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,

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