To: jaluo@jaluo.com
From: joachim omolo ouko
NEWS DISPATCH WITH FATHER OMOLO BESTE
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014
Recently I posted on my Fcebook Timeline the story where U.S. President Barack Obama is planning to visit Pope Francis to discuss a range of issues, including the Middle East peace process and Africa.
The page like was overwhelming with some pals wondering whether Pope Francis can really manage to restore peace in Africa where tribalism and nepotism have been the main factors causing tensions and conflicts.
Many African countries have fallen prey to this vice and consequently the results have been dreary as people turned against each other on the basis of ethnicity leading to loss of many lives. In Kenya we witnessed in the 2007 post election chaos that left 1300 people dead and 600,000 internally displaced.
The trend is currently witnessed in a new wave of rebellion against the Jubilee government after Deputy President William Ruto’s Kalrnjin URP legislators accusing President Uhuru Kenyatta of sidelining Kalenjins when making appointments.
This is also witnessed among the TNA Uhuru’s legislators from Meru led by Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi, accusing Uhuru of sidelining the Meru communities and only favoring his Kikuyu communities despite the fact that Meru communities supported TNA and the President on account that his government would address inequalities in Meru region.
This is also witnessed in South Sudan where former Deputy President Riek Machar is fighting against President Salva Kiir’s government for failing to fulfill the 50-50 percent key government job positions between Riek’s Nuer ethnic communities and Kiir’s Dinka communities. Machar is accusing Kiir for failing to honor the agreement.
Nepotism is the appointment of family to positions of responsibility, and tribalism is simply an extension of that. The end result is distrust of government in general, and anger at the injustice of it all, as seen by outsiders, who are excluded from the spoils.
To solve these vices I agree with most of my Facebook pals that we do not need the Pope to come to Africa to help in solving them. Africans need to solve their own problems.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole