen in vital positions and begin the process of cultivating and harvesting. The pastoralists like Moi regime would graze down a government project then move in search of greener pastures to feed on again. Fishermen would put in the structures (nets) and exploit the catch day in and wait for retirement.
Another main difference is that Luos are patriarchal while Kikuyus are matriarchal. This is evident from the fact that many women MPs to ever grace the august house are from the Kikuyu community. To the Kikuyu, the children belong to the mother, while to the Luos the children are called by their father’s name. If Barack Obama was a Kikuyu, he would not care about his ancestral roots.
The other factor is how to attain results. While Luo children are raised to love excellence and guard their reputation, Kikuyu bring up their children with the balance sheet in mind. It does not matter how you earn your money- rich people are respected. Watch a Luo and a Kikuyu carpenter, the Luo would rather make flashy furniture and keep it for months- enjoying the glamour. The Kikuyu will make average pieces and sell many at a reasonable price.
The food Luos eat must be prepared to a certain standard. If someone cooks food that does not match the ‘lifestyle’ it will be called kikuyu food. Kikuyus on the other hand do not mind the quality; they will mix the food, boil and serve. They would rather spend time looking for money than eating good food.
I always tell people that former MP Njenga Karume should thank God he was not born a Luo, he would never have seen the inside of parliament. Luos will respect a poor professor and even elect him to parliament at the expense of a wealthy opponent. Education matters a lot, not just attaining it but even where you get it matters. So a Maseno University graduate will not ‘speak’ where a University of Nairobi graduate is.
Luos abhor blood- it takes a Luo more than guts to murder someone in cold blood. On the flip side, they are ruthless with people who do not tow the ‘upright’ social order. The thieves and conmen of Kisumu will never live in peace when identified. The people will come and get a thief from his mother’s house if they have to. On the flip side, Kikuyus will defend their kith and kin as long as it was a matter of earning some money. I have a hunch that if Mungiki was a Luo outfit it would have been annihilated, not by the state but the community.
Raila’s son Fidel in an interview with Kwach and Angwenyi on Easy FM said that his grandfather’s parting shot to them was “do not bring down my name.” To the Luo, the name matters a lot, reputation is guarded at all costs unlike the Kikuyu’s. Then there is the engrained socialism/capitalism divide. Urbanization has thrown the Luo socialism into an imbalance. The Kikuyu had their socialism broken down by colonial displacements and they adopted capitalism.
There has been a tremendous increase in Luo-Kikuyu intermarriages recently. I believe this will form a middle ground where the two communities can bridge their differences. The political differences stem from an inbuilt engrained culture. Whenever these marriages work you see a very stable and developed home. Even when it is a business partnership, the cultural mix just takes the venture to great heights. Luos are good managers while Kikuyus are risk takers.
The Raila-Kibaki generation will not sort it, but the younger generation can find a reason to agree to disagree. Like in a marriage, you accept your spouse at their best and worst. Unlike poles attract, and each has traits the other lacks but needs. The problem is the supremacy ego between the two- it must be sorted soon if we are to achieve Vision 2030.
I urge the government and the ministry of education in particular to work out a formula of sorting this problem. Nyanza and Central can exchange students and the students who agree to take up the placements be put on scholarships. This interaction may give rise to a different generation of Kikuyus and Luos which will be good for Kenya.
Kikuyu watatawala Kenya Milele juu ya Uchenzi ya Makabila cheap shit-pit wa Kenya Bona Ma-vi ya kikuyu ha-ya-nu-ki!After meeting the PM, Gichangi and Kimaiyo attended the country’s top security organ — National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) meeting. NSAC sitting that late in the evening urged Raila and his running mate in March 4 race, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, to suspend their rallies saying they could trigger violence.
The committee, which is chaired by Head of Civil Service, Francis Kimemia, also declared it would not allow the meetings to continue as planned. Other Members of the committee are Permanent Secretaries Mutea Iringo (Internal security), Thuita Mwangi (Foreign), Nancy Kirui (Defence), and Attorney General Githu Muigai. Apart from Gichangi, and Kimaiyo, the two Deputy Inspector Generals of Police – Grace Kaindi and Samuel Arachi – also sit in it
Focus on tribalism in Kenya
Alan E Masakhalia
Tribalism in Kenya is responsible for underdevelopment, corruption, the rigging of elections and violence. What can its background tell us about the future risks of Kenyan tribalism, and how to put an end to it?
