LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD AT 50 YEARS!

The nation is still basking in the eerie of turning 50 years! Yes, half a century since we took charge of our destiny and determination, away from the yoke of colonization. At a packed Safaricom Stadium Kasarani (formerly Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani), H. E President Uhuru Kenyatta led the nation in marking this auspicious event. Our first birthday since, the late Munyao Kisoi lowered the Union Jack and raised the Kenyan flag, atop Mt Kenya on December 12^th 1963!

Pomp and color best described the day! We let go of our daily troubles as a country and put on brave smiles that braved even the chilly weather around the country! Kenya had finally turned 50 in the year of Jubilee, under the Jubilee government! The day when Kenyans forgot tribalism and ethnicity and threw them into the gutter, their rightful home! Kenya shone brightly and stood tall, as the entire world joined us in the celebrations and world leaders trouped to Nairobi.

Indeed, as a nation we have come far, education, infrastructure, technology, democracy and economic well-being, among other spheres of life, Kenya has indeed grown. A country of multi-party democracy, access to elementary education and higher learning institutions has reached great heights, we have the Thika ultra-modern highway and our road infrastructure is by far the region’s best. We have adopted the democracy of accommodating divergent political views and opinions and our politics, even though greatly pronounced along tribal and ethnic overtones, have never led us to a civil war, unlike what most of the African countries are used to. We have grown into being the region’s economic hub and yes across the globe, Kenya has earned her respect.

However, as a country, celebrating 50 years, we have had the negatives that have hindered our efforts to make Kenya the country that our founding fathers and independence champions dream of. Poverty, ignorance and communicable diseases ail the country, half a century since her birth. Add corruption, negative ethnicity and tribalism, nepotism, plundering of the nation’s resources, divisive politics and the disgusting culture of impunity and you get the perfect reasons why most Kenyans at large, do not have much to show for and celebrate, 50 years down the line. These have been the Achilles heel that has held our country hostage.

It is at best ironical that as we mark 50 years of self-rule and determination, the very problems that we experienced at independence, are what we are still fighting. The jiggers that torment our brothers and sisters in parts of Central Kenya and other parts of the country are a shame. Kenyans have died of hunger in recent years, our marginalized Kenyans in the Northern Frontier still shed blood over water and pasture for their livestock, cattle rustling is not going away anytime soon, the girl child in the marginalized parts of Kenya is still faced with the chilling fangs of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), forced marriages at tender age and some outdated traditions still deny her access to education.  Poverty is biting even harder in the slums that have mushroomed in our cities, the cost of living has skyrocketed and basic commodities are slowly but surely becoming a strain for Kenyans who are falling deeper and deeper into poverty, with every dawn of the sun.

At 50, Kenyans have become disillusioned about this beautiful country. Pregnant with expectations as the sun rises, yet as night falls disillusion sets in. The daily hardships and challenges have almost chocked the spirit that lives in the hearts of Kenyans. From bad and divisive politics to unnecessary leadership wrangles in our county assemblies and power fights, Kenyans have just had to take in too much. Most of the leaderships have clearly failed and the politics of recycling are the order of the day. Those who failed to deliver while in office, camouflage and come with party clamor, and due to politics of euphoria, they get back to office.

As we jubilate and eerie at reaching the 50 years milestone, let us be true and patriotic to our nation. We have reasons to celebrate but again, we have daunting challenges and hurdles that besiege us. True love for our country demands that we must sit and objectively look at these two sides of our nation; the side of successes and the other one of failures. We must uphold the rights that we did to achieve these successes and even do more. On the other hand, it will be suicidal to ignore the failures and why they happened. This is the way to realize Vision 2030 and also make sure that in the next 50 years, we all have reasons to smile and be proud of our beloved nation!

We must appreciate our Harambee Stars for gifting us the perfect present as we marked our birthday. Their victory over Sudan, not only confirmed them as the region’s best, but also gave us all reasons that the African Nation’s Cup in 2015 to be held in Morocco, is a dream that is closer than ever. Apart from fan’s apathy especially in Nairobi, the team under Belgium tactician, Adel Amrouche, displayed some attacking football that we had never witnessed in recent years!

Happy Birthday Kenya!

ADIOS TATA!

BYE MANDELA! Screamed the Saturday Standard of December 7, 2013. Kenya through her media and leaders had paid tribute to the legendary statesman from South Africa. The Daily Mail captured it all in its headline, DEATH OF A COLOSSUS. The Sun, eulogized President of the World. The MDIBA, a television channel went on air since his death, solely eulogizing and paying tribute to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the father of the nation!

Politics and the sporting world once again came together, just as Tata had joined them in his life. The entire world and all her leaders paid tribute to the respectable man who lived up to every bit as a statesman. The sporting fraternity too paid to the man who was instrumental in ensuring that South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup. Born in August 18 1918, he passed away on December 5 2013, at the glittering age of 95 years! He experienced the chills and horrors of the apartheid regime, fought them and united South Africans, away from the racial differences. The revered man, fondly referred to as Tata Madiba, the man is no more.

