To end violence inject hope in veins of youth

You must have heard about a man called Mutahi Ngunyi. Before the last General Election, this man said: “The elections will not be Kibaki’s to win but Raila’s to lose”.

Eight months after the polls, Kenyans are still engaged in heated debate about who won and who lost. Many of these people say they do not know who won. What they know is that after ECK declared President Kibaki the winner, youths poured into the streets and into people’s homes to protest against the outcome.

And for the first time since independence, words like “historical injustices” made their way into the political dictionary. Never mind that President Kibaki had been at the helm for only five years compared to President Moi’s 24 and President Kenyatta’s 15.

It is likely that the protests had nothing to do with who had won or who had lost. There is a possibility that the youths blocked roads and burnt property because they felt alienated. They had been promised thousands of jobs but those jobs never came their way. They had been promised loans but many could not meet the requirements for securing these loans. It is likely that they became disillusioned.

And this is where another man called Ronald Dellums comes in. Dellums is an American leader who was involved in youth affairs for a long time before he became a congressman known more for his activism on behalf of marginalised communities.

From his experiences in the poor neighbourhoods of the US, Dellums concluded that “when people feel hopeless they become nihilistic”.

A nihilist is a person who believes that nothing is valuable. Not life. Not property. Nothing. A nihilist also believes that social and political organisations should be destroyed. If you have a large group of nihilists, you can bet that they can make a country ungovernable with or without a disputed election.

I can tell you for a fact that no young man or woman will wake up one day and decide that from now on, he or she is a nihilist. This is a condition induced by years of frustration.

If we are to help more of these future leaders from embracing nihilism, our country must find a way of reducing the frustrations that young people have to endure. And we can do it. After all, we are reducing the number of licences for foreign investors and the hours it takes to clear goods at the port of Mombasa.

Corruption

But how does frustration build up in the youths? Partly through corruption and tribalism. Dellums says that when he was a young man and wanted to join the US marines, he was recruited in 48 hours.

The same cannot be said for youths in Kenya. I am told there is a mother from Thika who has taken a loan to pay a bribe so that her son can be recruited. She could as well have been from Malaba or Mashuru.

Cases abound about how corruption, tribalism and favouritism have locked deserving youths out of genuine opportunities to secure jobs or advance themselves. And you can bet that when these youths find a way to fight back against the system, they will do it like nihilists.

Of course, it is likely that there are more youths than there are opportunities. A few years back, when we were playing “ojuala” football in dusty estate streets, we had high hopes of one day joining teams like Transcom and Rivatex. This meant that we could get jobs with such companies. There was even a professional club called Volcano FC.

There were also social halls in poor neighbourhoods where people could learn boxing, karate, table tennis and other sports. These halls produced the boxers of the ‘80s and ‘90s who put “the hit squad” on the world map and won numerous medals at the Olympics.

Sadly, these social halls have been neglected over the years and they are no longer the breeding grounds of talents and wells of hope that they were some years back.

Even the studious types like myself had access to public libraries which did not charge a cent to access the novels that fired our imaginations and kept us so busy we forgot we were as broke as church mice. Today, one has to pay Sh20 per day to use a public library. This means that a young man or woman from a poor family will not benefit from these libraries yet they need the knowledge to advance themselves in life.

Needless to say, our country must find a way to inject hope and optimism into the veins of its youth. It must explore ways to expand opportunities for them to express themselves creatively and make money from their skills and talents. The setting aside of Sh210 million to promote football in constituencies is a good start. But it is only a first step. And its success will be measured by whether the money reaches the pockets of the youths.

If you ask me, there is nothing genetically wrong with the young people in Kenya. The only syndrome that they are suffering from is kosapesiosis, which can be cured by keeping them busy as they make a little money on the side.

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Where would Kenya be without amnesty?

Dear Mwananchi,

It is me; your Mheshimiwa.

I have a confession to make.

I have heard it said that you are now considering forgiving the people who succumbed to temptation and helped themselves to a little money from the public purse.

To tell the truth, there is no leader who ever wants to do that. And how this happens I honestly do not know.

Growing old

But I realise that I am now growing old and would want to enjoy my retirement in peace when I eventually leave my parliamentary seat to a future leader.

So I just wanted to request you not to continue searching for the Sh50 million which was lost from the Ministry of National Advancement a few years ago.

As your Mheshimiwa, it had occurred to me that I ought to live in a beautiful house so that I could instil a sense of national pride in my country.

Would you want foreigners to say that it is only in Kenya where ministers live in slums? I guess not.

Since I wanted to improve our country’s image abroad, I used the money to buy a house in Karen.

Then I realised that I still had some change and built the mansion in my rural home where I host you for those nyama choma sessions every election year. You will agree with me that the money did not go to waste.

As my contribution to national healing and reconciliation, I am willing to sell my Karen house and repay the money I took from my ministry. I am told the house is now worth Sh80 million. But you understand that I can only return what I took.

Now that my conscience is clear, can I blow the whistle on my colleague who gave a road building tender to a company owned by his son?

Today, he claims he did the nation a great service.

The road is now full of potholes but he says this is a good development because matatus are forced to drive slowly and this has prevented the deaths of many people through road accidents.

I know that my decision to reveal all my crimes and unearth the dubious dealings by my colleagues is bold.

Caught stealing

But if this country has to move forward, we must provide bold leadership. And from now on, anyone caught stealing from the public should be executed.

I think granting amnesty to new offenders will not win the war against corruption but will only send out the wrong signals.

It has failed to work in other parts of the world and it will not work here.

Yours faithfully,

Your Mheshimiwa.

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Collective amnesia

You can always count on Lands minister James Orengo for some sound advice. Once he said that Kenyans suffer from collective amnesia, meaning that they are quick to forget.

Only last October, there were angry protests after the Government announced that the monthly allowance for the First Lady, Mrs Lucy Kibaki, had been increased to Sh500,000.

The protesters said the economy was still too fragile and that the money could have been better used for the benefit of thousands of jobless youths. Some even said that if they ascended to the position, they would take a “pay cut”.

Well, last week, the same Government announced that the wives of the Vice-President and that of the Prime Minister will now each be earning Sh400,000 a month. But there was not a whimper of protest. This can only mean two things. Either the economy has recovered pretty fast or somebody forgot to protest.

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May his soul rest in peace

When Zambian President Levi Mwanawasa was alive, he embodied a unique challenge that confronts African leaders.

On the one hand, he was described as a prudent manager of the economy which grew consistently but he faced criticism that the gains had not benefited the ordinary citizen.

This contradiction is all too familiar in African countries whose economies have been growing, including Kenya.

Mr Mwanawasa was also known to speak his mind and was among the few leaders who took a principled stand on the Zimbabwean crisis, urging President Mugabe to respect the will of the people.

I remember his visit to Kenya after the 2002 elections. Addressing the crowd at the swearing-in ceremony at Uhuru Park, Mr Mwanawasa would shout: “The hour!” And the crowd would respond: “Has come!”

Now, Mr Mwanawasa’s hour has come. May his soul rest in peace.

jmbugua@nation.co.ke