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,

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