He was a unifier from the moment he walked out of prison; these are the words of fiery South African cleric, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. And yes indeed, Mandela exemplified this in his struggle to fight for the independence of South Africa, fight against apartheid and the fact that he united the country. He broke the racial lines that were the trademark of the apartheid regime! After 27 years in a prison on Robben Island, as a result of the ideals of freedom, equality and justice that he believed in  alongside other leaders like Walter Sisulu and Steve Biko among others, Mandela served only one term as president; from 1994-1999, then handed over power to Thabo Mbeki. Now this was humility and love for the nation. He chose not to cling on power as most African leaders do. Mandela did the complete opposite of the African trend whereby presidents hold on to power for as long as they breathe, not bearing in mind their ailing health and age!

Mandela was the enduring figure in the war against apartheid in his home country. A battle that he won and on his ascension to power, chose magnanimity over revenge, he forgave his oppressors.  Through him, the Rainbow nation was united and the apartheid was defeated. He dismantled the legacy of apartheid by tackling racism, poverty and inequality and fostered reconciliation of the black and white races. This set South Africa on the right footing to development and better lives for her citizens.The African son who believed in the cause of a better Africa for all.

From the Rivonia treason trial in 1964, where Mandela delivered a moving speech from the dock about ‘this struggle by the African people for a free and equal society, where all people had equal opportunities and lived in harmony. Later, these words captured from another speech … an ideal that if need be, my Lord, I am prepared to die for……,  showed the resolve by this man in his quest for a better South Africa. He was defiant and prescient, even as the shadow of death loomed so near every second of his bitter and treacherous fight for his ideals and cause.

Mandela chose to live his better part of life in trying to make his country better for all, and break the inequities that were so pronounced along the racial lines. Out of his 95 years alive, Mandela lived only 22 as a free man! And yes indeed, Mandela won this battle, however in a journey that was gruelling and even earned him the tag of the most famous political prisoner of his time.

In the sporting sphere, a year into his presidency, the South African rugby national team, The Springboks, won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, at their first attempt as a unitary state. A red-hot Jonah Lomu-inspired All Blacks lost to a Mandela- inspired Springboks.  President Mandela was on hand to the Ellis Webb trophy to the then South African captain Francois Pienaar. Three years later, the national soccer team, Bafana Bafana (The Boys) won the African Nations Cup, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. …Sport laughs in the face of all discrimination’, Mandela once said. Truly incredible performances from a nation that was barely ten years old as a democracy! South Africa was fast blossoming in politics, social and sporting spheres!

However, as we join the entire world in mourning the death and celebrating the life of this legendary statesman, we need to revisit the leadership lessons that he taught us.

After a 27-years incarceration on Robben Island, Tata came into power in 1994. But he did one incredible and unique act of leadership. He chose to forgive the very tormentors who had made his life hard alongside other freedom fighters like Walter Sisulu and Steve Biko, among others. He chose magnanimity and humility in his five years of presidency and broke the bitter racial lines that South Africans had known. This is what African leaders should look into and break away from the nepotism, ethnicity and politics of division that they hold onto while in power. This would be a giant step in curing the African leadership of these ills of division that they sow with unyielding determination.

He chose to hand over power after just one term in office! This is perhaps the greatest legacy of the Mandela leadership that most African presidents have dismally fallen. Relinquishing the trappings of power, after just a term in office, despite the bitterly painful struggle and fight against apartheid and colonisation, is simply incredible!  It is only in Africa where we have presidents for life! They hold onto power for decades and abhor any sign of change. Political intimidation and constitutional violations are two key weapons that they use to cling on power. This is done at the expense of a nation’s peace and the social-political and economic well-being of the citizens. This high office is mainly used for personal and selfish gains. As a result, African is lagging this behind in development due to these poor leadership patterns; a continent that is the richest in natural resources. Mandela set the ball rolling in the right direction but successive leaderships across the continent have lost the plot.

As a continent, very rarely have African presidencies adhered to these great virtues of responsible leadership and service to humanity that Tata Madiba taught us, all through his struggle and then in his one-term presidency. The greatest respect to Tata would be for the African leaders to follow in his footsteps of leadership. That way, Africa would get back on that track that Mandela, Mwalimu Nyerere, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Kwame Nkrumah, among others envisaged as they waged the battle to attain self-determination and a better continent for all her sons.

You will always achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution’’ Nelson Mandela once said on revenge.

Rest in Peace Tata Madiba.

GOR MAHIA’S GLORIOUS SEASON!

It was billed as the title decider! The most important game for the front-runners for the 2013 Kenya Premier League, Gor Mahia and Sofapaka. The match that was to decide if the green army won their first title in 18 years, or whether Sofapaka, popular as Batoto Ba Mungu clinched their second title since their promotion to the Kenyan top-flight soccer in 2009.

After a grueling 90 minutes at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Ugandan hitman, Dan Sserunkuma earned Gor Mahia a 1-0 victory over a wasteful Sofapaka side. This is the goal that effectively ended K’Ogallo’s 18-year old wait for the league crown. It also ensured that the green army faithful earned the bragging rights over ther arch-rivals, AFC Leopards.

Last season’s painful memories of a last-day title loss to Tusker Fc, had been the nightmare to every green army follower. The agonizing day at Nairobi’s City Stadium, when Thika United denied Gor Mahia the premiership crown that every fan believed that it was theirs to lose. However, as many K’Ogallo fans decried, the football gods had conspired with fate to deny Gor Mahia football’s bragging rights.

With three matches to go, Gor Mahia has all but sealed the 2013 premiership title, leaving their mashemejis, AFC Leopards and Sofapaka to fight for the second spot. Even sweeter is that, Gor Mahia will fly Kenya’s flag in next year’s CAF Champions League; the sweet taste of Africa’s premier club competition! The ever optimistic K’Ogallo fans are crossing their fingers and hoping that this will be another 1989 when, a Peter Daw’o led-Gor Mahia, won the Mandela Cup and etched their name into the continent’s history books; the first club from East and Central Africa to win a continental title. However, this is all history and Gor Mahia has a chance to lock horn with the likes of Al Ahly, Orlando Pirates and Esperance, among other giants of African club football.

As a football loving nation, we hope that the current Gor Mahia side, that has been the most consistent for the past three seasons will give us something to smile about, when club continental soccer kicks off next year. 

THE HARROWING HAGUE HALLOWEEN!

The harsh reality has slowly but surely sank into the hearts of the entire nation. Our sitting president, Honorable Uhuru Kenyatta is awaiting the commencement of his trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, in November. But is this the cup of tea that the nation envisaged in late 2008,when the then ICC Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo declared that he was to use the Kenyan case as an example that crimes against humanity have no place in the society? My crystal ball tells me, NO!

After the infamous Waki envelope that was handed to former United Nations Chief, Koffi Annan, notable efforts were made to establish a local tribunal to try the suspects and ensure that the cases did not end up in the corridors of The Hague, as is the case now. The Late Makueni senator and former Constitutional Affairs minister, Mutula Kilonzo, former Gichugu legislator, Martha Karua and Honorable Gitobu Imanyara, all saw their efforts viciously quashed at the floor of the 10^th House. At that time, the deliberate decibels of ‘Let us not be vague, let us go to The Hague’ reverberated across the entire country.  Most of the politicians argued that The Hague process was the only avenue through which victims of the 07-08 blood-letting would get justice.

Almost five years down the line, the harsh reality of The Hague process has set in and the same politicians, who had the golden chance to save the country and the suspects from trial at The Hague, are screaming loudest, with all manner of deliberate untruths and outright lies. The ICC has suddenly turned into a political axis, heel-bend on settling political scores, depending on which side of the political arena one has taken. To others, it is the deliberate and devil plan of the western powers to rule over Kenya. To others, it is our sovereignty that we are losing to the west! All manner of arguments rent the air. Rightfully so, it is country with a constitution that greatly safeguards the freedom of expression and opinion opinions, thus all opinions are correct and must be accommodated.

However, when we all soberly sit and look back, we must accept that the 10^th parliament and politicians failed to set up a local tribunal and hence invited The ICC into the country. So our sovereignty is not on trial. Had a local tribunal been set up, then our duly elected president and his deputy, alongside journalist, Joshua arap Sang’ would not be at the Hague. As a country, we must accept this failure and bemoan the fact that the parliament unanimously voted to take H.E Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy Honorable William Ruto and Joshua arap Sang’ to The Hague. Our politicians failed, the parliament failed and the entire nation failed. Our politicians should stop pretending to mourn alongside the president and his deputy and instead swallow the bitter pill; that they failed in setting up a local tribunal that could have averted The Hague reality check.

The greatest regret is that our duly elected president and his deputy are facing trial in a foreign land. This is scenario that we could have avoided had we not done unnecessary politics. The Hague was sure to happen and our politicians should have known better.

It is not Uhuru Kenyatta on trial, but the duly elected head of Kenya is at The Hague.  It is not William Ruto on trial at The Hague, but it is the duly elected deputy president of the Republic of Kenya. This is the harsh reality that we must bemoan and accept as a nation.  Remember that, they have great constitutional responsibilities to dispense as the two most powerful men on the land.

COLOR-CAMOUFLAGED STARS!

Any keen Kenyan who religiously follows our heart-breaking Harambee Stars must have noticed that the team lacks consistency in their colors.  We must accept it that indeed any fan of HarambeeStars must always break his head in the quest to get the latest colors of our Harambee Stars. The Samba Boys of Brazil, Argentina and even closer home, Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Indomitable Lions of Cameroun, have traditionally maintained their colors and designs. Harambee Stars change theirs almost at every game! 

For example, in the just-ended dismal campaign for Brazil 2014, Stars donned at least four different colors and designs, sadly, somewhere awfully copied designs of European clubs. This begs the question, is it that kit designers are scrambling to kit our national soccer team or is it that someone somewhere is making a kill out of this whole issue? My crystal ball tells me that the latter is what happens, for the two simple reasons. One, Harambee Stars are one of the biggest disappointments that we have had to endure for as long as we can remember. Secondly, the poorly designed kits, that are outright copycats of some European clubs, cannot be the work of any serious kit designer, like Adidas, Nike, Puma or even Kelme, whose logo dominantly feature on the Harambee Stars kits.

We all remember the baggy jerseys that Harambee Stars donned in the return match against Nigeria, in the qualification for Brazil 2014. Needless to say, theses jerseys were exact replicas for the 2013-14 season that Manchester United is donning. The only difference was the Kelme and Football Kenya Football, FKF logos and of course the big Kenyan name that was inscribed on them.

In every continental and regional engagement, our Harambee Stars somehow bolt out of the dressing rooms in new kits! Just as the un-rivaled turnovers in coaches, the kits are equally different. The inconsistency with which Harambee Stars change their kits simply baffles everyone. A phenomenon that must be turning all big teams turn green with envy, only if it was that great!

THE KENYAN POLITICIAN!

