Just had a whisper. Raila Odinga is nolonger Arab Mibei. He is Kariuki or should I say Mwangi. I cannot remember my Kikuyu. How do you say son of Mwangi in Kikuyu? Well, wel,l well. I got mixed up. Where is the tail or the head. No one knows. What is left is an animal called Kenya. No one claims the whole loot of animal. Some claim the tail, some the head while others everything.
Well, I am talking like I do not belong to my motherland. Indeed I am discussing the point like some folks are better than me. Yes I am talking like I do not have my balls in my hands, and yet indeed I do. I am simply hoodwinked. Hoodwinked indeed I am. I have put my tail between my legs and hoped that the son of Odinga, Kibaki, Kenyatta and Mudavadi will make some noble decision on my behalf, and that at their decision, the sky will give up the rain.
Guys, what a trash. Yes trash indeed. The son of Odinga, Mudavadi and Kenyatta have nothing extra. I went to school with some of them and to tell you the truth, they could not prove that they have anything extra. They are human, if not less human at times. I will explain further in my next draft.
The most unfortunate thing is that many Kenyans believe that they do have an extra ball. Some even believe they are extraterrestrial. Plainly stated, they are the “shit “. And if one, Dr.Barack Abonyo appear and state that I want to be president, they will ask questions like “Who does he think he is? Can he be above our god?”
My question is who is Uhuru, who is Mudavadi, who is Kenyatta, who is Raila? In my opinion, they are just people, whose parents happened to have paved some way. And believe me , they themselves know that they are just people. They are neither devils nor angels. However, they have now hoodwinked Kenyan public that they are demigods, that nobody can become. That no one can lead Kenya except them. They themselves know that they are lying. The Kenyan public are the ones who have not woken up to the lie. And to that who shall I castigate? Kenya! Oh Kenya! when will you wake up?
Any how, my response is in two words. Damn Bullshit. We can do better. Some of us have better credentials than these people.
Ok lets prove it. Uhuru went to this obscure school whose name no one knows called Amherst College,USA. Gentlemen, this is an extremely small liberal Arts Small School. And by the way, did Uhuu pass his CPE? Furthermore, where did Kalonzo, Ruto, Raila and Balala go to college. In brief, they are not intellectual OR REVLUTIONARY. Besides, they have not done anything beyond these primary education levels, or challenging Moi, and yet Kenyans want to believe that they are way better than Dr. Matunda Nyanchama, Dr. Shem Ochguodho, or Dr. PLO Limumba or Dr. Matunga Mark. I am so interested in knowing, how devils perform miracles. Please just convince me how they are better.
I just want to know how Uhuru, Jimi, Castro, Musalya etc become visionaries while Matunga become nobody.
Can someone help me figure this out. If one can change this notion, then he can change leadership in Kenya. My bet is that until all of us start selling who we are, we will be lead by the Mugabes of Kenya.
Dr. Barack Abonyo
Daktari and the NVK,
As you will have noticed by now, I will only interject when something tickles me enough, but I real all.
Getting us to start thinking about who we are and asking them who they think they are is a good way to start. However, let us not think that the letters we have after our names will answer the question – who do you think you are.
Lameck Siage, MBA, PhD (That many of you don’t even know I hold), may tell you a bit about the fact that I went to formal school and earned myself a PhD, but it does not tell you who I think I am. The answer is in what I think of myself, and not what the others think in the 1st place. Once i am clear what I think of myself, then I need to take the next of letting all and sundry know what I think of my self. If I think I can be a good leader, I must let all know about that. You all can see where I am going. The masses will either agree or disagree, but I must first let them know what I think I am.
Simply put, academic credentials are important, but taking action is more important.
3rd step, is to invest time and financial resources into letting people know that you are a good leader and are willing to offer yourself for a leadership position. Don’t wait for the advert of the position of the president – Kenya to appear on the international dailies. We must be ready to go out there and roll up our sleeves, and wrestle the power out of the hands of those that we think do not merit it. This is the whole point
So you question where the Mudavadi, Uhuru, Ruto, Raila, Musyoka, etc went to school, but as we have noticed, that is not the most important if you want to lead your country. What is is that you offer yourself and sell yourself as a good option, and convince the voter, who is not necessarily a university professor. This is what the Ruto, Raila, and Uhurus have beaten us.
Lets get to work if we want to save our country, shall we!
lameck Siage
Barack Abonyo, PhD etc,
You are one such guy who can not win an election. Have you ever wondered why someone like Mulu Mutisya, Kalembe Ndile, Ochieng Daima are able to win elections and beat more educated people like you? Yes, for the simple fact, they are able to identify with the common man.
This, your article, is purely “elitist”, and wont take Kenya anywhere. We have seen such people before, and they keep on loosing elections. Infact, they wont even win a civic seat.
I have an uncle who has PhD. The only help he can give you is to tell you to go to school. No solution! He can’t even pay for you school fee.
Now one time, i took to him some proposal by some women. You know what he did? He “marked” the proposal like the way they do to masters/PhD students, and that was the end of the story.
That reminds me of few people I have read about, one is called Bill Gates and the other one is “Emeagwali”. We have so many such people in Kenya. Infact, telling my son that he does not qualify for a parliamentary seat because I, the dad was once an MP is defeatist. Let Uhuru be judged as Uhuru, let Raila be judged as Raila, coz I dont see how it was the fault of their fathers to fight for Uhuru. Where was my (grand)father and your (grand)father then? May be they were busy looking after cows while Odinga went to Maseno!
Again, it is high time that you stop making personality talks your pet subject. Take issues! Issues and Issues! Only then shall we(I) take you seriously. Otherwise I will take you to be like the Prof who contested, presented his papers claiming he has seven degrees! Do you remember him?
Dr Abonyo,
Son of Mwangi in Gik?y? is “m?r? wa Mwangi”
….well, well, well – Dr, It’s not that this fellows are what they are because of themselves but rather because of Wanjik?(Wananchi). We all know who they are and we readily march up and elect them as “our leaders”
…may be your quest, should be based on the people – why do they see them as demigods? So don’t blame these “leaders”….blame the wananchi
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Regards,
Muita Wangoko
–Software, Web Developer–
–“Exigency is the matriarch of ingenious”–
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Dr. Abonyo,
I really believe you have some ego issues. Whoever told you that the more one is educated the better a leader one makes? You must be out of your mind. Do you know that Mugabe has more than 5 graduate degrees? Don’t we have the likes of Prof. Saitoti running the country to the ground?
I take offense at you lumping Raila with the likes of Uhuru.
Courage,
Maurice
Dr Abonyo
Thank you for at least trying to enlighten us but I have to agree with Lee. For a Ph.D holder, your post has redundancy and grammatical errors. You might be book smart, but that doesn’t mean you are wise.
What do you mean by saying Uhuru Kenyatta went to Amherst, a small liberal arts college? Does that mean you are better than him?
I’m not trying to be rude or anything but in future, humility goes a long way. When you are walking down the streets, people would not see PhD written all over your face. Lets face it dude, you are human like the rest of the world.
Thanks Lameck
In brief, I was simply telling Kenyans that these guys are not the only chickens in the soup. It is time we start supporting these other self professed candidates
. I was especially attempting to udge the Kenyan middle class and the educated to know that they can choose anew leader and it will be just ok.
Barack
No Dr. Abonyo, you are backtracking on your unhelpful statements and that is good for you. You sounded really elitist there. I am willing to forgive your indulgence but I wont next time. Just because you are educated is not a reason to disrespect those who don’t.
Idhi mii wachai thura. We chaa jogo mapokosomo.You will come across as an idiot, and no one will ever respect you back home, when we are done with them.
I for one, I have no use for people like you Abonyo, I really don’t. You have been undermining Raila on a lot of forums, and I am not sure you understand the kind of damage you are doing to the big picture. Opponents will use your words to undermine Raila at the next election.
Pumbavu, mavi ya kuku, bure kabisa.
Courage,
Maurice, CPE etc.
