On Tuesday, while flipping through the TV channels after 9p.m news, i stumbled on the show by Julie gichuru, Fist of Five on Citizen and the discussion caught my attetion. (Thanks to the Kenyan TV channels for hooking to DSTV, now from wherever we are, we can watch).

I loved the show, fist of five?
These were kenyans from the slums of Mathare and Kibera, representing all the ethnic groups living in these places, in a heated debate about the issues that led to the PEV in 2008 and why the people turned on each other in the slums. These are the people who experienced these events first-hand, people who live with the effects of it everyday; Luos,Nubians, Kikuyus, Kambas, kisiis and Kales..some were landlords and tenants.
The kibera “landlords” were there lamenting about their inability to collect rent from the unwilling tenants

These people highlighted key issues that we’ve brought up in this forum before like
1. Mistrust between Kenyan tribes(especially Jengs and Wasapere) dating back to events of post independence kenya and the activities of Kenyatta which have been highlighted in this forum.
2. Prejudices and tribal epithets about other tribes propounded by individual families to their children “hao wakamba, those Luos, those kikuyus” “you Kalenjin, why did you do this..”
3. The issues of inequity in distribution of resources and opportunities being afforded to some regions at the expense of the rest;
4. Land distribution.
5. Landlord-Tenant relationship in these slums vis a vis cost of living.

and many other issues. and the good thing is that they came up with solutions and way forward.. that they’d individually change and talk to their friends and neighbors to change..

A kibera tenant pointed something about their failure to pay rent:
– They don’t refuse to pay rent because they don’t want, but because they can’t afford rent increasing every year. Their ksh. 100 to 200 wages per day from industrial area cannot pay rent of over 1000 bob buy unga for Kshs 120 plus other needs. Their contention? first, the landlords keep increasing rent at will, you fail to pay, instead of discussions, they bring the chiefs askaris and use force, thus to protect themselves, they use mass action; refuse to pay en-mass.

This should be an awakening statements for us all. What country is this? that the labour laws that govern employment are ignored to the extent that we pay our people thus? I’m so tired of the government not enforcing the law, even on employers, like me and you.

When this tenant spoke, I remembered another advert for a job that I saw in bidii africa last week? for a househelp helper. I felt pain at what it said.
A kenyan wanted to employ another kenyan, and is shamelessly going to pay him Kshs.2,000 per month: because? the person is going to get benefits of living with the him/her and eating with them.
Shame on you wanabidii who do this. ?Kshs 2,000? think. that is less than sh.100/day. Then you curse that person for refusing to pay rent for their family who may be living in kibera.. you curse the government for injustice and throw stones at the Asian industrial area mployers? and blame Raila for your househelps poverty?

Those who treat their househelps and gardeners or their staff thus are no better than terrorists, colonialists, robbers or mungikis. You can’t step on another persons neck, squeeze life out of them and point a finger at the government.

When you return home today, look into your house managers eyes, and see their pain, the pain of your evil, you who handle others like that. some of us will not hesitate to deduct some money from the same 2,000 for the cost of a glass or plate that broke accidentally: as if they’ve never broken a plate or glass in their life.
Just as it was said here by some members, change for this country will not be brought by Raila or Karua or Kibaki. It begins with you. We as individuals are the Lords of poverty.

Julie Gichuru, that is a nice show.. it gives some of us a chance to hear the unheard who cannot call a press conference.

bravo..!
Carl
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Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 12:23:19 +0300 [04:23:19 AM CDT]
From: Carl Mullwoh
Subject: Fist for Five(Julie Gichuru-Citizen): Poverty-