Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:21:07 +0000 [03:21:07 PM CST]
From: barack abonyo
Subject: RE: The Future is a new Political Party

Joram
Peter lives in Kenya and has always lived in Kenya. He travels alot though. He has successfully run an NGO called RECA for over fifteen years in Kenya.

What we have been discussing in terms of luo unity through economic development is not new. We have been doing this for the last three years and I do believe your memory of the issues we had are still fresh. To date where is LOLWE. We spent alot of time on this with a back and forth argument between you, Okoth Otura and John Otieno etc. Here we go again. In many instances we have differed and each person had opted to move on on their own. It is always, this does not work, that will never go anywhere, Nobody will buy that, someone wants to make money. One suscpiscion after the other. Well can we have something that everyone will buy into. None whatsoever. At this rate no one among us will ever change the status of the luo community. Indeed, this is the very reason why a disatisfying leadership is always going to thrive.

Formation of a party as suggested has nothing to do with competition with a luo based party. The one suggested was one with a national outlook and not a luo thing.

Robert Alai’s disagreement with this suggestion is respected but I still must say that there are many ways of skinning a mouse/cat. There are still many forums out there which will be useful for doing this and because it is on the rail, we are moving on. There are so many young people who want to do something and it is not fair that we fail them because of perceived obstacles.

There are too many unrealistic suggestions and verbosity here which never translate to anything much and whenever we try to come together, someone finds away to break it up through overanalysis of issues and superimposed hypotheticals. We never even build a foundation. One cannot chart the end of a road before he starts to build it. You cannot postulate your destiny before you are born unless you are a god.

Barack

Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:26:19 -0800
From: nyolamo@ . . .
Subject: Re: The Future is a new Political Party

On Dec 30, 2008, at 12:48 PM, “Patrick Obiero” wrote:

Othengo and Barack

Jorum Odus started a very interesting debate indeed!!

I think Robert Alai the founder of Bidii Africa has disowned your political party idea through his forum, but as I know,qq that does not hinder your ambition of forming another brand new party. How can you guys form a party yet you dont live in Kenya, I have just jetted home Luoland have enough protein in their brains to handle maths?? Our kids are inteligent but hungry, that is why Kikuyus are now beating us, read KCPE results.

I dont want to continue writing about the obvious. I find, Paul Nyandoto, Mr. Odus and Williams view on this debate reasonable and therefore worth supporting. If you say that the current political climate is different compared to the Mageuzi, Nyongos SDP, Ochuotho days then I would appreciate to read more than you are saying.

My people, even the best speaker in Africa, PLO Lumumba has a political party, so Barack, Othengo?? tell us more.

Obiero Ja Jera

On Tue, Dec 30, 2008 at 6:39 PM, odhengo peter wrote:

Dear All,

The debate has been going on for nearly a month–the subject-to form a new Political Party or Not. If you analyze the arguments against and for we seam to have reached at a cross road. There seams to be no clear way forward, however, according to my opinion I would strongly form a new party. This is on the understanding that the current condition for forming a political party is totally different with the times wakina Nyongo, Ochuodho, Tuju and the likes formed their parties. Those were the era of formation of institutions which were not propelled by the wider perspective, need and clear purpose. Currently, a new party Act requires that a party must have founder memebers in all the 78 districts (district cordinators), 200 members in each province among others-PDM has met all the conditions! let be members and sugest changes neede to enable it fill the missing link-lack of progress and development especially in LUO NYANZA.

However, the fact that they failed do not necessarily mean that NO new parties should not be formed. If this could have been the case, then ODM, ODM-K, PNU, etc would not be in existance todya. In addition, Mr. Manji, the prominent businessman failed more than 55 time before finally coming up with the current famous House of Manji.

We should note that for sustainable development to be realised in a community, country or a continent, there must be a political dispensation which entails the pricinples of democracy, progress and development at local, regional and national levels. It must also recorgnised the centrality of the human factor as the driver. If the political dispensation in a given area, region, or community is focused in black mailling, and destroying potential personalities with skills to spearhead development and innovation, then such a community is doomed. We can not wait untill all the potentail people from Luo land are destroyed by political sycophans in the name of their loyalty to the powers that be. However, long it will take, we need to join forces that have done somthing rather than critism yet time is going, more people are suffering, confusion ranges while we continue to write.

There can never be a change in a society/community without a change in the institutional set ups.

Odhengo Peter

— On Tue, 30/12/08, barack abonyo wrote:

From: barack abonyo
Subject: RE: What amazing tribe we LUOS are?
Date: Tuesday, 30 December, 2008, 1:35 AM

Dear Jokanyanam
The idea of party formation is in the circulation that brings together Wanabiddii and Bunge la Wananinchi. Its is totally seperate from the luo affair and problems in luo land. I think it is critical that the two be treated sepeartely. I thought this circulation here does not encompass the whole republic while the party formation is a republic issue.
Barack

From: iscwn@ . . .
Subject: RE: What amazing tribe we LUOS are?
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:38:09 +0000

Yes, indeed, we are amazing community. Now we are talking about forming a political party as if there is none or better still as if Orengo did not try one and was flawed, what about Professor Nyong’o, Dr Ochuondho and many more. The reality is WE DO NOT NEED a new political party. Absolutely NO, with certainty.