Tribalism in Kenya is not a historical inevitability. It cannot be traced to ancient hatreds or warfare from cultures clashing over the ages. In fact, the major opposing groups, the westerners ( Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin, Kisii) of western Kenya and the GEMA (Kikuyu, Embu and Meru people) from the Mount Kenya area, had little contact with one another before the coming of the colonialists. Accordingly, Kenya’s tribalism is a relatively new phenomenon. It is a product of modern times arising from colonialism, urbanization and the political culture that sprung up in independent Kenya.
Before the coming of the colonialists Kenyan tribes lived in their own distinct areas with their own cultures, i.e. language, customs, myths of origin etc. The communities lived free from each other, save for some conflict over water and pasture for livestock.
When the British came, they brought with them the principle of divide and rule. They magnified differences amongst the various communities/ tribes, instigating clashes whereby each community distrusted and fought the other. This served as the breeding ground for negative tribal stereotypes which then became embedded in popular belief. The Kikuyu for example were given the impression that the fish-eating Luo’s were lazy, uncircumcised and unreliable while the Luhya’s were made to view the GEMA communities as schemers, liars, untrustworthy, arrogant and so forth.
This situation of suspicion persisted till the time when independence was realized in 1963, at which point tribal suspicions shot up as the two major parties KADU (Kenya African Democratic Union) and KANU (Kenya African National Union) began squabbling over power. KANU was a party largely dominated by two tribes, the Kikuyu and the Luo. KADU on the other hand was a coalition of all the other small Kenyan tribes that feared being dominated by the Kikiyu/Luo alliance under KANU.
KADU insisted on “majimbo”- a federal system of governance tbat they argued twas the only way to protect the smaller tribes from domination by the majority tribes (Kikuyu and Luo). However, KANU carried the day and federalism was discarded, in its place, Kenya adopted the unitary system of governance.
The unity between the Luo’s and the Kikuyu’s was short lived, since immediately Mzee Jomo Kenyatta (a Kikuyu) became president his administration started favouring the Kikuyu people. This favouritism manifested itself in greater government expenditures for social infrastructure in Kikuyu areas, corruption benefits to fellow tribesmen, privileged access to government and parastatal jobs. The Luo on the other hand, despite holding the vice presidency, were largely discriminated against, their complaints only eliciting intimidation and even assassinations in return.
Under the Mzee Jomo Kenyatta government, it was common to have many underqualified staff from the Kikuyu community placed in positions of higher authority than the qualified ones from other tribes. This led to the final falling out with government as the vice president Oginga (a Luo), was eventually pushed out of government and detained. The tribal rift was widened and solidified when a Luo minister who had remained in government was assassinated; Mr.Tom Mboya’s assassination was blamed on highly placed Kikuyu personalities. This was seen as an assault on the Luo by the Kikuyu, and since then Kenyan politics has essentially pitted Kikuyu against Luos, with each side attempting to attract other tribal groups to its side.
The consequences of tribalism
Tribalism in Kenya is indeed a major stumbling block to democracy as well as socio-economic development. It persists since it provides an avenue via which state goodies and favours trickle down from those in power to their tribesmen. Therefore, loyalty to tribe is given ever greater relevance than loyalty to the country.
Tribalism is responsible for a lot of ills such as underdevelopment, corruption, rigging of elections and violence/civil war. There is also no meritocracy as people are given jobs based on tribe regardless of having low qualifications. Hence the inefficient use of available skills. The exploitation of natural resources also takes a tribal angle, with resources in some areas being ignored or being under utilized. Bad governance and lack of accountability is also linked to tribalism as people will never question a government run by their tribesmen: even if it makes mistakes they remain supportive of it firmly and blindly.The reverse is also true. This means that even if a government does well it will receive daily unnecessary criticism from the tribes not in the ruling party.
Tribalism is thus used to withhold or provide preferential services and resources.
Thanks to tribalism, citizens are now questioning the call for Peace, Love and Unity. They ask for whom is this unity, peace for whom? For whose benefit? Rival tribes? Tribal clashes/ethic violence is a common occurrence in Kenya as in most African countries such as Rwanda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe etc. There is animosity, distrust and hatred amongst various tribes so that even intermarriages among some tribes are strongly discouraged by the older conservative generation as well as the rural folk.
The Luhya for example have a proverb which says “elisimba lifwitsanga mulikobi lya lyasie’’ meaning that a mongoose dies on behalf of another mongoose. For example if a snake bites you, you kill any or all other snakes that you come across – you don’t sit back and look for the exact one that bit you. In a tribal context, if I am harmed by a Kikuyu, then whichever Kikuyu I meet has to pay the price. This has the capacity to heighten tribal conflicts.
