atha achola wrote:
Rev Okoth, Odhiambo and all with that good intention.
There is more to Dominion that I have come to understand by going through past efforts to put the issue straight.
We must stop exchanging in the negative about Dominion investments in Yala. We must also not close our eyes to the excesses of the project.
Well, Rev Okoth and his team and / or allies – we all need an economic empowerment and I believe we should direct that energy in the same way Bwana Nyandoto or K’Onyiego suggested in one of their letters calling for ‘unity of purpose’.
I want to believe that Mr Odhiambo’s correspondances with Mr Calvin were in good faith to protect what is rightfully ours. We should not try to distort facts. Dominion is an investor and must seek informed, knowledgeable and selfless allies from the community to be able to explain their cause and proceed with the project without interference.
And again it is all voluntary and for KCDN to ask that some resources should be invested in them by Dominion to help facilitate the former rally support for the project should not be misconstrued to be extortion.
Rev Otura I sincerely agree with you in some of your emails but it does not help to issue threats to our own. We may have varying opinions but that should not be reason for mudslinging.
Chris Owalla’s action is informed by several environmental and social studies about the project and its impact on the locals. We can only try to correct him but not abuse.
As for me I am supporting the cause but will never subscribe to excesses of Dominion.
Regards,
Atha ACHOLA
ConsumerFirst Network, Kenya.
Mombasa.
– – – – – – – – – – –
Hallo Atha,
I am not trying to threated anyone but I will maintain that it is unlawful for an individual to seek US $ 12 000 bribe from an investor to defend legal investment enacted by the Parliament laws such as Dominion Farms.
In addition many people do not understand that in the Canada / USA / EU it is illegal for investors to bribe their way to invest anywhere in the world, by doing such would subject them to criminal prosecution.
Dominion Farms went though all the government process to have the project installed and therefore it is upon the government to protect all its investment initiatives from detractors and schemers such as Odhiambo Oketch and Owalla.
Nyanza and Kisumu City investment opportunities:
Right now in Kisumu even the boda boda bicycles, bikes, tug-tug and taxis are own by the Asians / Kikuyus / Kissis. The rental houses in Kisumu belongs to the Asians/Kikuyus/Kissi, motels and Hotels entrainment joints are mostly own by the outsiders.
Every Sunday Asians / Kikuyus / Kissi drive large trucks full of merchandise and food stuff to Kisumu-Kibuye markets for sales to luos consumers, while the entire shops in Nyanza are owned by the Asians / Chinese / Kikiyus / Kissis.
While luos residing in other parts of Kenya, majority are laborers working in tea or coffee farms in Central or Rift Valley.
In the major cities luos are the occupants of the inhumane slams shanties and laborers in all the Industrial areas in Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru.
The recent post election violence should have been a lesson but it seems it will take someone like “Odera Kango to come from the grave” to have luos set up new development agenda.
The worse enemy of luos are the luos themselves. The late Roudh Goro, Mzee Adala Otuko, once told me that late Kenyatta thwarted the Luo Thrift Trade Union and made a secret economy policy that “BEING A LUO MUST EQUALS EXTREME POVERTY” .
Did the late Adala bought that ? NO ! NO ! He and the late Jaramogi believe that luoland is sleeping economical giant and will one day wake up to take its roll in Kenyan economical power. However, it will take luos to dying to themselves to bring about such dream to a reality.
My team here in diaspora will continue seeking major investments to the luoland and no amount of intimidation will stop us from economically transforming the luoland. Any attempt will be met with an equal defensive mechanism.
Meanwhile, I will urge the luos to start just with any small investments such as boda boda bicycles, bikes, tug-tug, taxis and matatu.
Jothurwa, weche to be jowa ose wacho ndi, to koro sani wan e loch kar ka joma goyo koko otemie okelie investment moko wakony godo luo. Penjo: SHOULD BEING A LUO MUST EQUALS EXTREME POVERTY IN KENYA ?