Daktari,
Did your Grandmother ever tell you about the story of the girl who, seeked attention from the villagers by crying that she was being attacked by “Ondieg Otoyo” (hyena) every time the Villagers would go running to save her only to realize that it was a hoax? So the day the real Hyena came, she went on a desperate cry, so passionate trying to convince the villagers that it was a real Hyena. But the Villagers thought that as before, she was just trying to deceive them.
So Otoyo went with her and had a bumptious meal out of her. That Hadithi tells us that one should not dwell on “hoaxes” more so spending a lot of time writing irrelevant material that may or may not have been substantiated. The more I follow your writing the more it seems as you are getting frustrated to the point of desperation. May I offer you my two cents advise, that A Kenyan Politician really does not care about your attacks on them. Top of this, there are very few people who will borrow from your advice to move into action. It therefore remain that for you to make an impact so that these Waheshimiwa will listen, you may want to change tact.
Secondly the path you are now treading on of looking at the educational backgrounds, ain’t gonna take you far. Neither will it stand well with many people in Kenya. I can tel you that right now, that, that now you are hitting below the belt. Whether it is the truth or not No Politician in Kenya wants to be reminded of their illiteracy level or weak education
Let me jog you memory if this might have gone out of your RAM. Not many years ago there was a very powerful MP from Nakuru North. He was a very pragmatic man, full of action. He conducted many many Harambes and built a number of Primary schools in this manner. But he never knew how to read or write Many still remember him for what he did. Mr. Kariuki Chotara was from Nakuru North.
Another Example. One MULU MUTISYA alias Mburu Mbuthia, is one of the best Kamba politician that ever emerged from that Land . There is no comparison to him in terms of Development and service to Ukambani. He never knew hoe to read or write. His pen was his finger prints
Another one is the Man famous for TIP TIP, Amani Kenya. He even admitted that he was not good at writing or reading the the two Languages Swahili and Kiengresa. But he has done a lot in Ukambani, far much better than those Politicians who Yap Yap, are educated, bu offer no development ideas at all.
All I am saying is that you should not dismiss people because of their lack of education. We have seen in many instances that low level educated Kenyans many a times can do better than the professors, who think that their name tag is a highway to development for their constituents.
K’Onyiego
Let those who think they are ‘enough’ offer their candidature and ‘let the people decide’. One helpful thing you can do is to enlighten people on how to make good choices and those who are ‘enough’ to know the best offer to give to the people and how to sell themselves.
Dr. Abonyo,
1) running for political office is not like reading and sitting for exams;
2)earning a PhD is good but the sole purpose of earning a PhD is not to run for political offices;
3)PhDs are not excluded from running for political offices but they need to be humble enough to come down to the level of the common man;
4)A political office is not the ultimate thing in life. A PhD like you, having been privileged to have an advanced study in zoology would easily excel in telling us more on how we can exploit animal resources for a better life. We need to see your good publications, we need you as a model to our young people that people can succeed and ‘bring development’ to the people without being in political office.
5)The people you have mentioned are good people and have every right to be politicians but I believe they can contribute more to the society by concentrating their efforts on enterprises in which they have comparative advantages. Take an example of Mark Matunga: There are many people who can be MPs in Mbita and I agree with you, not only Otieno Kajwang’ but not anybody from Mbita would be an ICT expert with powers to influence ICT investments in the country. Nationally, many of us can offer ourselves to be elected President for the Country and you are right, not only Raila, Mudavadi or Kenyatta but not anybody would draft good ICT policies like Dr. Ochuodho.
Don’t you think the activities of Bill Gates, Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are impacting the lives of the common man in your village more than those of President Obama? I mean American policies would have impacts, whether Obama is the President of US or not and it makes a small difference who sits in a political office.
Remember the black icon from Alabama, George Washington Carver. Don’t you think you can be as him in making science relevant for development in Nyando?
I believe you have a comparative advantage in telling us how to apply Zoology to improve our health, agriculture, nutrition, textile industry e.t.c. and telling our young people that learning science and applying it is a lucrative enterprise.
Dear Doc, forget title “Education to make us the fools`´. be a man of means and give us the facts that can help us build a better Kenya. it does not matter who leads us, what matters is under which laws.
Dr. Abonyo,
You do not get it! How dare you criticize the smart Guys! Look at the response you get.