I submit that what we need is a deliberate, clear paradigm shift, with purpose, intent and focus on two issues: Reformation: to change the mindset and perception of our people on issues of sustainable development and political maturity where different views are tolerated and a Revolution where the current failing political leadership are voted out of Parliament in successive future elections. As Mutayi Ngunyi alluded in his article in the Sunday Nation of 28 Dec 08; these two forces are already at play in the wider Kenyan society of which Luoland is no exception. The depth of debate and feeling in this forum is an indication that people are now prepared to challenge the status quo, the issues as to why we are where we are have already been identified here, no need to repeat them now and again. I truly believe that if our people take farming activities, business and issues of development the way we take politic, as a community we should be at par with other communities, if not better off.

As agents of change, let us examine ourselves deeply, our roles as individuals and groups with an aim to catalyse the change process. An to those of us who are running entities; I trust these are for the good of the wider community development not merely for directors/chairmen/CEOs who formed them. As Mr. Obiero observed candidly that there are so many NGOs that claim to work for Nyanza people but a closer look reveals that they are actually individually owned, most of them are ‘briefcase organisations’. I would like to see clear transparency and accountability in the operations of these entities so that people can have confidence in their ability to deliver for both membership and contributions/donations. KCDN has so far done an excellent job of updating us on the progress they are making with clear reports. I others to follow suit.

An to an jaohalo epiny England kani, nene achako ohala higa abieriyo ma okalo bangi somo, emomiyo wech magi community development are very dear to me and I continue to be very active in them both here and at home Kenya.

Be blessed

Joram Odus

Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:36:32 +0200
From: paul.nyandoto@ . . .
Subject: What amazing tribe we LUOS are?

Luos,

We are one of the best tribes now in this planet, believe me or not. 50% of our genes will be ruling the richest and the most powerful country on earth today, but what do we luos have?.

We are the only tribe which seems to know almost everything which needs to be done to uplift our sufferings, but when it comes to actions we are the last. Our Province nyanza is growing backwards but we are more concerned about what should be done in the Kenyan parliament than what should be done in Nyanza.

We are the ones crying mouth wide open for democracy in Kenya while we the luos are hardly expressing democracy in Nyanza. Look at any nyanza election, whether pre-candidate nominations, etc whatever you call it. We have the worst record. Can somebody tell us who won the preliminary ODM election in 2007 in Ugenya, which James Orengo now represents?. We know very well that Orengo did no win it, so who won?. And how did Orengo got the post?.

We were the first tribe in Kenyan history to produce a woman member of parliament, but now with all the democracy we do claim we have today or try to bring to Kenyans, how many women members of parliament do we have today?, ZERO, look at even how many rift valley have, What a shame ?.. Do you want to tell us that luos do not have educated daughters, sisters, or mothers, why are we letting 50% of our forces down or unused?. We have a lot of empty MEN debes telling people to vote for so and so, you can even be beaten if you ask why at the same time we cry loud for democracy in Kenya.

Now we want a party, is it the main agenda? or is it the most important thing today to be done?. Just as somebody said always remember to do the essential first then the less important later.

Or I forgot, it seems that all our leaders have crossed to the Kikuyu`s side and are now serving Mungiki instead of luo youths who are still lingering in prisons or jobless, by the way who voted for those leaders who have now crossed over to Nyeri?. Are we not the luos who did it, and we have been doing it since 1963. In 1963 Oginga was given leadership by the British, but what did this great luo leader did?. Told the British he does not want to lead, but he would prefer Kenyatta to do it, then some years later he started telling luos that Kenyatta is leading very badly so let us revolt and stay poor for 45 years.

I hear we need to frame the constitution on Bomas draft, is it true, it looks a great idea, but the Bomas draft have nothing much better other than the Majimbo and to the diaspora the dual citizenship, otherwise it can be still be manupulated just as they are doing the present constitution, where Mps do not pay tax. But the Draft have also it suprises: The most first suprise that will affect the luo extremist and the Odingaism or Railaism in luoland is this. The Draft states very well that a president should not be above 65 years of age. So Raila is automatically out of the presidential race in 2012. Kenyans have never been clever enough, because any draft or constitution being suggested are made sometimes for individuals or to exclude some individuals, non have been made when considering what our beloved country Kenya needs (the Bomas was against Moi). Guys : can we see why Kenya is not moving forward?. Look at even fuel today the country lacks fuel at a time when a barrel of oil cost only 40 dollars, while at the time when the barrel was costing 150 dollars there was fuel, what a paradoxical life we do enjoy in Kenya ?. Some empty debes will try to convince you that because of christmas people travel alot and therefore more cars then no fuel, rubbish, what about lack of ugali?. Whether you travel or not you need almost the same capacity of ugali, but why is it not available?. In 2001 he Kibaki and Raila told Moi that he was stupid, because lack of food was linked to rain, a natural phenominal. Moi said it did not rain so poor harvest equals no food. Raila went a head to ask Moi to tell Kenyans why there was food in Egypt, where it hardly rains while in Kenya there was not enough food. Ladies and gents why is there not enough food when Raila and Kibaki are all ruling?. How quick do we forget?. In Nyanza still no food, but in nyeri they have enough and infact throw some to the dustbines, so, so what?.

Our country is hijacked and lead by people who are politically incapable of bringing development, these people think that development means taking all the tax payers money and banking abroad or stealing as much as they can, corruption is the order of the day. Or to them development simply means, bringing german cars, japanese motorbikes, filling your shops with foreign goods etc, making good lights on the street etc. Infact some of these leaders do not even know how a simple mobile phone works, how a television gets images etc. While they occupy high positions in the governement and still claims that they are capable of bringing development, what a peace of CRAP.

Guys ; form any party you want but define its goals first and how it differs with the ones we do have today, and how that party is going to help luo nyanza have food on the table. May God bless you and please take luos out of this Odingaism loan, we have been paying for 45 years.

Paul Nyandoto