Just as the elections draw near, so does he draw ever so close to the ordinary mwananchi. This is the time when wanjiku walks hand in hand with the magical politician, and the ever canniving politician listens to the plight that wanjiku faces everyday, as she wakes up early and goes to bed late. Politicians, who spent their entire four-year terms far away in the comfy of their posh and lavish homes in Nairobi, interestingly troop to their constituents villages it is the vote-hunting season!

Their campaign teams turn the villages and city estates into shouting matches, all in the name of selling their manifestos to the electorate.  They turn our dusty football pitches into political arenas. Their helicopters blow dust into our weary eyes and their campaign entourages fill our already filled roads, in our cities and in the villages. The huge public address systems atop their campaign vehicles almost blow our ears and fill the air with all manners of noise; all in the name of campaigning.

They spent months with their constituents, far away in the dusty villages, away from the comfort of their lavish city homes. They religiously make Sunday masses their most favorite past times. They take part in all village events from funerals to fund-raising proceedings. The politician is ever close to the very people who elected him to the five years around the trappings of power.

They drop their mheshimiwa tag and freely mix with the constituents. The very government that they owe allegiance to suddenly stands at the accused corner.  It is accused of non-performance and renegading on its promises to the country’s patriotic voters! But wait a minute! It is the vote hunting season and the politician is just doing all it to endear himself to the hearts of the electorate and secure another five years in power!

The election bells are rigging and the politician must secure another five years in power. Sweet and alluring trappings of power! 

YOU WILL MAKE IT

Tough times make or break. The former defines great men and women around the globe while the later belongs to those who panic and give in whenever they are hard-hit.  The indefatigable spirit and never-say-die attitude amidst the insurmountable challenges and hardships are the floodgates to success in life and yes indeed in all endeavors.

Think of that bare-footed school girl in some part of Rift Valley, running away from forced marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), think of the drought-ravaged child in Turkana, think of the jigger-infested feet of a school-going child in Central Kenya, think of that child in some part of Eastern Kenya where getting water is a challenge, think of that child in the slums of Nairobi where nothing is guaranteed , think of that youth in the Coastal side where drugs are ravaging the lives. All of them have a belief that tomorrow will be good and free from the troubles of today. Hope, persistence and strong will are the words.

It is said that the darkest hour is the one immediately before dawn and yes indeed this is so true. But wait a minute, it I sat this hour when the make or break comes in. Tough hearts and spirits make it but the feeble and not so strong hearts break. This is the reality of the world. On empty stomachs when pangs of hunger bite and threaten to take away the last bit of energy in you, when you literally come to an end and darkness gloom your life and all you can see is apocalypse, when at school you cannot attend classes because you have never paid a coin, when you are forced to forgo exams and wait for you next chance. When in the university campus you feel like hating yourself because you lack the basic necessities and cannot enjoy eerie like the affluent students do, when your life seems to be forever laden with problems and constant need. When as the sadists say, you live in a life of permanent crisis and lack defines your lifestyle. These are when that indefatigable inner you should always count and lift you up. Take a consolation and realize that your life was meant to shine and be good. These problems are only shaping you to be stronger and equally prepared to mix it with life when the going gets tough and pain turns excruciating. Take heart and make the hard step, you are slowly but surely marching on to your success.

That which does not kill you definitely makes you stronger. In life, hard times call for strong heart, determination and the will that that ‘I will make it’ must reverberate in your heart. This is the definition of strong character and personality. Hard, tough and bad times never last a lifetime, but character and personality does. The heat of the moment should not let you into regrettable actions, like disappearing into anti-social vices. Whenever you seek refuge in these vices simply because you have problems and seemingly insurmountable ones for your already over-burdened heart and strength, you are handing victory to the pangs of your tormentor. Soon or later, you will have to deal with the double-tragedy of trying to rescue yourself from this comforter-turned-tormentor. Your conscience and heart are haunted by the heated decisions that you took. Your peace of mind and spirit slowly but surely fades away. That is when reality sets in and you realize that you must unloosen yourself from your captive, who once offered you solace. To men, the captive might be alcohol, bhang and all sorts of hard drugs while to women, the tormentor might be sex-for-money, alcohol and other forms of hard drugs.

Whenever you take refuge in these anti-social vices simply because life is being harsh on you, then soon or later, regrets must set in. Questions like, why did let myself into this? Is this what my life was meant to be? Does my spouse know that am slowly dying deep inside? What happens when my family, friends and close circles know of what   I am doing? Should I end my life? Should I seek help and support before it is too late? These are the last strokes that definitely break the camel’s back. Psychological loss of this fight is imminent and if not checked, the bitter end is a must.

From rags to riches, ashes to glory, go the storylines of successful people who at a point in time, had all their hopes, dreams and goals staring into the fire of destruction and hopelessness. But character, strong will and personality took them past these.

When gloom, hopelessness and disillusionment cloud your path, there is always some light to illuminate the way. There are so many who were in worse and deplorable situations, yet they held on and fought the fight. You too can do it. Take heart; take on your fears, nightmares and all hurdles that threaten your dreams, hopes and aspirations

THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE HAGUE!

