TRIBALISM-SPEWING MEMBERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA (demographics)

Source: Gado

#UkabilaniUjinga. So goes a twitter hash-tag. Tribalism is stupidity. So can be the translation. Tribalism, according to Hornby S., is a way of behaving in which people are more loyal to their tribe than their friends, their country, or any other social group.  Kenya seems to be contaminated, now more than ever, by a mutant form of olden tribalism which streams furiously on the social media as a wireless tribalism.  Yes, some of us are very alive in the media but we are wiser than that.

Much as we are still nursing heartache wounds due to the March 4th election sequel, we have conceded defeat humbly and moved on with usual life as expected.  What boggles my mind is the rekindled bitter exchange within the social media between the imagined or real loser and winners of the said election. You follow keenly the updates, comments, or the tweets teeming, you cannot fail to see virtual arrows and matchetes hovering over your head.

It is true the wars on facebook walls are a manifestation of our internal bleeding as a nation. We have cosmetically maintained peace but given the right -or wrong- trigger we might end up a 'barbeque' worse than 2007/08.

Being a responsible Kenyan citizen (above 21 years) with Kenya at heart, I sought to find out the rudimentary facts about the people behind the wars in the walls of Facebook and Twitter.  After a choreographed research, the appalling majority were found to come from our tertiary and middle colleges.  Have a look at the demographics:

• 98% of the people throwing up the tribal flummery on social media are from middle-college-age to university-level-age (ie 20—27 years)
• 09% of the lads & lasses spewing the tribal nonsense got lucky scholarship, live in diaspora, vomit back at their countries...
• 97% are still ‘students’ in their colleges, campuses, polytechnics, technical, or universities.
• 97% are not even near the so called ‘Middle-Class’

MONEY-FESTOS WITH FREE LOANS PROMISE OUT OF POINT

Snippets

• Presidential candidates promising free loans or money to jobless youth
• Every town is abuzz with street-vendors so…
• Most people doing small business consider themselves jobless
• Industrialization is the way out..

A promise we keep on getting from the top candidates in the presidential race is that they will give grants and soft, interest-free loans to all jobless youths.  There is no doubt that this is a noble idea.  There is also no doubt that this is given in good faith.  The only question is whether it would be wise, whether that approach can really solve our unemployment and poverty problems.

MUDAVADI + UHURU, TWO HIJACKERS HIJACKED THEMSELVES;MUSALIA SASA ANALIA

breastfed

There is a hilarious joke doing rounds that on a give and take basis Mudavadi will trounce CORD Raila before noon come March 4^th 2013. Ooh, Please! That is a will-o’ the wisp even the gambler will not risk.

Snippets

• Mudavadi is a hijacked driver out to help criminals on Hot-pursuit to elude police check point (ICC…)
• Elites in statehouse busy on the crack to re-install their high-paying jobs
• Elite mafia fear Raila will shake up the civil service and statehouse from leeches and endo-parasites
• With Mudavadi we are stuck as a country; soft & manipulable given the terms and conditions of flagbearship
• The status quo will continue.  70% (per cent) of Nairobians will still walk to work;  Humanitarian agencies like World Vision, Red Cross,UNICEF will keep on feeding millions of people especially in Rift Valley and  Eastern.
• As it is we will continue being watchmen at Ksh. 3,000 per month, bodaboda riders living hand to mouth, University graduates fighting for a space in Muthurwa or Kibuye for second-hand merchandise, etc
• Vote thee well

There is a hilarious joke doing rounds that on a give and take Mudavadi will trounce CORD Raila before noon come March 4^th 2013. Ooh, Please! That is a will-o’ the wisp even the gambler will not risk.

Will-o’ the wisp that ghost lantern in the folklore that used to lure gullible travellers who thought it’s a house ahead only to suddenly find themselves standing at the edge of a vast chasm with roaring torrents of water rushing below, leaving the traveler away from safe and reliable route.  Musalia has proved to be that ‘Will the wisp’ who through his soft docile demeanour we are tempted to think he will deliver us to a safe abode at the horizon. But on the contrary, as the real Will the Wisp, the ghost of a blacksmith that was given an ember from the fires of hell, after defying reforms by St. Peter in Heaven’s gate and being denied access to Hell by devil revenging, will-o’ the wisp in Mudavadi has settled to turn the ember meant to warm him and light his way in the twilight world to lure the Luhya travellers into a chasm.  The wishful thinking of him delivering the seat is whimsical.

