Kenya Education Failure

The more I delve into the media in Kenya the more I realize how much we have failed in achieving an ideally educated society. We may have free primary education, more high schools, technical colleges and universities sprouting from every possible plane on the Kenyan landscape, but the quality of education is so lacking that it pains me to think that we are actually going more towards anarchy than towards synergy within the country. We are slowly evolving into the jungle that foreigners think we are.

Teachers, on strike, nurses, on strike, doctors, on strike. I'm just waiting for the MPs and Governors to go on strike (i guess that will only happen when hell freezes over) because they are the only ones enjoying life.  All the real ma-sufferers are on strike, while the fake ones are doing what they do best - greedily stealing from the rest of the country. Plunging us further into the depths of the Failed States Index - indeed rightly where we belong.

Where have we failed?

There are are too many places, but the one I think stands out is the Education sector and it's definitely rearing it's ugly head all over the country at the moment with angry civil servants striking because of low pay, while the high ranking government officials swim in all sorts of luxuries. It's a sad state. Most of the leaders of this country are poorly educated but are lucky enough to have the gift of the gab and have been able to woo people into voting for them. Obviously when they get into power they only think of their own stomachs (and penises). Look at the governors splashing money to get their own luxuries in the name of devolution. We are definitely going the way Greece went ... but we will not see prosperity.

Why do i single out the education factor? Because there were no moral values given to these characters who are now our leaders. They simply don't understand that they are supposed to serve the people and not their own stomachs. The public first on the agenda, not the self. Sadly the education system does not teach this in any way. It teaches us how to memorize and spew out for exams what we've memorized. That's the 8-4-4 system for you. 

And it's getting even worse when you see that the common mwananchi is totally lost at sea when faced with a simple moral dilemma. You see people driving ambulances firing up their sirens at the slightest sight of traffic, not that they have a patient in critical condition in the ambulance. It's just that they think they are so smart and can abuse their authority on the road and get the easy way out. You see police vehicles flouting traffic rules. You see government officials push their way through traffic with sirens, outriders, complete with bodyguards and what not, ready to almost lift your car and throw you into the roadside trench, as though you are absolute trash. You also see people budgeting for bribes these days because of their laziness to observe road rules. 

Simple inability yo navigate moral obligations like these in the more prudent manner are the ones that indicate that the education system has failed miserably.

One Hope, One People, One Kenya

As Kenya draws closer to the polls one can easily see tribal stereotypes and prejudices being drawn out  ready for battle - an unnecessary battle. The tribal stereotypes and prejudices that are splurged year in year out by almost every Kenyan without a 2nd thought suddenly evolve from being harmless nothings to becoming weapons of mass destruction in the final stretch. This is even worse so when people take to social media to spread their sharp-ended opinions: Kisii's are like this, Kamba's are like that, Maasai's do this, Taita's don't do this, Kikuyu's behave this way, Luo's behave that way, Wazungu's are like this and Waindi's are like that ... Tribe X (verb) (adjective) (noun) ... All these nonsensical generalizations are all particularly negatively toned, undeniably with a hard-set stance and for the most part totally unsubstantiated.

Cut the crap! Why are Kenyan's doing this - drawing worded spears, machetes, knives, swords, stones against each other, ready to fight? Stop it, it's not worth bludgeoning each other for! You won't improve your conditions by slaughtering your neighbour - who gives you salt and sugar when you run out, or lends you money when you are in desperate need, or takes the next round of mututho knowing that you are clean and dry in the pocket. Your children even play together!

Vote for whoever you feel is the one who will represent your ideas. Don't impress your opinion in a such a heavy handed manner that you draw out your teeth and those of your neighbour too, just because of the difference in who you'll vote for. It's not worth it.

The truth is, come the Kenya General Election results 2013, some political leader will win the others will have lost, but THEY will still maintain their high and mighty position among the political elite. They have worked all these years gathering popularity and they are not going to lose it all in a matter of hours. They will still remain among the political elite and you, exactly where you were.