In late 2008, the chorus was all too deafening, as politicians urged the country not to be vague but rather go to The Hague. This was in reference to the famous Waki 6 envelope that had been handed to the former United Nations Secretary General, Koffi Annan.   Slowly but surely, The International Criminal Court, ICC, was baring its teeth. Luis Moreno Ocampo, the then media friendly prosecutor made several trips to Kenya, and even adopted a cheetah! Little did our politicians realize that this was no public relations! Ocampo had a job that had to be done! Our politicians, the masters of double-speak were keen on having the International Criminal Court, ICC, ensuring that victims of the 2007-2008 indeed got justice. According to them, the only avenue to realizing this was through the ICC!

Former Justice Minster, Martha Karua and her successor, former Makueni senator, the late Mutula Kilonzo, and Gitobu Imanyara all saw their efforts for a local tribunal viciously squashed by the August House. Our politicians in the 10^th House dug their political graves and laid the political landmines that are now threatening the political lives of their colleagues and a now job-less journalist, Joshua arap Sang’.

Our president, Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto are now fighting the battle along te corridors of internal justice in a foreign land. And now, the same politicians have since voted for Kenya’s withdrawal from the ICC. The distorted truths and outright lies that Kenya’s sovereignty is at stake and that the ICC is a political witch-hunt are the talk across the political class. But a question begs, why did the politicians thwart efforts to form a local tribunal to address the post-poll nightmare? The answer is simple; no politician ever believed that Luis Moreno Ocampo was going to make them pay. They saw the ICC as an empty threat and a distant dream that best existed in movies. Sadly, the reality has set in and in a bitter way. 

The fear is real and the grand trial is on.  Do not forget that Kenya is the first country to have her sitting president and his deputy in the dock at the ICC.  The tenth parliament is squarely to blame for this. Had they listened to Karua, Mutula Kilonzo and Imanyara and heeded to retired president Kibaki and former premier, Raila Odinga, then this would not be happening. Mutula must be laughing in his graveyard at the turn of events that he had so well cautioned against. Karua and Imanyara, in their political oblivion must too be laughing the loudest.

The obsolete show of solidarity by the Linturi-led mps to the Hague, is just a non-starter. Former premier, Raila Odinga once metaphorically laughed off this move by a section of legislators, adding that it is a pure waste of time and money that could have perhaps being channeled to better use. Otherwise how do you explain it when they could not even access the court-room and worse still ended up getting an hairdryer treatment form the law enforcers at the Hague? Mithika Linturi and his colleagues should have learnt that not every part of the world is Nairobi where they can boss around as they wish. In Europe, the law is respected and status counts for nothing when it comes to the rule of law. Perhaps they could have taken a tour of the Amsterdam Port and learned a thing or two to change our congested Mombasa Port, or better still, they could have attended the Dutch Eredivisie and watched Ajax Amsterdam or PSV Eindhoven live in action!

As an independent, free and educated mind of the modern society, we must face it and accept that the tenth House took President Uhuru, his deputy William Ruto and journalist, arap Sang, to The Hague. They had all the power and time to form a local tribunal, but they chose not to. The voices of Karua, Mutula, Imanyara and a few others were all drowned by the parliamentarians. About four years later, when the ICC wheels roll the tune suddenly changes and deliberate half-truths and lies that our sovereignty is on sale, rent the air. Worse still, our legislators, some who were in the tenth House and fresh faces in the 11^th House, travelled together, apparently to give moral support to our sons at The Hague. This is pretentious, cheap deceit and politics of sycophancy, that define us.

The political gods are not to blame. Rather, our mps in the tenth House took us to The Hague. We should be men enough and still chant ‘Let us not be vague, let us go to The Hague!

                                                                    Published on 2^nd October 2013,

                                                                    Mutuamaundu.blogspot.com

AFC LEOPARDS GETTING IT ALL WRONG

Luc Eymael has finally been thrown out of the Ingw’e den and Harambee Stars assistant coach, James Nandwa has taken up the hot seat. At Hope Centre, Charles ‘Korea’ Omondi too has been sacked and replaced by former Igw’e tactician, Jan Koops, at Nairobi City Stars. These are the latest victims of the unforgiving nature of the Tusker Premier League. They say that a coach is as good as his last game and this is now all too clear in the local league. But forget the changes at Nairobi City Stars, the fuss and cameras must be at the much- hyped Igw’e den.

The 3-1 mauling at their Mumias Sports Complex backyard by Chemelil Sugar, was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Prior to the Chemelil loss, the 2-all draw with their Mashemejis aka GorMahia where AFC Leopards surrendered a 2-goal lead, followed by the 2-1 loss to Tusker at Nyayo National Stadium, all signs were clear that the Ingw’e den was getting impatient and heads had to roll.  Then their bogey team came calling at Mumias Sports Complex and dealt the final blow. A 3-1 bitter loss not only dimmed AFC Leopards’ chances at lifting the silverware, but also put paid to Luc Eyamel’s tenure at the Ingw’e den.  Former Kenyan international and Utalii Fc midfielder, James Nandwa has taken up the reigns, with seven games to go. But this development paints a grim picture of a Leopard that is slowly but surely losing its spots and needs to go on a soul-searching sojourn.

Firstly, sacking Eymael only worsens an already dire situation. It is interesting to note that before this sudden dip in form, Leopards had registered four successive wins against quality opposition in the league. Barely two years ago, Ingw’e were riding high and coasting to KPL  glory, only to slip on some banana peels and panic set in. the then coach, Jan Koops, now at Nairobi City Stars, was sent packing and Tom Olaba  brought in. Needless to say, Olaba could not steer the ship back to glory. History has repeated itself and the same costly mistake is back to haunt the 12-time Kenyan champions. Even in the prestigious English Premier League where performance is the only talking point, coaches do not come and go mid-season. The Ing’we camp must learn to be patient, at least as their mashemejis and take the long and enduring road to success. A coach must be given the time to build a winning team. This is where Leopards are getting it all wrong. At least five coaches in two seasons is the mark of a team that goes into a trauma whenever losing games becomes the other name of football!

