Kenya

Matt Rose — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:59:52 -0500

Bradburn and I have been dominating the conversation in the africa topics on the well these days, as his parents live in Kenya, and my parents lived in kenya, and are hoping to move back soon. Naturally, we've been feeding each other stuff, and he just posted this, which is from a blog comment thread. It's amazing.

Anonymous said... My fellow Kenyans, I am a kenyan, one who has had the privilege of living with the Luo, the Kalenjin, the Kisii, and others. I am Kikuyu. I have read all the above dialogue with much sadness. It is clear from it what is eating our nation: Ignorance. As a Kikuyu, I know, as any half brained Kenyan does, that the election had some serious problems. But really, Odinga or Kibaki, the end result would have been the same: The pooir people of Kenya would have remained what they have always been: Hard working, honest, hopeful, suffering, and poor. On that note, we all need to wake up and realize one thing. In Kenya there are ACTUALLY ONLY TWO TRIBES: The politicians, and the rest of us. ON that note, Kibaki, Raila, Ruto, and the other parliamentarians are one tribe. Real brothers. They live in palatial homes, with guards at the gate. They go to Europe for medical treatment, and they would not even take their cow to Kenyatta hospital, Kisumu Provincial, or any hospital in Kenya. They travel in government maintained cars, and they enjoy fat salaries. ALL OF THEM. Presently, the population in KIbera has destroyed two kms of railway line. I have travelled that line to the rift valley, and I have been out all the way to Kitale, Kisumu, etc. It is an important line for the common KEnyan (the second tribe, the rest of us). Now that it is destroyed, the poor Luo who was hoping for pricews to stay down and the price of malariaquin to stabilize will suffer this coming rainy season. So will the Kikuyu who lives in Kisumu, and the Luhya who lives in BUtere. But Kibaki, Ruto and Raila will never mourn the railway line. They never use it. Raila flies to Kisumu. Kibaki has a government jet. Ruto can fly to Eldoret. When I lived IN kericho, I (kikuyu) visited many Kalenjin homes. I am of the opinion that the most generous, givng people in Kenya are Kalenjins and Muslims. When I went to High school, I shared cofee and toothpaste with some Luos. We drank tea from the same cups, and we huddled togetherer for the same cup of coffee which we passed on from person to person. We had little, very little. As far as life in Kenya goes, these luos, Kalenjins and some Luhyas we shared the dormitory with were my brothers. The problem now is that Ruto and Kibaki and Moi and Odinga would have us believe if one of them is in power, that tribe eats. I can go to a court of law to defend many kikuyus because when Kenyatta was president, many of us did not eat. The eaters were Kenyatta, Moi, Odinga Snr (I personally have a lot of respect for Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and I believe he should be more prominet in Kenya's history books than he is now), Kibaki, etc. But all ppoliticians who were anti Kenyatta told their tribes the Kikuyu were eating. All I remember during KEnyatta's time were the many days I was home without school fees. During MOi's reign, I lived in Kericho. Although I live out of the country now, I still visit Kericho when I go home. It is my second home in Kenya, although I have no land there. I love the town, and the community around it. Anyone who thinks the Kalenjins were eating during Moi's time should go see how hard working the Kalenjin community is, and how many of them I saw could not buy sugar. I met many a Kalenjin during the Moi era who were without. I saw many die at the little equipped Kericho hospital, which Moi never visited (or any other politician except maybe the local politicians). But when Moi and Kibakin travelled in the Kericho and Nyanza area, they stayed at the Highland hotel. You have to be one of this tribe to afford it. The Luos and the Kikuyus now living and dying in Kibera are rothers. and their relatives are in Mathari. Here, they live on 100 shillings a day--when they get it. When Omolo's son gets sick, they ask Kamau's wife to lend them 50 shillings. KIbaki and Odinga are usually at the Intercontinental, paying sh300 for a soda. Now that tribe wants Kenyans to get up and fight, and on this blog, that is what you are doing, my brothers. If you are LUo, you are as much my brother as the Kalenjin or Nandi in the Rift valley. If you don't believe it, go to Kenyatta hospital. Your mother and my mother will be lying in neighboring beds, dying without medicine. You and I will have left our children at home, to come to the hospital to care for our parents. ON the bed across the isle will be Mama Choge, dying also, without medicine. the pain, frustration, fear, hand hopelessness on thier faces will know no tribe. It will be our mothers, one dying as surely as if she was the other, dying under the same system of operation. If you get to the hospital before I do, please prop our mothers up for comfort. I will do the same when I get there. Kibaki, Odinga, and Ruto will not be there. Their tribe will be in another hospital, or at the intercontinental, waiting for us to get home and fight to secure their comfort. So, what tribe are you now? January 27, 2008 2:25 AM

FolkWolf.Net: Kenya

Kenya