The facts are:

• The same guys will almost certainly run for presidency the next time, unless their health gives way. It is almost a sure thing that Raila Odinga, Uhuru Kenyatta, Peter Kenneth, Martha Karua, Musalia Mudavadi, James Ole Kiyapi, Paul Muite and Mohammed Abduba Dida will ALL run for presidency come the next election.
• It does not matter which candidate is elected: The progress that they will make over the next 1 term or even 2  if they make it will NOT BE SO REMARKABLE that it will drastically impact the future of Kenya and catapult it into the hall of fame. Look at the immensely popular Barack Obama: He may have had amazing ideas, lots of hope and a vision for change, but the US has not changed much for the better that has made him a stand out "best president that the US has ever had." The same holds for Kenya.
• Kenya's democracy can only evolve over time. It won't happen overnight. Progress is exactly that: A progressive thing - a development over time. It is a given fact that a better leader would promote better ideals for the country, but after watching the presidential debates you can clearly see that the vast majority of them are made of the same fabric. Their rule over the country for the next 4.5 years will be largely similar - little or no deviations from the norm.
• The people of Kenya, irrespective of tribe, colour, language, background, allegiance, religion, position or whatever other categorization or classification one can think of, are the future of Kenya. The next "King of the Jungle" head honcho, commander in chief, etc can only do so much for the common good. It is unlikely that the individual good they do will trickle down and affect this generation or the next. It will only come in time as the leaders slowly and gradually change - hopefully for the better.
• For now it is you the little person and your little community around you that can drastically improve the conditions around you - if only you had that drive and motivation for progress - to work for the betterment of your environs. Channel all that excess energy that you are using to market your favourite choice of presidential candidate into something more useful that your local community can benefit from more tangibly.
• As many have said, the amounts of money that are being pumped into pimping up individual electoral campaigns is nauseating. There is no free lunch, they say, so you can count on heavy economic deficits soon after the elections and obviously a rise in the politicians salaries soon after they take office. It's kind of straightforward reasoning. Anyone who says to look at the US elections and the billions they pumped into it looking for justification for Kenyan politicians to do the same is absolutely off their nut. The US presidential election is in another country that has a totally different set of political, economic and social circumstances so there is no comparison.

All said and done, vote wisely, accept the results of the election - whether or not there was rigging on whichever side, and lets get back to work to build Kenya. There is still hope for this country, despite all the negative, despicable and demoralizing things that happen, IFF we all work well together in peace and harmony as one people, one tribe - the resilient Kenyan people.

The Limits of Art - A comment on Makode Linde's "Black Woman Circumcision Cake" Art Installation

Lets do some analysis here on Generalizations and Stereotypes.
The theme: "Where are the limits that art can be taken to before it becomes offensive?"

[WARNING: Some descriptions might be a bit crude and abrasive, so proceed at your own risk.]

Situation 1:  
All Africans = Misogynist barbaric brutes : Because they love to cut up women through female circumcision.
Thus ---> The Western World has to educate these mindless Africans on their malpractice through creating a mockery cake of a naked African woman undergoing the cut, orchestrated by other women, with some lunatic moaning behind there, and everyone laughing. Afterall it's predominantly Africans who do this and they need to be educated.

Record the spectacle and put it on the internet/ on TV

Conclusion = This is Art! Very nice, very clear message that the procedure (Female Circumcision) is not good. Totally communicates the right idea and is praiseworthy! Let's applaud the art. Those who don't understand and complain about it - screw them, they are not enlightened.

Situation 2:
All White Westerners = Paedophiles and perverted old men who adore and engage in child pornography : Because they like to travel to exotic places and have sex with children, film it and put it on the internet.
Thus ---> The Rest of the World has to educate these mindless White Westerners on their malpractice through creating a mockery cake of a naked (white, latino, asian, african) underage girl going through the motions as a white man (preferably old) sticks a "penis-shaped" knife down a specific well coordinated location between the legs. Let's also have a little moaning and groaning with a live face there of the artist HIMSELF and some other old white men laughing. Afterall it's predominantly white men who do this, and they need to be educated.