The Belgian trainer recently demanded a pay rise and when he returned, his future was rendered untenable following the departure of utility defender Jonas 'Paco' Nahimana and midfield kingpin Peter ‘Pinchez’ Opiyo who secured moves to the USA and Oman respectively. According to the coach, ‘Pinchez’ move was done behind his back! The acrimonious departure of the two key-men in the Leopards team, have undoubtedly dealt the 12-time champions serious blow to their title ambitions. But this is neither here nor there. This is story for another day.

Secondly, the high turn-over of coaches and players at any football club, brings with it instability and constant changes to the playing unit in that gelling the players and identifying a winning combination at best remains a dream. Every coach comes with his trusted set of players and playing formations that pose a big problem to the players as they try to gel with new players and adapt to different formations. By the time anything close to a winning team is identified the championship is in the homestretch. A title race already decided. This is what AFC Leopards have perfected of late and the results have been calamitous. My crystal ball tells me that Nandwa will too not deliver and come season-end, he will get the boot!

Before you forget it, Ingw’e fans must be bemoaning the high turn-over of tacticians since 2009, when former Kenyan international, Nick Yakhama brought them from the football oblivion that AFC Leopards had fallen into. Since his departure, the club has had at least eight coaches, including the latest victim, Guy Eymael. All have fallen victim to the curse of poor results.

Lastly, their bitter rivals, K’Ogalo, must be the happiest chaps in town. Down in the lake-side city of Kisumu, folks must be rubbing their hands in glee! You must be happy to see your rival self-destruct and plot his way to oblivion! The Swahili say that Subira yavuta heri, and this are the words that the Ingw’e den must be prepared to heed, lest their sworn arch-rivals, K’Ogalo, might as well mock them forever for their perennial failures!

www.futaa.comFor all the reasons that might have led to the sacking of Eymael and his entire technical bench, Leopards just lost the plot and any slim hopes of lifting the diadem have all but gone up in smoke.

mutuamaundu: HOOLIGANISM IN OUR FOOTBALL STADIA MUST END!

mutuamaundu: HOOLIGANISM IN OUR FOOTBALL STADIA MUST END!: The ugly face in the Kenyan football reared its ugly head once again, last weekend in a league match pitting table toppers Gor Mahia ag...

HOOLIGANISM IN OUR FOOTBALL STADIA MUST END!

The ugly face in the Kenyan football reared its ugly head once again, last weekend in a league match pitting table toppers Gor Mahia against their bogey team, Nairobi City Stars. The game ended in a barren draw and a section of the Gor Mahia faithful decided to vent their anger in a manner that falls short of sporting civility. About 600 seats, lighting boxes and flower beds were victims of the latest act of hooliganism in Kenyan soccer.  A stadium that had just been fitted with world-class sporting facilities has once again been vandalized. But for how long will football hooliganism go unpunished in the Kenyan soccer?

The Ksh 2.1 million fine slapped on Gor Mahia may not be deterrent enough. A hefty and severe penalty is urgently needed in order to contain this. What if the club is forced to play some of its matches behind closed doors besides the monetary fine? What if the club loses some points in the standings? My footballing crystal ball tells me that these form of fines are what will scare away these hooligans besides attracting more responsibility from the clubs concerned In the world of football, fans are a responsibility of their club. Just as the moral support that clubs get from their fans, then in the same manner, the punishment should be whenever these fans flout sporting rules and resort to hooliganism and acts of sporting incivility.

In Kenya, Gor Mahia and their arch-rivals, AFC Leopards enjoy the greatest following, never mind that this is yet to translate to football success in recent years. The teams enjoy huge gate collections, unrivalled moral support and a near-fanatical following. Sadly to say the two are the key culprits of this football hooliganism as their fans have occasionally caused trouble during matches. Displeasure at refereeing decisions, defeats and even draws in key matches have led to fan trouble from this set of fans. But as a section of Gor Mahia’s fans persist in violence, we must give thumbs up to their mashemejis from the Ing’we den who have upheld peace in recent times.

Violence in our football stadia should be decisively dealt with even if it means severely punishing a club in a manner that will undoubtedly scare away potential trouble-stirrers from our football matches.  The Kenya Premier League (KPL) and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) should come out and decisively put deal with football hooliganism before we learn a painful lesson in the form of Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) or deaths in our stadia. Worse still, violence in our stadia can scare away potential investors and sponsors of the beautiful game. All this can spell doom to our football prospects and potential Mugubi’s, Mariga’s and Oliech’s may never live their dream.

Let us not test the depth of the waters with our feet. It can be disastrous.

A DAY AT THE ATHLETICS TRIALS

Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi celebrates after winning the men's 3000m steeplechase during the 2012 Olympic Games on August 5, 2012 in London.

AFP Photo By Franck Fife Fri, Jul 12, 2013

Saturday, 13 July 2013 at a packed Nyayo National Stadium, Emmy Kosgei belted her musical classical and brought the crowd to its feet. Her ‘Taunet Nelel’ hit song electrified the crowd and set it ready for the explosive athletics action that soon followed. The stage had been set for the Moscow 2013 World Athletics championships trials, on a sunny Saturday morning in the Kenyan capital.

