Letter from Kenya :My words with Francis Mwongela

MY SPACE IS IMPORTANT TOO: NOTHING TO SMILE ABOUT MIGUNA MIGUNA’S LITERARY PROWESS

Writer:Francis Mwongela

Peeling back the mask: a quest for justice in Kenya is one of the books I am reading so far. The author of the book has written what is apparent in Kenya. Maybe one of the reasons as to why he was surprised is because before coming back to Kenya a few years ago, is that he could not tell that Kenya had become worse of than he left sometimes in 1980s or thereabout. Political opportunism is rife, it has been cleansed, corruption is gloried and immorality baptized. So what is the new thing Miguna Miguna telling the world about Kenya? To me, his memoirs are an old story retold in the same angle, same storyline and point of view. What happened to John Githongo’s dossiers?

Once upon a time some Pharisees, scribes, teachers of the law and elders took an adulterous woman to Jesus and as the story is told in the bible the Holy One asked them if the woman was ‘sinning’ alone. He wondered where the other party was. The Master went ahead and asked them whoever did not have sin can go ahead and pelt stones at the lady. He bent down to write with his finger on the ground and the accusers surfaced. What he wrote however I don’t know. The story goes on. All eyes are on some individuals to resign because of alleged ‘graft’. The enemies of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga now are showing up. They are very ‘clean’ as far as graft is concerned. Even ordinary Kenyans who have not once cheated on their spouses, failed to take care of their families are shouting from the rooftops. Shame on them!

Over this week I have also seen masqueraders demonstrate in Nairobi sending ‘boys’ fed on local brews to holler insults on the premier some even pouring maize grains at the entrance of his offices. To me this is total bullshit. Who is clean in Kenya? Who has not hired a relative with little education and left out the poor qualified Kenyans? How many Matatu drivers have not given bribes to the poor traffic policeman on the road? So what are the allegations in the Miguna’s book? Corruption? What then is corruption if not what every Kenyan is doing day in day out even in their kitchens?

Let any Kenyan who feels clean stand up and be counted. The moral decadence in our society cannot be solved by what Miguna thinks and writes about. I am not defending anybody nor do I have any intention to do so. If you heard the media pelt stones and condemn any corruption scandal you would imagine they are very clean.  Yet this is the most corrupt institution on earth. Are the news stories we watch not a product of bribery for publicity by individuals to editors and journalists?

Greed for materialism brought about by primitive capitalism is what has gripped humanity. Back to history the Mau Mau who fought for the independence of this nation. Many other nationalists also did do fight. Majority died. So what? After independence they were told to go to hell. Now it’s the sons and daughters who collaborated with the whites are the ones enjoying what those poor Kenyans dying pushing ‘funny funny cases’ with the British government fought for. And worse Still they are not likely to do benefit.

The elites cocooning themselves to steal from the poor Kenyan is nothing new in this country. The poor stealing from each other is still an old story retold. I overheard Miguna Miguna claim that he has received calls from all over the world thanking him for the book. Those nations from the west calling him are hypocrites. What have they done to Africa since independence? They have been perpetrating wars, military coups, civilian coups and hiding thieves and stolen money from poor Africans by their corrupt leaders. They use the same money to come and do business and loot in Africa. I would not listen to them. They have exploited Africa world over. What would they say about reforms and humanity? Are the health bills brought in the United States by the democrats an example of humanity? I tend to this is the home of hypocrisy and idiocy metamorphosing in Africa.

What drives politics in 3^rd world countries if it’s not about my space, my business, my wealth, me, myself and I? I love and admire one man. The late professor Katama Mkangi, who once upon a time wanted to become the president of this nation; However I want to differ with his socialist ideologies as expressed in his book ‘walenisi’. Though he feels that earth can be heaven, I feel that’s a far fetched thought. Few people would want to go to heaven. How then do you expect them to make earth an heaven to live in? If they want to go to heaven then why are they racists, tribalists, greedy, corrupt, looters, killers?

Miguna miguna however has exposed and verily said and portrayed that the problems facing Kenyans cannot be solved by the political class of this nation if at all he means what he says happened in Kenya. Then if that’s the case, the repetition of Miguna Miguna is in all African states and I bet it’s in worst proportions in the developed nations.

The innuendos from the west are the best examples of the worst kinds of corruption and immorality in the world. Could the west shut up and give Africa time. Could Kenyans keep off from the politicians and solve their own problems? Farmers should go to till their land whether they have shoes or not, teachers go to school and impart knowledge. The police to maintain law and order and judiciary give and ensure absolute justice. Otherwise what Kenyans think and where they look upon to get solutions to their problems maybe is the wrong place. That’s why Kenya remains a poor and a corrupt nation.

The writer is a Media Consultant and Journalism Lecturer in Nairobi
mwongelafrancis@yahoo.com