Tribalism has infiltrated politics and with the advent of multiparty politics, there arose lots of tribal parties. For example FORD K is associated with the Luhya, DP – Kikuyu, FORD PEOPLE – Kisii, SPK – coastal Kenya (mijikenda), NDP/LDP – Luo, KANU/UDM – Kalenjin, SDP – Kamba and so on. Voting in Kenya whether parliamentary, civic or presidential is nowadays done purely along tribal lines as each tribe believes that it is its time to “eat” (time to enjoy political power and resources).
In the political sphere, ‘leaders’ appeal to people of their own tribes when they want support, they also use their tribes as leverage when they bargain for positions and favours in government.
Heightened tribalism in the country has compromised the church and rendered the religious fraternity unable to offer guidance on matters of national relevance. The church is no longer trusted to be a neutral arbiter. Various churches are allied with specific parties, for example the Presbyterian Church (PCEA) openly endorsed President Kibaki’s candidature in 2007 and urged all its followers to vote for him.
Tribalism has been to blame for government sponsored assassinations as well as other political assassinations such as that of Tom Mboya, Robert Ouko, Othiambo Mbai and recently Hon. Melitus Mugabe Were from the Banyala community who was assassinated three weeks after winning the Embakasi parliamentary seat (in a Kikuyu dominated area).
The previous government was fond of fuelling tribal division. It was in the habit of creating and naming rural districts with tribal names, so that the residents got to feel that the area was strictly theirs and outsiders ought to be evicted. For example Meru District for Merus, Kisii for the Kisiis, Teso District for the Tesos, Kuria for the Kurias, Suba for the Suba people and even Taita District for the Taita tribesmen. This divide and rule tactic was used during election times so that ‘outsiders’ would be evicted if they chose to vote in a different manner. For example the natives of Kisii district would feel justified to evict non Kisii people residing in ‘their’ district.
The 2007 post election violence in Kenya is largely attributed to tribalism, due to the fact that in Kenya elections are simply a matter of life and death. The fate of entire communities is on the line. Raila Odinga (a luo) took advantage of this situation and ganged up the other 41 tribes against the Kikuyu led government of Mwai Kibaki. He mobilized political heavy weights from most of the other tribes and formed the ODM (Orange Democratic Movement).
The Kikuyu dominated PNU (Party of National Unity) was therefore faced with a tough challenge, even though the Kikuyu tribe is the most populous in the country. ODM was too strong.
Thus the election was never based on issues, ideologies or principles. Rather it was an avenue of voting out the Kikuyus, a showdown between the Kikuyu- led PNU versus a coalition of Kenyan tribes under the ODM umbrella.
Violence inevitably broke out when it became clear that the election had been stolen/rigged. People from president Kibaki’s tribe were hunted down, attacked and evicted all over the country, as other citizens could just not imagine being out in the cold, jobless and with zero infrastructural development in their areas for another five years.
The way forward
There is no point in addressing the ills bedevilling Kenya while ignoring the actual causes, since the major cause of tribalism in Kenya (and in Africa as a whole) today is the competition and confrontation over power and resources. There must be a clear formula of sharing of power and resources via constitutional arrangements. This will ensure that there is no more skewed distribution of state resources. At that point each tribe/community might be fairly represented.
It would also be best if power was completely devolved to regional governments – a federal type of government is the only sure way to protect small tribes from those who would wish to exploit and subjugate them. The other option would be to moot an arrangement that caters for the rotations of key posts between tribes. So far, federalism seems the better option since historically Kenyan communities have lived apart.
It is also necessary to enforce strict laws that regulate discriminatory practices in the provision of public service.
Tolerance is obviously a major requirement if Kenyans are to be united in diversity, so that citizens learn to accept and accommodate customs and practices that are different from theirs. For example I am Luhya. I therefore love Luhya, I was nurtured as one and it is the thing I best understand how to be. However I don’t disrespect or disregard any other group even though I see some things differently from them and would prefer some different things from theirs. God created me a Luhya and intends to keep me so. But I make a point of respecting other people’s cultures, even those who circumcise girls and even those who practice wife inheritance.
Tribalism is a retrogressive practice, as some citizens do like demeaning others and belittling others by disrespecting and making fun of other people’s cultures and customs.
Dehumanizing other people or simply considering them inferior is unacceptable and can degenerate into fistfights. Some of my native (Luhya) foodstuffs/vegatables such as Lisutsa, Lisaka, Murere,Likhubi are considered to be mere weeds in other parts of Kenya. Unity in diversity can only be achieved if tolerance is practiced.