The athletics action perhaps offered a worthwhile distraction from the disappointing show that our Harambee Stars had put on in Kitwe, Zambia during the 2013 COSAFA Cup. But truth is, as a soccer-mad nation, we are now used to the football heartbreaks that Harambee Stars perennially put us through. Our track stars so proudly fly our flag high and it never gets any better, than when our national anthem is played in honor of our world-beaters during major sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Athletics champions, the two world’s greatest track events .Track events such as KipchogeKeino, NaftaliTemu, Catherine Ndereba, Paul Tergat, TeclaLorupe, Bernard Barmasaiand VivianCheruiyot are our sons and daughters. Add reigning Olympic, World and record –holder in the men’s 800m, David LekutaRudisha to the list, and you see why we got the bragging rights in the athletics world.

The 10, 000m Men set the action and BidanKaroki led his training partner PaulKipngetichTanui in 1-2 finish. Even the arrival of Deputy President William Ruto could not upstage the action that was getting thick and fast on the Nyayo Stadium track!  Away from the track action, the entire stadium watched in awe as Julius ‘YouTube-man’ Yego, shattered the national Javelin record with a new throw of 82.09m! I was part of this history-defining moment! An incredible feat! Simply put, this is just 8m shy of the entireNyayo National football pitch! Just like other Kenyans, I am strongly optimistic Kenyan that Yego will be in the running for a medal in Moscow. Never forget that he is the first ever African to make it to the finals of the Olympic Javelin, back in London 2012.

Ezekiel Kemboi, the reigning world 3000m steeplechase champion brought the curtains down, with his trademark dance to that moved the London crowd to its feet during the 2012 Olympic Games after winning the gold medal. The crowd cheered on as Kemboi performed his magical gig, never minding that he was placed 6^th in the race, but he is the world champion and he board the plane to Moscow, with the hopes of the entire nation that the 3000m Steeplechase Gold will remain in Nairobi!

Perhaps the absence of reigning world and Olympics 800m maestro David Rudisha and 5000m/10,000m world champion, Vivian Cheruiyot, both injured and expectant, respectively, must be a source of heartache to all Kenyans, and a relief to our arch-rivals, Ethiopia.

Our team of world –beaters to Moscow 2013 had been selected after a grueling day at the Nyayo Stadium. To the international media, thetrials double as a mini-Olympics and this were attested to by the battery of international journalists capturing the action and interviewing our athletes after the finish line.

All in the day of a budding journalist!

NOTHING TO JUBILATE ABOUT IN AFRICA UNION’S JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

So Africa Union, AU is celebrating its Jubilee year and 50 years since its inception in 1963, formerly as the Organization of African union (OAU).  But do we really have all the reasons to celebrate as a continent as though we do not have our home-made African troubles? There are many reasons to jubilate, just as the Coca Cola soft drink advertisement says that we have a billion reasons to believe in Africa’. But let us not be so ignorant of the continent’s dark and evils that have been a cause for tears.

African heads of states converged in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa in late May, for the week-long African Union summit that marked the golden jubilee of the body born out of the efforts and aspirations of our founding fathers. The brain child of the Selassie’s, Kenyatta’s, Nkrumah’s and Nyerere’s who led the continent in her fight against the colonialists has turned 50 years old, but really is all smiles about our Africa? Film festivals, musical extravaganza, sports, symposiums, seminars, exhibitions and helicopter flight arts were on offer as Africa Union marked her 50th birthday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

But chief among the summit’s resolutions is the threat of a massive pull-out from the Hague-based International Criminal Court, ICC, by all African states. This is a threat that Botswana distanced herself from. Botswana has refused to be part of the blatantly oppressive yet pretentious leadership that AU had endorsed in its threat of mass pull-out from the ICC. We must laud our brothers and sisters from Botswana and their president, Lieutenant General Sereste Khama Ian Khama. Kudos Lt Khama for refusing to use this cheap blackmail by AU to cover up the suffering and crimes against humanity that most Africans have been forced to accept as a norm!

I am proud to be an African, both by blood and by soil, but am not proud of our leadership norms and most of the individual heads of states. One may castigate me for unpatriotism to my continent, but I got reasons for my apparently unpatriotic stand!

Coup d’états and armed bloody take-over’s of power are an accepted norm of ascending to the presidency in several African states. Abuses of state power, massive plundering of state resources, suppression and consistent intimidation of political opponents, love for war and cultures of impunity are what best define most presidencies across the continent, with the exception of a few states. Let us too not forget the ‘presidents for life’ ideology that is rife in African. To many countries, presidency in Africa is nobility that has ironically been the African curse. It has been a cause of deaths, destruction, bloodbath, anguish, agony and all words that describe human suffering. This is the far cry from the source and beacon of hope, inspiration, peace and development that presidencies should be.

The threat of a massive pull-out by African countries from the ICC best describes the insensitivity that most of our presidents across the continent have towards the very people whom they are supposed to be sensitive and equally responsive to. It is an open secret that most of these presidencies are a source of agony, the means of ascending to power have been bloody and democracy is a word that best works on paper. Those who democratically think of challenging the status quo in some of these African countries are met with unmatched force and brutality by the security forces. Our brother in Uganda, Dr. Kizza Besigye is a perfect case in point.