Record the spectacle and put it on the internet/ on TV

Conclusion = This is Art! Very nice, very clear message that the procedure (Child sex exploitation) is not good. Totally communicates the right idea and is praiseworthy! Let's applaud the art. Those who don't understand and complain about it - screw them, they are not enlightened. (I'm sure the likes of Hugh Hefner agree here ... after all there's money in it)

Situation 3:
All White Westerners = Misogynistic brutish men and slutty women : Because they practice in BDSM (look it up on Wikipedia)
Thus ---> The Rest of the World has to educate these mindless White Westerners on their malpractice through creating a mockery cake of a naked white woman in black leather straps chained up, rings and hooks in all the strangest places, etc. Let's have some masculine guy in leather whip the cake a bit (just playing) and then stick a "penis-shaped" knife down a specific well coordinated location between the legs ... then anywhere else at random. Let's have a little moaning and groaning also from the artist HIMSELF and some other white men laughing around and taking turns in cutting the cake. Afterall it's predominantly white men and women who practice this, and they need to be educated.

Record the spectacle and put it on the internet/ on TV.

Conclusion = This is Art! Very nice, very clear message that the procedure (BDSM) is not good. Totally communicates the right idea and is praiseworthy! Let's applaud the art. Those who don't understand and complain about it - screw them, they are not enlightened. (I'm sure the likes of Hugh Hefner agree here ... after all there's money in it)

MY PARTING STATEMENT(S):
Do you accept this? How far have we taken the liberal nature of free speech to express ourselves in such crude manners, proclaiming that it is art? Does the poetic license of art - to offend any Tom Dick and Mary at will - have any limits?

Wake up everyone ... Western World, Africa, Middle East, Asia ...everyone! This is all offensive. This not art. Art is beautiful. Know that! We've lost the sense of Art, because people want to make quick money, by being provocative because then they get publicity through which money follows. Artists have bills to pay also, but there is an ethical way of conducting ones business.

A few fleeting questions:

• Are any of those stereotypic statements (up top) in any of the above situations, racist in any way?
• Do you feel any racist overtones in the way these artistic situations have been expressed?
• Can you communicate other stereotypes without being offensive? E.g. Arabs being terrorists, Jews being lesser people, Americans being plain stupid, Catholic priests being paedophiles, Mexicans being immigrants, Africans being lazy...etc

Next time, watch your tongue when you lash out that stereotype, or that abrasive remark, as a joke. You might think it's funny, but not everyone thinks the same as you. Learn to appreciate the differences by embracing them and understanding them. There are many who have already embraced otherness.

Kenyan Cops Need an Attitude Change

A sorry state, it is, when Kenyan cops terrorize fellow Kenyans with a myriad of trivial demands on our Kenyan roads. It is very pitiful the way they put up road blocks every night looking, not really to provide security on our roads, but to look for a few victims whom they will threaten thoroughly on ver trivial matters and somehow fleece a bribe off them. Well, I can't say that all cops are like that, there is a generation of cops, whom I have seen, atleast try to provide some sort of security on our roads, however they are very few and far between out there...[I think the guys on the BMW motor bikes are actually honest! I've been stopped by one who was quite courteous, and he gave me a warning.]

The Kenyan Police Force motto is an oxymoron if you think about their unscrupulous actions. "Utumishi kwa wote" - "Service to all." Sometimes I do think they might actually be doing a disservice to all, if by being on the roads their main aim is only to fleece unsuspecting road users.

If only they were to conduct their actions in an orderly, polite and courteous manner, I think we would come to appreciate their work more. They flag you down on the road with eyes that say "Guilty until proven otherwise" rather than the norm of "Innocent until proven Guilty." The "otherwise" is the leeway for the "on-the-fence" decision which involves soliciting a bribe - TKK,Toa kitu kidogo [kikubwa],chai, etc. And they are becoming very daring in demanding, yes there are some who will, without shame, demand a bribe immediately. I was victim to one who demanded a heavy 2000ksh [and he was shouting, and all around could hear him!]. This guy was manning the check-point just as you enter the airport on the Thursday afternoon of May 14th 2009. It seems that it is no secret that they look for bribes. It would seem that all the cops around have probably agreed that for every customer that they can terrorize, they fleece them and split the loot ["The fruits of their labour!"] among themselves. Have they no conscience, I wonder?