We must help citizens to learn, understand and even just get a glimpse into the cultures of other Kenyans, since this alone will wipe out myths, generalizations as well as misconceptions, skewed and limited information about other tribes/cultures.
Building bridges across different cultures is necessary since, when standing inside our own conceptual schemes, we are blind to the possibilities of other ways of thinking, seeing, understanding, and interpreting the world.
It would also help if international donor agencies such as the World Bank would peg all development aid to conditions such as success in instituting constitutional changes and other appropriate anti-tribal violence measures. This is vital since it is only with the eradication of tribalism that real and sustainable development can be achieved.
If tribalism is to be successfully combated then meritocracy has to be fully embraced in both the civil service as well as the private/corporate sector. It is only the most qualified people who should be considered for job placements,. The hiring process ought to be transparent, interviews done and only the best candidates considered.
When the issue of tribalism is adequately addressed, the main cause of the conflicts will have been defused and in time governance should improve, corruption should decrease, skilled citizens will return home, investment will be encouraged, developments will occur and living standards will most likely improve. Most importantly tribal violence will be eradicated in the country.
You have made my evening!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4MnH7J0VOs&feature=player_embedded
Sitakulana Matako! Yaani Kitaumana!
Ethiopian Forces Lose Ground to Al-Shabaab in Somalia; Military Ramifications
March 21 | Posted by David Goldman | Intelligence News, Military Intelligence Ethiopian troops have left positions they held in Bay and Bokool areas after Al-Shabaab militants breached their defenses. Strategic Intelligence Key Points A contingent of Al-Shabaab militants led by Sheikh Mukhtar Robow forced the Ehtiopian and Somalian army out of the city of Hudur. Al-Shabaab have regrouped and acquired new weapons to sustain new offensives in Central and Southern Somalia Militants have been recruited… Read more
What does this dangerous Symbol Mean in Kenya Parliament? http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2013/03/kibaki-summons-parliament-senate-next-thursday/
Introducing Ucherati in Kenya Media and Tvs K24 is Owned By Uhuru Kenyatta!http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vMkHKZHcTh0#!
UHURUTO BETTER BUY THIS MZUNGU GADGET FOR YOUR SECURITY >
Francis Kimemia
Francis Kimemia, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security of the Republic of Kenya
Francis Kimemia has had a 30 year comprehensive career in public administration, development, and peace and security management from headquarters to the grassroots.
He is currently overseeing ongoing police reforms and restructuring Provincial Administration institutions. He has been involved in peace, disarmament and reconciliation process, creating over 100 district peace committees country-wide and strengthening community democratic policing, rule of law and civic virtues.
Francis Kimemia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Public Administration and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.He also graduated in Luo hate degree
at State-House in Nairobi .Kimemia is another Michuki reincarnate
GEMA-NSIS -DEFENDING UHURU AT ALL COSTS TO SUCCEED KIBAKI HAS BRIBED SC JUDGES: On more serious matters, hii maneno ya 300 million for each judge (rumours as is) got me thinking… Kwani from MP’s to IEBC etc getting all that money in bribes running into billions. Where does this money come from ? Kwani it is a bottomless pit ? Kweli some kenyans have cash if indeed the rumours are true. I am not an economist so someone answer me this: doesn’t all that cash flying around do some damage to the inflation ?
That notwithstanding, I woke up early this sunday to catch our mboys in Hong Kong kicking some portuguese ass in sevens, (yeah, take that you colonialists!!! Lol). To stay awake, I had to load my system with copious quantities of coffee so allow me to indulge my caffeine induced overactive mind and add to the theory of bribing the judges and connecting it to the ‘2.7 billion shs edict’ issued by Ruto recently.
I would love then (if above is true hehehe) to see how the judges explain their verdict irrespective of the evidence staring them eyeball to eyeball. Maybe, evidence notwithstanding, they will sleep peacefully knowing that at least they asked for a higher price (10 million times more) than Judas Iscariot. And for a lesser Sin. That cheap bastard… By the way, how do these bribes work ? Is it negotiable ? Couldn’t they go for a higher price ? Does one judge get more than the other (thanks to his/her negotiating skills) or do they sit together and issue a blanket price ? You know!!! For the sake of FAIRNES and HONOUR amongst Judges ?
Ati Gema has hired Serbian Army to train Kdf in NEP Marigat ?
Uhuru Kenyatta Cunning Friend has gone (Nyokonze)Marigyo in London According to Forbes Magazine Uhuru&this Guy were the most richest on Earth?
One in Africa the other One in Europe?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21914864
jaluo, wacha hypocracy. mbona you cant marry your own women? wachana na waschana wetu.