Television images of how the security forces met his peaceful walk-to-work campaigns with cruelty were nasty, mind-boggling and at best despeakable. One really wonders how Besigye’s walk-to-work demonstrations were supposed to poison and threaten Museveni’s presidency. This was back in 2012, the year when the Maghreb revolution rocked the status quo in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia. This wind of change was slowly blowing to neighboring Uganda as Besigye took the courageous step of rocking Museveni’s leadership. But sadly, the revolution did not last the rough ride and died out, with Besigye badly maimed and critically injured. He had to be flown to Nairobi for specialized treatment. You can rightfully say that Kampala is living the Kenyan dark days of the Moi regime when those who dared challenge Moi’s presidency were labeled dissidents and traitors and had to endure torturous detention inside the now infamous Nyayo House torture chambers. But this is what really happens when some of these presidents for life- minded leaders smell revolutions in the air. One must be forgiven for thinking that these presidents do not think of life outside the trappings of power.

In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe is apparently the only man fit enough to lead the country, in Equitorial Guinea, Theodoro Nguema Obiang and his son are leading the country and plundering it in equal measure. Just as in other African countries, the people of Equatorial Guinea are some of the poorest and life is a daily struggle despite the vast deposits of oil and other minerals. Equatorial forests are rapidly disappearing and in their places are multimillion palaces! Talk of misplaced priorities. Somebody once said that Africa is rich in resources but poor because it is poor in mind!

Most of the African leaderships do not offer us means and ways of improving lives across the continent, as a result of these minerals. Instead it is the complete opposite. Bloody conflicts and wars reign supreme as a result of these rich minerals. Niger Delta has never known peace due to the oil deposits, Democratic Republic of Congo is so accustomed to rebels and crimes against humanity are a norm due to the fight for gold and other minerals in the vast and naturally endowed country. Sierra Leone has never recovered from the bloody conflict occasioned by the infamous blood diamonds, our neighbors in South and Northern Sudan are still uneasy over the oil-rich Heglig region and Omar-el-Bahir is a wanted man by The Hague-based ICC. Former Liberan strongman Charles Taylor and Omar Bongo of Ivory Coast are awaiting to know their fate inside the court-rooms of the ICC. They are just some of the many African suspects at The Hague or wanted to answer charges of crimes against humanity. But we too have suspects from other continents; most notable is that former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic died

Some of our African leaders might strongly protest and argue that the ICC unfairly targets African, but this is not necessarily the truth. They do so just to protect their friends in power who are wanted men by Fatou Bensouda and her legal team. We too must question some outrageous statements, especially when former prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo infamously said that he was to use the Kenyan case as a perfect lesson to indeed prove that the Hague-based court had teeth and could bite in equal measure. Questionable and outrageous statement indeed! This is story for another day. But let us not forget that most African countries have never known peace, primarily due to poor and incompetent leaders and an apparently unquenchable thirst for power.

Civil wars and strives, coup d’états and militant groups have all greatly occasioned unprecedented human suffering. From child soldiers during the Sierra Leone civil war to the Dadaab Refugee Camp in North Eastern Kenya, Africans have indeed lived through hell. And to compound an already dire situation, except after the infamous Rwandan genocide of 1994, there has been no proven political goodwill to help address these problems. That is the point where the ICC must come in and see to the bitter end that justice indeed prevails. With regard to most of these wars and conflicts, most African leaderships have shown that they cannot provide the required political goodwill to address the teething issues that have been the bane of human suffering across the continent. This unquenchable thirst and hunger for power by all means possible and the bloody fights over the natural resources in most African countries is one area where successive presidencies in Africa have dismally failed in.

The African leadership is mainly divided into a minority of leaders who are champions of democracy and the rule of law and a majority to whom democracy and the rule of law best exists on paper. Our beloved Kenya, Ghana, Botswana and South Africa represent the few countries who are champions of democracy. However, others like neighboring Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe and many others form the African side where democracy best works on paper. Worse still, DRC and Somalia and others, perennially in civil wars and strives are not the best of news.

As a continent, we must be truthful and in as much as we celebrate the beauty and success of our beloved continent, take a moment away from the eerie and realize that we have teething challenges and problems that most of our leaderships have proven to be incapable of solving and worse still, just blatantly refuse to solve.

Let us learn to see an half- full glass as a positive instead of lamenting and cursing why it is not full. Likewise, we must learn to appreciate the efforts of the international community and the many ways in which it chips in to help us. The ICC represents the only pragmatic way of holding to account the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war, rape, murder, forcible circumcision and displacement of innocent civilians. These innocent victims, women and children, who mostly bear the full brunt of civil wars and strives are destined to live with permanent scars and trauma of what they are forced to live through.  Others across the continent are forced to live in uneasy calm and peace under constant mass violations of their human rights and leaderships are forced down their throats.  

Most Africans have suffered; physically and psychologically maimed, shed tears, lost lives and their loved ones due to the rich and vast natural resources on the African land. Sycophancy and cynicism best describes the mediocrity of most African leaderships and this has sadly made Africa to play the catch up role globally, despite the fact that we are the most endowed continent in natural resources!

Africa is not the sad story in the world’s history. We have numerous positives that we draw pride in. Unfortunately, due to leadership problems, we have been forced to play second fiddle to the rest of the world. We must wake up and correct the leadership before it is too late!