Fools shall always be exploited by smart guys. ( The Politicians )
Who were hauled into prisons after the 2007 elections? A Kibera slum dweller/Mau highway citizens!
Who asked them to come out and protest? Runda Palace/Muthaiga occupants! who are those guys? smart guys/politicians.
Who fought for them?
Fools known as followers/supporters! They are the guys who are telling you to shut up, and never ever remind them that there is a better way of getting rid of leeches!
Kenyans are forever fools! they could ruin their homes for one guy, one smart guy!
Once the home is destroyed, the smart guys shall flee “Ng’ambo ” and the slum-dweller? homelessness! get it?
NDALAT MOSOP
Guys guys, All of you are missing the point. The issue here is not PhD.
Delink PhD from this and tell me why voters decided to reject Orengo when he differed with Raila. Tell me why Uhuru is considered a presidential candidate while some people like Kiai, Matunga etc are simply told “you cannot”.
What good did Ruto do to be who he is now? And who is this guy called Mbugua? Yes they may be able to be down with the public but sometimes voter education may be important.
It makes no sense to vote for thieves again and again and expect them to perform miracles.
And then we ask what is wrong with Kenya, we are told we are being elitist. Makwiny, Oduor, Janyandito etc, the truth is that we are what is wrong with Kenya. If you and me stood for what is right then we could change Kenya.
How do you have a minister for environment who knows nothing about the environment? And please do not tell me about Mulu Mutisya. Yes he achieved a lot as a businessman, and indeed helped a lot of people, but he should have not been made a minister in the Republic of Kenya. He did not have the capacity to interpret policy. It is wrong to still perpetuate this in the 21st century.
In some leadership positions, you need informed people. If you want Kenya to develop into a first world, the leadership must be knowledgeable. Of course they do not need a PhD to do so, but at least they need some education.
Again PhD is not the center of the argument. The center of the argument is that Kenyans believe these are the only “gene pool” and yet when this gene pool is analyzed, the only thing that come out of it is inadequacy. No arrogance intended, it is just analysis of the type of leadership Kenyans, and by extension Africa, has chosen.
As one once said, “African vilify its intellectuals and praise their fools”. And it is true, that is the way we have ended up with Amin Dada, Mobutu, Mugabe and now Zuma.
And finally, for the record, I am not intending to contest any seat, but I am going to work very hard to change people’s minds.
Dr. Barack Abonyo for Nyando was not my creation. I am not interested in a political position right now
Barack
All herbalists in Kenya also claim to have Ph.d’s. It is really puerile and laughable.
Yes Daktari, you see, people need to be enlightened on who a good leader is and people need to know safeguards that should be put in the new constitution.
I believe that in a government, only the President and a Prime Minister should be politicians. Other cabinet members should be professionals. Therefore, a minister of environment should be an accomplished environmentalist. The situation whereby you have Ruto being in charge of agriculture, yet he knows little in agriculture was not created by Ruto, but your damned constitution.
To have these changes, daktari, you have to saturate the minds of the people with the good ideas. The moment you start to demonize people who are just beneficiaries of the state of our politics would not help you and me.
The problem is the voter who is gullible, not the guy who takes advantage of the gullible voter.
In short, the solution you should be professing is: ENLIGHTENED VOTERS AND A GOOD CONSTITUTION. If you want to know what I mean, trust your brother, sister, son or daughter with a signed blank cheque. If your account is emptied dry, do not blame them but yourself for giving them the blank cheque.
‘An enlightened dictator is better than a popularly elected fool.’ This would be a good motion for debate in Kenyan schools and if it sails through, it should be part of the a disharmonized draft constitution.
Then tell me your take on Kibaki being an accomplished economist who taught at the only university in East Africa.
Dr. Abonyo,
I think it would be better for you to re-read your first post on this thread. You will understand why you get these responses.
I can notice you have backtracked. Education, to you in the post, looked like the measure of good ‘performance’ for political leadership. Do you know someone by the name Omollo Okero, yes, he was once an MP, I dont know what he can be remembered for.
