"MPigs" Exacerbate Teachers Strike and More To Follow

Tuesday, 25 June 2013,Kenyan parents ,public school students and teachers have a legitimate need to be concerned .The strike declared by the Kenya National Union of Teachers( KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers(KUPPET) is an ominous sign of further looming strikes exacerbated by the recent unrelentless push by Members of Parliament to increase their salaries despite resistance from the Constitutional Salaries and Remuneration Commission,the President himself ,Civil Society and other quarters.What that means is dialogue may take a back seat in negotiations and brain and muscle ala push and shove becomes the new norm of getting what one wants.

Simple logic is that Citizens tend to mimic or emulate their leadership hence the selfish push by the MP's in more than one way informed the masses of the need to resiliently press for better emoluments and salaries with little or no regard to the resources at hand.

Whereas i am not a politician nor do entertain any particular political ideals it is common sense that the MP's move was ill informed and the country should expect ripples and repercussions as more and more public and private workers employ a policy of no retreat no surrender when bargaining for better working conditions or terms for engagement.No matter what rationalization the elected members of parliament may have had ,they seem to have forgot that anyone may come up with any excuse or cogent reason for salary increase especially in this day and age where uncertainty in the economy, high inflation and interest rates coupled with unemployment and insecurity lay supreme.

All said and done, i believe that the teachers will have their way ,either now or in the long run to the detriment of the students and the parents and after the teachers watch the space for upheaval and strikes from other sectors.Thats the bare hard truth and bitter pill that Leaders have to swallow.They set the pattern!

Was the AU Panel of Wise -Unwise on Kenya Pre-election Assessment?

Was the African Union Panel of the Wise and the COMESA/IGAD committee of elders unwise in their assessment of whether Kenya is ready for peaceful elections #choice2013 ?

A priori ,from the reporting of the Kenyan Daily Nation Article entitled "Kenya ready for peaceful elections-panel" it may seem so.But wait a minute Kenya's media houses have been known for sensational reporting was this perhaps one such instance?I cannot say that with certainty as the author actually quotes Dr Simbi Mubako of Comesa as having said "following our assessment, we get the impression that Kenyan people are ready to conduct these elections in a peaceful and free manner that is dignified"

I was just about to forcefully rebut  the opinion of the team with cogent evidence of a Country now waiting with anxious baited breath and properly so as evidenced in the violence, confusion,corruption,bribery and un-democratic  manipulation  witnessed during the recently held nomination primaries.The hard fact is that the Country and its populace is little or ill prepared for the task before it.
Common sense however dictated that i first read the  Communique from the team before i issued the rebuttal. A close look at the communique indicates that the committee has not given the Kenyan republic a clean bill of health as the head to the elections in March 2013.

While the Panel applauds "the strides made during the last 5 years to address some of the structural causes of the [2008] post election violence...the positive impact of the new Constitution and the growing confidence in key institutions that have undergone reforms,notably the judiciary and the security sectors" .It  urges that, and this is the point that " closer attention" be paid to "security sector,media role and responsibilities,civic and voter education,and the management of post election phase including transparency in tallying,professionalism in reporting and management of electoral victory and failure".Their opinion falls short of a clean bill of health, there is not even an iota of a conclusion that Kenya is ready.Rather the thinly veiled warning is for the Country and its institutions to tread carefully and watch out for pitfalls that have been identified within the one week period that the AU panel and committee of elders had to assess the state of preparedness of the Kenyan election year 2013.

In real sense they are addressing areas that many sensible and peace loving Kenyans are apprehensive have not been given due concern that they rightfully merit especially after Kenya being on the precipice of violence and anarchy at the last election.It is important to note that at present Kenya is still balkanized on a tribal and political basis. There is still great intolerance in various parts of the Country to political ideals at variance with those belonging political/tribal leaders from the particular regions.You can almost determine to a person their candidate of choice dependent on the region they come from.At the same time, the campaigns hardly focus on the real issues but on name calling,political vitriol, threats and dares and the likes of what was witnessed some years back save for a sniff of restraint due to the ICC snare.