   

As a people and as a 50-year-old nation we might get another so called new fourth president (Bus driver with moderate driving skills and no road experience; getting all sorts of advice on which gear to engage, which indicator to sign, which passengers to pick, when to accelerate or apply break or when to do both depending on the number of cheerleaders in the bus.)  These cheerleaders comprise a group of elites in Statehouse which I’d like to call ‘Central Mafioso’ who are busy on the crack to re-install their high-paying jobs in the next government (read DN 16 Dec 2012).  These Mafia are at it hammer and thongs to secure Mudavadi for his perceived ‘Mr gentle-nice-guy’, a manipulable marionette for easy hegemony.  Uhuru Kenyatta is among the mafia ring leaders.  These Mafia are at it because for them Raila will shake up the civil service and the statehouse from leeches and endo-parasites for realignment and REFORMS (Ouch!)

Yes agree with me Raila might not be the best, but hey, he is the only bus driver willing to fire-all for our sake.  Why would we like to remain stuck with an undecided driver (Messy), with one of the world’s most dilapidated bus, with the same old myriad of mechanical problems (impunity, corruption), same old makangas (top civil servants and MPs), same old untrustworthy mechanics (key government institutions), same old rough and rowdy passengers (tribalists).  And yet keep looking in the wrong place for explanations and the wrong directions for visions of change.

If we argue Mudamba Messi is docile enough for presidency, with no other choice on March 5^th 2013, thanks to “Let Kenyans Decide” political sympathies, we will swallow our collective Kenyan pride and accept -- proudly Kenyan – to be driven by a charlatan driver hijacked to overpass a police checkpoint(read ICC, elitism, mafiadom).  To be driven on the same old unpaved roads with no road signs (lackadaisical leadership) where wild and whacky chimpanzees in the name of matatu-drivers go berserk ensuring Kenyans of inevitable terrorism.  That is the government of ‘Messy’ Musa…, sorry I mean the Manacled Uhurusamoei.

The status quo will continue.  70% (per cent) of Nairobians will walk to work. Not because we are a health-conscious nation, but because we cannot afford the fare and food price simultaneously, things remaining same as now.  The places we call our homes where we ‘hide in the evening’ will continue being shanties located in convoluted, narrow corridors over open sewers with incessant stench of putrefied garbage.

Humanitarian agencies like World Vision, Red Cross, Blue Cross, UNICEF will keep on feeding millions of people especially the pastoralist in Rift Valley, North Eastern and Northern Kenya where malnutrition have hit 44% (almost a world record).

The citizenry naivety of their own plights will continue being watchmen at Ksh. 3,000 per month, bodaboda riders living hand to mouth, University graduates fighting for a space in Muthurwa or Kibuye for second-hand merchandise. That will be our souvenir for bad decision, which CNN, BBC and ALJAZEERA will glaringly put out “KENYA DECIDE SOFT PHARAOH 2013’

I guess what I am saying is a ‘PROJECT’ or ‘MANACLED GENT’ with statehouse on offer will never win the heart of Kenyan people, however, any amount of money used. Not so fast this second decade of millennium. Kenyans are not that dump and these chaps are going to learn the hard way.  You cannot run around with your presidential selling point being to maintain status quo of a few Mafioso, leeches and endo-parasites in statehouse enjoying all the trappings of state patronage!

This time Kenyans may act stupid but they are not that stupid.

Vote thee well.

Alphonce Magati

PEACE MUST PREVAIL IN KENYA

Kenya's heart

When the courts remanded one Waititu on Thursday (27^th September 2012) following his remarks in Kayole, Kenyans’ hearts gave a unanimous rousing ovation to the much hyped ‘judicial reforms’ that is maturing presto.  The social medial went frantic on Chief Justice Will Mutunga’s decisive leadership in the Judiciary taking center-stage in the fight against impunity and political lawlessness.  Surely, the three lives lost indecently due to the reckless statement, must be impressed, smiling at the judiciary determination of turning around this country.  The legal action against Waititu served as a precedent to dissuade other culprits of his ilk from polarising the citizenship.

Unfortunately, that is where our jubilations ended and the worries began.

