At a recent Harambee in Kisumu almost all the Luos at the high table with me "declared" their candidature for 2007 general Elections. These people have a dog's chance of even getting nomination in whichever party. Yet, their pensions and savings will go up in smoke and in january '08. they will be broke and their lives forever destroyed.

In Kenya, once you praise a teacher (or any professional) for his good work, he resigns and off he goes to politics and he losses an Election and there and then he starts a hard life of indebtness, unemployment and depression. This is a phenomenon.

Am worried becouse, I have also been having funny dreams, seeing myself with a hat and a mukwanju, receiving applouse from villagers.

Is politics the destiny of all kenyans? Can it be explained through the Maslows' hierrachy of needs? Please advice.

Githioro.

That bit of seeing yourself with a hat and a Mukwanju,receiving applause from villagers is what makes most Kenyans waste their hard earned money in useless campaigns.

If you have been having those funny dreams, then that is reason enough to hit the road and start campaigning.

Chances are, you might also be dreaming of villagers urging you to be their Mheshimiwa.

In the next Harambee meeting, just declare your candidature and explain how you have given in to endless demands from the villagers to be their mheshimiwa

Muhu na Githioro

To answer Githioro's question, I would say that yes, politics is the destiny of all Kenyans, in fact, the destiny of every human being. Unfortunately, we have a very narrow definition of politics. We never conceptualize politics outside PS, Ministers, Assistant Ministers, MPs, mayors and other exalted offices where wanakijiji have to applause for you in order to get the crumbs from your benevolent hand.

I belive we should think of politics beyond the three arms of governement. Let us think of serious civil society, let us mobilize, educate the people and organize ourselves into formidable movements that will bring real positive change into our lives. Power is the way it is because this is the way we have institutionalized it. We have the means to redestribute power, only that we are not bold enough to realize it.

In this alternative mode of politics, you do not have to think of wasting all your hard earned cash to oil the hands of sychophants. Eventually, the wanakijiji will applause, not because they are trying to catch your eye, but because they truly know that you are in it together.

Thank you for your responses. I wont "declare" just yet, but will offer leadership in such areas as protecting the environment, fight aganist tribalism, corruption and ignorance.

Over the week-end I was in another function in Vihiga district( Western Province). In that particular constituency, there are 38 candidates so far, each clan a candidate..... and they are still coming forward. I see a problem in '07. So I agree, there is need to re-define leadership in kenya beyond the three arms of Govt.

Papa Daad,

Devolution (Majimbo)is good but in kenya it rings terror in some people's ears. this is mainly b'coz its loudest proponents (politations) see it as a way of expelling certain commuinities (read kikuyus) from their regions (or tribal kingdoms)for political expediency.

Can devolution work in kenya? What about the tribal animosity and mistrust that at the slightest excuse flares up into trbal killings.
(kuresoi, mathare, etc). We may opt for a devolved system and end up with a fractured nation.

Devolution can be good for the economy becoz regions will be producing products in which they have comparative advantage. coffee and tea in central, semi- arid area - livestock, nyanza- cotton fish sugar and rice. coast- tourism etc

In the Kenyan situation I think governance has to improve before we devolve, the civil service has to be disciplined and streamlined, becouse its response to the devolved administration could be negative. we also might end up devolving indolence to the grassroots.

Will our nascent democracy survive devolution? Well, it depends on the quality of our leaders and the awareness of the masses. How will the devolved govt be financed? A lot of research needs to be done but unfortunately our lecturers are on strike over 600% salary deamand!

Papa daad has a very well thought out argument in favour of devolution.but as Wa Ngurai has put it,the issue is with financing.It is a known fact that all corners of our country are not equally endowed in many sectors. e.g Natural resources, human capacity levels e.tc
What pre-occupies the minds of most proponents of Majimbo system is how the so called National cake will be shared out to all of them. Their work will only be to sit down and share it out.
But my question is this. Who will bake this cake?.Will we expect a coffee or tea farmer in Mt Kenya, Maize Farmer in Tranzoia or Fish gatherer in Nyanza to toil for 365 days in a year for other people to sit down and share out his sweat.The answer is a big No.
Everybody has to earn what he has to eat.
If this will be the case,what will happen to those who are less endowed?.
What will they sit down to share out?. Nothing.
This will be the end of our country.
We can recall that the indepedence constitution was a Majimbo one. The question then and now is still the same.What will happen to those who don't have. Are they not part of us?
A closer example to Devolution are County councils.Most of them can barely raise enough funds to pay their salaries.Every year they have to be bailed out by the central goverment.
Therefore, unless the issue of financing is well thought out,we will marginalise the already marginalised groups more.

I have read all of you contribution guys and ladies and i agree with most of what you have said. I dont necessarily believemajimbo to be the solution to kenya's problems, the first and the biggest is management at the government level, here i mean the president, ministers, ps's and cabinet. I will leave the organ of government out first because this organs generally go either side depending on the performance of the above mentioned. My biggest worry is that we kenyans put ourselves in the same situation or problem every five years, we very well know people who have stolen, accepted bribe, or have not acted on allegation or alleged misconduct on their juniour staff ..... and so on. we know this people but what do we do we vote them in , year in year out. What i dont understand is why but i can only guess, we are still tribe inclined nation, we only want to support our own dispite him/her being full of rotten buggage, i could be wrong, i am young (25-40)YRS and i just want to appeal to all the people whoare in this forum to continue educating kenyan, i am not tribal at all, and i can't stand anyone tribal.

The other thing that worries is lack of innovativeness on the part of the government, we are stuck to the same old ways, what the colonial government left is just what we are using, where are our new brains, i believe in devolved government but still held from the centre, i remember nairobi in the early 80s' and i look at it now, and you wonder are we going forward or backwards, nairobi had funtioning traffic lights everywhere now, it rule of the jungle, poor planning government intereference in council affairs has left the whole place a mess, look at what they did on globe round about, they created a parking for matatus, maybe it could have worked as a short term measure as they sort an alternative solution to the conjestion in the city, but it a permanent solution, but is it? it instead a nightmare cars going round, others trying to come in, its a total mess, this is where i say we need good managers and planner pople with vision.

I am hoping one day people in this forum will meet and conspire to put our minds and ideas together, for a part or organisation for the good of kenya, we seriously need to provide an alternative to the current leadership, have any of you ever thought of that, a party that before you join you have to declare your wealth and sources, be clear of scandals or corruption allegations, and a party that you can't join if you don't meet the above, i am serious about this guys we need clean people in our government .

I would love to know what you all think. Have a good new year