Then there was this uneducated chief from the same area called Odera Akango! So assuming Odera stood against Okero, who do you think the people will vote for?
Leadership is not all about education, a good leader will have good education by default, coz in most cases, they take responsibility at an early age. So they will be able to go through primary school, secondary school. If they are “sharp”, they will be able to join University or Middle colleges. Their leadership qualities will be visible in their communities. They will participate in community activities. They will be known. When elections are called, they will beat Profs. hands down.
As someone advised, kindly do not personalize issues.
Jeje Peter
to
Dr Abonyo
Your title gives the impression that your subject was going to be about why voters tend to believe the sometimes empty promises that politicians feed us with, especially at Election time. Instead you ran all over the map, not mentioning anything to do with that. I was there at elections and I think Raila still refers to the notes he used then.
It is true that Name Recognition gives the children of politicians a head start. But your namesake, Barrack Obama showed us that it can be overcome. You need not be so resentful. However, to be an effective leader you need much more, otherwise all Jaramogi’s off springs would be as effective as Raila and all Kenyatta’s would be presidential candidates.
Money also helps, but again Obama proved to us that it is by no means the be all and end all of everything
What I am saying is that the people you are talking so scornfully about have a lot more going for them than their pedigree and inherited wealth.
Raila for one has earned the trust and confidence of the people of Kenya through long years of hard work in the liberation front, and steadfast dedication to the course of the poor.
It is not fair to lump together these people, the only thing they have in common may only be the fact that they may all be vying for the highest office in Kenya.
As has been eloquently put by several respondents, it helps for a leader to be Educated, and all these leaders you are talking about are educated enough, definitely not to your level, but enough. If you ask me, PHD forces one to specialize in a rather narrow area, life and hence leadership requires one to be very broad.
I agree it makes no sense to vote for thieves repeatedly, that is why I vote for Raila always. It is the reason we sent Moi packing.
The person who should have been minister for Environment, according to her credentials has been very quiet about the Mau thing, which is such a big deal. Raila is doing a good job, though he is only an Engineer.
You are not the only one worried about the need to have Educated leaders. I think the Bomas Draft had something about it, I hope it will be retained. That could be a start.
I am glad you want to try and change people. You may need to understand them before you can change them. You may be suprised how much they know already
The voters rejected Orengo because Moi forces were trying to use him (Orengo) to divide the Luo, and hence the opposition presidential votes, everybody except you knows that.
Jeje Peter
Daktari,
Our country needs prayer. Jesus is the answer.
Yesu Tosha is my message to everyone.
People,
I have just noticed this discussion. As Ndalat Mosop said before, I would have personalized this argument. I am sure you now understand why I am an antidote to one Barack Abonyo and his Reich. You see why I do not buy his arguments, though I must admit, he really knows how to get our goat.
You know my motto: To lay matters bare, there has to be an unusual way of looking at issues, don’t you think? So you see, I once thought this chap could be unlike an usual politician. So I initiated a movement to draft him as the next Nyando MP. He was asked a few questions and he failed the street test just like he is displaying his lack of street wisdom herein. This man, who would be a politician would be quite unusual indeed. Those without education would need to seek asylum or what?
In protest, we have now moved our support for OMONDI BUNDE. A fisherman in Kisumo, one whose street wisdom surpasses by far the wisdom of many a politician who cannot deliver, and now of course, the intelligence of the intellectual such as afore mentioned.
We have already secured 100% funding for OMONDI BUNDE FOR NYANDO 2012 campaign through Mission For Political Strategy, LLC. (MPS), and FENNA BACCHUS for the life of OMONDI BUNDE’s campaign on FACEBOOK.
To show your protest at the politicians who do not deliver, and professor-gone-wild, join http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=313745325062&ref=ts
—
Joram Ragem
wuod Ndinya, wuod Onam, wuod Amolo, wuod Owuoth, wuod Oganyo, wuod Mumbe, wuod Odongo, wuod Olwande, wuod Adhaya, wuod Ojuodhi, wuod Ragem! (Are you my relative?)
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Dr. even i myself holds a phD but i do not show myself like you do.may be you hold a phD in uganga so we are not intrested in you phD