Given the still lingering bitter-taste in our mouths after the 2007/08 pandemonium, and given we are approaching a similar time in the history of Kenya, what we have witnessed in Kilifi, Tana, Mombasa and Kisumu in the past few days is frightening and painfully so even by the deplorable standards that has always governed this country.  Therefore, such primitive and archaic incitements, harmless as they may appear to the literate, lethal they may be to the illiterate lot out there and should never ever be entertained anywhere on the Kenyan soil.  Later, releasing Waititu on a just 1 million bail was an insult to Kenyans, to the lost lives, and a tell-all of how in Kenya, murder, whether in first or second or third degree, is an obvious thing, can be denied and easily bailed out with a few affordable millions.  What a fragile rule of law.

As a concerned citizen, and a peace-loving youth, the worrying trend is that the disguised vengeance in poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, tribalism and illiteracy in our youths is boiling up really hard snowballing by the day into a nasty time-bomb awaiting ‘sparking plug’ from Waititus of this world.  What if he was not caught on camera?  What if a senior police was not beside him on the scene?  We could be still baffled the same way we have done on Tana River massacre so far.

This is bound to happen again because it is happening again.  Kisumu town, with its fair share of tribal troubles, is equally spiralling out of control with the emergence of two youth gangs: Chinese Squad (for TNA in Nyalenda) and American Marine (for ODM Kondele), all a spin-off of Baghdad Boys (Jeshi la Mzee), a proscribed group that has been terrorising Kondele junction along a trunk road opening Western Kenya and leading to almost all dormitory suburbs in the town.

The perpetrators, the schemers and the financers of the erstwhile gang are yet to be identified and dealt with maybe after we have butchered one another once more (God forbid!).  Right or wrong rumour has it that the new group members are swearing they must loot as they admire the looting that occurred in 2007.

The chilling message is that these kinds of militia, having not been demobilised so far, seem to have multiplied with newer formations and bull-headed stamina in a menacing rate.  That itself is worrying but what aggravates the matter is when the police have all indications that they have been overpowered, overwhelmed and downtrodden.  If I were the PPO I could suggest a curfew to idlers along Kondele, Nyalenda and Bus Park at least to put this groups under check, I could also crackdown the already known culprits. But any junior-most police officer will tell you even the PPO is only available in Kisumu in very few limited days.

The rapidity of occurrence of criminal activities by such groups compounded by a whimsical whiff of concern or conscience from political leaders and a frail robustness of counteraction by national security agencies usually result in massive destruction of properties or loss of lives.  In such cases, then, we are stuck as a nation, and we have stuck tragically in the wrong end.  In deed this is a tragedy of our nation, a nation cursed with a clues government, a government that could watch her citizens languish or even die in the hands of crooks without even blabbering for a massive emergency response.  Is it true the government doesn’t know itself?  Even the political leaders pointing fingers at the government?  Who is he/she anyway?

As they say, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Alphonce 

As appeared in local dailies

NAIROBI RIVER WOES, THE PICTURE OF KENYANS IN THE WASTE-LADEN WATERS

WHO WILL SAVE NAIROBI RIVER? There is no way to a healthy nation, environment is the way.

Alphonce Magati, Sustainable Urban Environment (SUE) Campaigner and Expert

Snippets

• It is an interesting matter of conjecture when we are caught up in a web of politicking dubbed as reforms, revolution and new dispensation, yet we are ignoring the critical and vital issues in life; deteriorating environment

• A tribute to Kenyatta hospital (or any other hospital for that matter) will ascertain that many patients suffer from water-borne or water pollution related diseases.

• The much hyped Nairobi River Basin Programme, after pooling more than 10 government institutions, have misunderstood the problem and the solution all together

• Apart from the almost tourist-friendly site between the Museum Roundabout and the Globe Cinema Roundabout, the rest of Nairobi River is hysteria.

• The Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) on Nairobi River on various sections of the river can be likened to an infantry sent to battlefield without any armoury, for defence or attack

• There is no way to a healthy nation, the environment is the way

SIRI Magatzine. The prevailing effervescent and now reloaded political atmosphere, which is disturbingly endemic to Kenya for a longer time now, condemns some of the critical and vital issues in life to drown in the political cacophony like any other pollutant. It is an interesting matter of conjecture when we are caught up in a web of politicking dubbed as reforms, revolution and new dispensation. At the rate we are taking political appetizers, it is more apocalyptic especially when we are losing the right course. The Hague will come and go, the Ocampo Six will go and come back, but Mother Nature is here to stay with us.

In times of narrow-minded intolerance, in times of political instability and in times of anarchy, it is easier to point fingers and in the process justice accessed; yet when the environment means to avenge on humanity for mistreating her, there will be no scapegoat nor sacred-cow. But where are these sentiments coming from? Take a look. Now more than ever it is an obvious knowledge that 75 % of the ailments that trail Kenyans and African at large, are purely because of poorly managed environment. A tribute to Kenyatta hospital (or any other hospital for that matter) will ascertain that many patients suffer from water-borne or water pollution related diseases. But the question that begs for an immediate answer is, why is that continuing unabated?

It is amazing that in a country with a natality explosion of over a million people annually cannot predicts its future waste generation in black and white. A close eye on the Nairobi River itself could speak volumes of how we are on a non-moving lane, environmentally speaking. Despite the much hyped Nairobi River Basin Programme, the pace and vaguely defined institutional responsibilities clearly state how we have misunderstood the problem and the solution all together. First, pooling more than ten institutions into one objective with a cheque of more than 3.5 million dollars yet deliver such undoing, is a self-inflicted insult and gets gravely close to corruption and impunity.

Nairobi River Rehabilitation Program (NRRP)

For starters, Nairobi River Rehabilitation Programme is a multi-stakeholder undertaking tracing back into 1999 that merge the Government Ministries, United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat, the private sector and the civil society to restore and manage the river’s ecosystem. But apart from the tourist-friendly site between the Museum Roundabout and the Globe Cinema Roundabout, the rest of Nairobi River is hysteria. Nairobi River and its tributaries traverse through the whole of Nairobi; from Mathare River, Motoine and Ngong’ Rivers join and flow to Athi River and eventually the Indian Ocean.

Starting at the bridge of James Gichuru Road, the river is fairly clear with a faint trace of smell. At the next stretch to the Museum Road and to the Globe Cinema roundabout, the river is still clear. From this section the total overkill of the river livelihood begin. The automotive garages, car washes, illegal sewage discharge, solid waste dumping take over the river. At the Kariokor Roundabout, the stench heightens. Down further, it meanders into Bondeni and Gikomba market. Here the worst damage is not enough as it meets more shoddy garages. As the river flows through Eastleigh, Buruburu, Kariobangi, Dandora through Kasarani it is no longer a river but an open sewer line. Mathare River, a tributary, starts to get the same lashing at Mathare phase four. Ngong River, another tributary, gets the worst damage from the industries illegal and untreated discharges laden with all chemicals and heavy metals. All these enter Athi River and threaten lives downstream. A case in point is the Kabaa irrigation scheme which is straining from solid waste and chemicals resulting from Nairobi River.

The short stretch between Museum Bridge and Globe Roundabout has not won the hearts and minds of Kenyans, and donors too, given the funding and time period. Something needs to be done.

Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) on the River

The Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) on Nairobi River on various points can be likened to an infantry sent to battlefield without any armoury, for defence or attack. They work against hostility from people farming along the river banks especially in Imara Daima estate and Mukuru kwa Njenga. Illegal sewer lines and discharges by known and unknown industries/firms at night when there is no surveillance. The presence of illegal electricity wiring across the river poses more danger than the polluted river itself. A part of Donholm estate uses the river as a dump site. Despite of all these, the KKV people have no protection gear leave alone appropriate river-cleaning tools.

There is no way to a healthy nation, environment is the way. Contrary to popular expectation, just encouraging a 10 % tree cover in Kenya is not good enough for environmental sustainability. And especially when Nairobi, Kenya is the home of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), as well as many other international and national organisations like National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). A visitor to Nairobi could be easily mistaken that this city is the cleanest city. Behind the glittering facade, Nairobi is brimming with filth jeopardizing a normal life. A visit to many of our bedroom-suburbs or estates confirms this. There is dirt and dirty water almost everywhere! As for garbage, the eyesore is everywhere including on roads, open spaces and rooftops. Indeed, many urban dwellers wish for sustainable environment. But all the responsibilities will start with us as individuals. Otherwise, environmental negligence and degradation, which is the greatest hazard to existence both on earth and in the heavens above, will cost us dearly.

Name: Alphonce M. Magati

Environmental Engineering,