Rev Okoth Otura
– – –
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 09:38:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: ndebele okoth
Subject: SHOULD BEING A LUO MUST EQUALS EXTREME POVERTY IN KENYA ?
Pingback: Re: SHOULD BEING A LUO MUST EQUALS EXTREME POVERTY IN KENYA ? at Jaluo -student scholarship, scholarship for college, scholarship , scholarship for kenyans, college scholarship, school scholarship
The whole of this debate makes me feel really ashamed as a luo ’cause we seem to burying our head in the sand. It is no secret that the so called kikuyus, Asians and kisiis have superior entrepreneurial culture which is ingrained i competitive and modern way of life.They have discarded inimical and retrogresive cultures which continue to shackle our people. Look everywhere for evidence -Luos are tenants, labourers, watchmen etc while these people are busy exploiting us as landlords, industrialists, businessmen etc. Have you ever seen a luo hawker or mama mboga in the streets of our cities, estates or slums of Nairobi( where we live a dog’s life). What kind of skills are required to be a hawker or operate a kiosk? Come on, we should vent our anger on ourselves especially our leaders who have led us into this sorry state.
Kikuyus in particular deserve what they own as they have mastered the environment and have also through their enterprise ensured food on our table-You saw the suffering we went through when we chased them away from kibera, Eldoret, Kisumu and elsewhere. By the way if we were to rate kenyan tribes on a continuum in terms of poverty, where would we be,we know where they would-Let’s wake up embrace and emulate our brothers!
J. Odiambo,
Nyando
I am asking my fellow luos to start being realistic when dealing
with investors. In the whole world ,investors are not easy to get
and they are short in supply. Inorder to attract an investors,a local situation must be conductive for investment. By conductive
situation ,it means that security,availability of labor,market,and
local stakeholder participation must be a positive one.
For the case of Dominion Farm, the local people ,as stakeholder
are behaving very negatively.They should make U turn by stoping demanding bribery.This behaving will be exploited by
our enemies by potrying luos as anti investment. This negative
talk will make potential investors fear investing in luoland. Hence
the prevailing will increase. Remember,a poor person has no voice anywhere in the whole world.With poverty,there is no development which can take place.
The luo should start electing traightforward people as they leaders. Please,from now ,stop electing people because they
can talk nicely or have a lot of money to bribe voters.Try to
evaluate candidates right from youth stage.At the moment,the
problem the dominion farm is having is from corrupt councillors
who bribed their way to become councillors. They are demanding
bribery to recover the money they used to bribe voters. People
of two districts should demand resignation of these councillors
immediately. They are disgrace to luo community who have for
a long time because of lack investment.
This same dominion farm was suppose to investment at Ahero
before coming to Bondo. Because of not knowing how to attract
investors,the community miss the chance to host the company.
It was economic and social miscalculation by the socall i know
all leaders.It was a great plunder which Ahero community will
leave to regret.The missed the opportunity out of ignorance.
Bondo should start to behave responsibly inorder to attract more
investors.Investors are rare commodity and their demand is very
high. People from luo land let us stop mixing politics and economic development. This is a great opportunity that foreign
investors are starting to consider our region which has been left
behind. If we welcome these piniors positively,other investors will follow.The coming of more investors more job opportunity will
be available for the locals,indirect employment will also realised,
roads,and other development will occur.
You should know that foreign investment had never been in luoland because first the british were using our people to
work in their investment in Rift Valley,Nairobi, Central Province,
Coast Province,and Mombasa.When Kenyatta took over he made
sure that no investment of its worth was done in luoland. Moi also followed Kenyatta’s footsteps by denying us investment
opportunities. This is one of the reason why our area is still
poor.
Now that there are some interests of bring investment in luoland
then some shortsighted leaders are fighting it. There seems to
be alot of confusion created by our leaders who want our people
to continue being poor. These leaders believe that you can only easy to control a poor person.Therefore ,they are always out to make poorer inorder to control. This is a bad policy and we must
fight against it.