There are also those cops who diligently commandeer the chaotic traffic on our roads from 7-8am, but as soon a 8.01am hits, they abandon their duties, supposedly because the traffic has subsided [yah right!], and they begin to stop drivers on the road looking for the smallest of mistakes. I have seen them. There are some notorious guys from Kilimani police station after manning various roads in the Kilimani region engage in these disordered activities...and they are very regular at it to boot!

I may be blaming the man on the ground here for being grossly unprincipled, but we might not be putting the spotlight on the right culprit. Our dear government, and whichever docket deals with the management of the police force needs to pay their employees a reasonable salary; after all, if i'm not mistaken, they are civil servants [albeit underpaid ones, as usual].

Wake up our dear leaders of Kenya!

Testing post

This is a post to test blogger

Cops and Matatus on the roads of Nairobi

In recent weeks I have noticed more policemen [and even more so...more policewomen] on the roads of Nairobi.

In the recent past the cops have been confusing people on whether to follow traffic lights or not. This has led to so much confusion, with people following the cops' directions while they are there, and when they are not there, the rule of the jungle applies - "Sukuma, Twende! Every man for himself!"

Unfortunately, when the cops are not around no traffic rules are followed. It's such a pity that we human beings can't act like we have some dignity within ourselves and respect other drivers on the road. This particularly is the case of matatu drivers. If there is a traffic jam and no cops around, our "bush-trained" matatu drivers will take over the oncoming lane and push any on-coming drivers onto the side. The thing is that they only have their goal in mind - To get to the front of the line. If while doing so, it means causing an even bigger jam for others than so be it. These guys don't care.

Fortunately, since last week i've been seeing more cops on the road, properly distributing themselves, directing traffic and watching out for these rogue matatu's bent on defying all road rules.

Sometimes, with the cops around the traffic flows easily, other times it gets jammed up because of the confusion of whether to follow the cop or the traffic lights. Other times there are no cops on the roads and matatus go ahead with their wanton destruction...drive anywhere where your wheels can take you.

The moral of the story is that the responsibilty of keeping order on the road lies with the drivers on the road, not just the cops. The cops should only come in when there is no other option... as is the case right now with the brainless matatu drivers on the road.

NB: When i talk of "Matatus" i don't only mean these 14 seater Nissan/Toyota Hiace hooligans, i also mean these other goons [or bullies] called Citi Hoppa, KBS and some other company whose colours are mainly yellow and white [don't know the name of the company yet].

Absolute Morons for MP's

It is not a new discovery, unlike that of oil in Northern Kenya, that our "loyal" MP's are absolute morons, or atleast most of them are.

People are suffering in hunger and drought in remote areas in Kenya while we have our intellect-deficient MP's already beginning to run their rallies in support for the 2012 elections. They are bickering on petty issues of ODM vs. PNU. Come 2012, these parties might not exist or may be as defunct as KADU...KAU...Rainbow Alliance of the yester-years.

These guys should be working hard at this very moment building up their constituencies, rather than politicking, as Ida Odinga quaintly put it. Unfortunately these guys are just money hungry and will stop at nothing when it comes to filling their pockets.

They're already thinking about how to put themselves back into power, before they have served the nation as they are supposed to. It is with a very bitter taste in my mouth that i have to sadly say that they have no dignity, they are behaving like animals, and we must not have animals leading us.

The unfortuntate thing is that 6 months before the 2012 election, they will build a school tarmack a road and say that they are bringing good things to their constituencies. We will thus naively be convinced of their commitment to serving the nation and cast our vote in their favour. All will be lost once more for another 5 years...