From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013
Some of our News Dispatch readers have positively commented on my article of yesterday, saying now they understand that I am not tribalistic as some thought. They were referring to some of my articles in which I said that I am not against Uhuru Kenyatta becoming the president of the Republic of Kenya, my worry was that his government was not going to implement the constitution.
Some readers from Uhuru’s central Kenya took issues with me, saying I was tribalistic and I did not want Uhuru to become the president because he is a Kikuyu. In fact I challenged this by blaming Raila Odinga as well, for nominating his brother Oburu Odinga, his sister Ruth Odinga forced to be the deputy governor even after Kisumu electorates demonstrated against her. And Jakoyo Midiwo forced to grab power by force.
The point I was driving at was that I want to see Kenya where leaders are elected as Kenyans to serve Kenyans, not using their ethnic communities as a voting bloc to grab power from Kenyans. When this happens it is where nepotism and tribalism takes root. You must reward those tribes that helped you grab power.
When leadership is directed towards that policy, is why such leaders would not mind or even talk about more than eighteen primary schoolgirls who dropout of school because of pregnancy in Emia location in Mt Elgon Constituency.
The Chepkurkur Primary School girls were confirmed to be pregnant last week during a stormy Parents and Teachers Association meeting. The girls have subsequently dropped out of school. The news has left residents in disbelief, with majority of them seeking to know the identity of those who put the girls in the family way.
Girls in the school have been getting pregnant at an alarming rate. One girl in Class Four, five in Class Six, eight in Standard Seven and four were supposed to sit final Class Eight national examinations this year.
It is also why such leaders will not have time even bother take action on police officers who have been alleged to be impregnating primary schoolgirls in Samburu, The 14 girls aged between 12 and 18 have allegedly been impregnated by police officers deployed in the area to curb rampant insecurity in the region.
Samburu is synonymous with insecurity and the rugged region is dotted with tens of police camps meant to stabilise the security situation in the vast region where bandits rule. But the deployment of the officers seems to have complicated the lives of school-going girls as some of them demand for sex from the underage pupils. They lure them to their camps using biscuits, bread and sweets in exchange for sex.
It is why with such type of leadership the government don’t care whether Treasury is faced with daunting task of toning down tax measures that are likely to inflict maximum pain on Kenya’s poor.
A Bill that comes to the National reading today (Thursday’s Budget) proposes to slap Value Added Tax (VAT) of 16 per cent on a host of essential goods and inputs, including fertiliser, maize flour, bread, wheat flour, milk, livestock feed, pesticides and books. Others are sanitary towels, newspapers, computers, insecticides, locally assembled water pumps and gin cotton.
Shelved last year in the run up to presidential elections, the VAT Bill would see the cost of such commodities rise by 16 per cent or more, because their final retail price is left to the discretion of traders despite one of the Jubilee Government’s key promises in its manifesto was to lower the cost of living for all Kenyans.
I laughed when the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) said it would sue the State should the VAT Bill or any other Bill proposing to tax basic commodities, sail through Parliament. Where on earth can you sue the state?
Cofek wants to sue Uhuru government on the basis of Article 43 which states that ‘every person has a right to be free from hunger and to have adequate food of acceptable quality’.
Mario Vargas Llosa (1936- ) got it correctly that with such type of leadership the real politics has very little to do with ideas, values, and imagination. It has everything to do with maneuvers, intrigues, plots, paranoia’s, betrayals and a great deal of calculation.
This is where the implementation of the constitution has no value. It is to be noted here very clearly and with no bias at all that the Deputy President William Ruto was against the proposed new constitution. How can you implement something you did not want?
Dujis MP Adan Duale who accused Ruto and Naomi Shaban of misleading Kenyans who had not read the proposed constitution that the document does not serve their interests is now in Ruto’s government.
Dr Shaban and Mr Ruto argued that the proposed constitution will be oppressive to Kenyans and reiterated their demand to amend contentious clauses before the draft was taken to the referendum.
Ruto and Dr Shaban’s fear was that the new constitution would ensure that Constituency Development Fund (CDF) be scrapped if the proposed constitution is adopted. They were also opposed of doing away with the provincial administration and districts.
Mr Ruto on the other hand argued that land was an emotive issue and should be resolved if Kenyans are to support the proposed constitution in totality. Ruto’s argument was supported by then Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto and his Cherangany counterpart Joshua Kutuny, claiming land would be subjected to taxation under the new constitution.
Another reason for rejecting the new constitution was that it would significantly reduce powers of the Kenyan president and create greater balance among the different branches of government.
It explains why, even though key members of the “No” campaign: William Ruto, former president Daniel arap Moi, most Church leaders and numerous parliament members
Controversial issues included abortion clause and inclusion of Kadhi family courts was not the major reason for rejecting the new constitution.
This is considering that the Muslim courts have been in place since independence. The constitution would continue to recognize the Kadhi courts. The whole truth however, was that they were afraid the constitution would greatly limit those in power.
All the same when a constitutional referendum was held on 4 August 2010 the result was a victory for the “Yes” campaign, with official figures released by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) showing 66.9 percent in favour.
People voted in big number, partly because the new constitution was seen as a vital step to avoid a repetition of the violent outburst after 2007 presidential election. Secondly, they voted in big number because the new constitution would allow changes to the structure of government, including making ordinary citizen to have their voices be heard.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002