A wise man once said ,"if you always do things the way you have always done-you will always get the same results you ve always had-in other words expect the same results" and that's true,The truth is even if the elections proceed with no major skirmish...deep in their conscious thoughts Kenyan are at a state of hostility and suspicion with each other based on such insignificant issue as tribe,language, colour or religion.A poor man would rather vote for a known thief simply because he or she belongs to his tribe rather than a person of impeccable conduct and above suspicion as 'Caesars wife' such choice simply based on  ethnicity is a sad state of affair.

As the Dutch/Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza(1632-1677) succinctly put it "Peace is not absence of war it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice" and might i add a state of mind and heart that within itself has no element of mistrust.To achieve that state of affairs, a higher and more honorable form of civic education needs to be undertaken but sadly it is beyond the scope of the current regime or human effort to attain that.

Resurgent Clashes in Parts of Kenya(Editorial)

It is clearly disturbing to see pockets of clashes erupting in certain parts of the Country such as Moyale and Baringo especially now as the Country heads towards an election period.Equally disturbing is the fact that the current coalition Government was established with an express mandate to address "the recurrent" and "deep seated and longstanding conflicts" amongst the Kenyan people(See the Preamble of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act text).


Interestingly ,the collective Kenyan conscience/populace often treats the media reports with little or no concern so long as a relative or friend is not involved and so long as the flares happen in a part of the Country that one is not acquainted and least bothered with.But if 2008 is anything to go by these small flares should be treated with utmost seriousness as they depict a psyche among the populace that needs to be changed and addressed.

The Government fails in that it can instigate a war against the Al Shabaab and channel its machinery and resources to that war when a few foreigners are abducted whereas on a daily basis  the media reports of Kenyans loosing their life over conflict on resources and politically instigated boundary issues. It stands to reason that the real threat against Kenyans is domestic-Kenyans themselves and the Government ought not to entertain even at the least bit such altercations and the persons provoking ,arming and financing the different tribesmen involved in those clashes. That is not a request but is essentially the reason for the existence of the current Government;to the extent that they are unable to quickly and effectively resolve this issue to that extent they fail!

This year it should not be business as usual -the Government should not only exhibit the power to stem this occurrences but also demonstrate to all and sundry its will to do so.On the other hand the Citizens also have the primary obligation to demonstrate that they are beyond politics of violence, racism and tribalism and they are not simply pushed by every wind and whim of influence to do the bidding of selfish leaders who lack hindsight ,foresight and basic wisdom!
(see news items 1. 2  3. 4 )

Kenya Public Vehicles "Matatu" Strike!

Yesterday's boycott by public transport operators(matatus) perhaps should signal to the Kenyan Government the  urgent need for them to develop a public transport policy and network that should be independent from private operators and serve as an alternative to the thousands of workers in various sectors of the economy who mainly depend on public transport to reach their designated work places.The man hours , economic opportunity costs and losses experienced yesterday  should not occur in a Country that is seriously determined to become developed by 2030.

I have always proposed that we build subways and metro stations inoder to use speed trains to ensure that we have less cars on the road .The more cars we have the more we shall experience environmental degradation and emmision of green house destructive gases. It is also more costlier.

Instead of just building more roads we should invest in the railway infrastructure to ensure Kenyans travel with much ease, comfort and certainty. Mobility of labour is a good economic investment. The matatus have a reason to strike seeing that they are often cash cows for the money hungry traffic police. Less traffic on the road will effectively mean less corruption but again among the Kenyan ruling elite...who wants that. Its just so sad we take for granted certain things.At the same time Kenya's workforce should not be held hostage to private entrepreneurs without the option of an alternative. Capitalism has its gross failures as illustrated in yesterdays Kenyan Matatu's strike!