Kuresoi has come to Nairobi.
This was not supposed to happen. No, not in this city and not in this country. The Mathare crisis should not have happened. Neither should have the Kuresoi attacks. The outright war between Mungiki and Taliban, the outlawed vigilante groups, should have been a thing of the past. This should have been settled a few years ago when the Mungiki sect got so rough on innocent populace that there was an outcry.
The repeat of violence emitted on innocent people by the Mungiki sect shows clearly that the government didn’t do its job in taking care of business. Plastic solutions are what were applied. When a problem is dealt with properly, it never rises again and if it does, it doesn’t go to this frightening level. This vigilante problem was not plucked from it’s root. Instead it was smothered.
Violence is a story until it happens to you. It is a story for those who are have not experienced it. They just can’t relate. The government of Kenya needs to be firm in it’s delivery of security in this country.
Mathare and Kuresoi are reflections of a country’s security gone bad. Where is the Minister of internal security when all this is going on? Why are we having bloodshed right in our backyards? This occurrence was predictable. In fact, it was a time bomb waiting for it’s detonator to go off. A lot of things as far as security is concerned in this country are time-bombs.
Hon. Michuki should know that this kind of insecurity only goes to prove right those giving security alerts about Kenya. No, don’t think for one minute that you can divorce the two issues. Oh, that one is a terrorist attack and the other a vigilante attack? No. Who is a terrorist? Simple…someone who causes terror. And what did those attacking our fellow Kenyans in Mathare and Kuresoi do? They spread terror. We don’t need this Mr Minister. Put your act together and do your homework. Who will believe us if we are forever running away from vigilante groups?
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
CLIMATE CHANGE - STOP WITH THE FINGER POINTING -START ADVOCATING
The other day l was in a meeting where we laughed when the speaker told us that he was being charged for extra land which seemed to increase by the hour as a result of the lake moving inwards.That was a laugh we won't be having for a long time because of global warming.
Today during the United Nations meetings l was wondering.... what are we waiting for to understand how serious global warming is? Do we need a mallet to our heads so that we can begin to scream that everyone should give this critical issue all the attention it needs?
Again,l come back to civil society.We need to hear your voices. The civil society organizations understand better about the importance of these issues of climate change and particularly global warming.Therefore, they that understand best need to scream loudest without taking a break.
We are probably seeing more of Climate Change stories because of this United Nations meeting.What about after 18th November 2006 when this meeting will be over? Will this be an issue?
Civil society together with all other interested parties need to keep up the momentum if not increase it.The media only catches on if it can pick this as being a serious issue as presented by the interested parties. Of course l won't abdicate the media from its responsibility of reporting issues that are of concern to the society. They live in this region and therefore have a responsibility of making this place better than they found it by bringing to light issues of concern.The media affects decisions whether personal or national.They therefore need to use the power of their pens.
Africa, this has to be a concerted effort from all areas.If we are to survive this and have the generations that follow us live a better life, we need to plant seeds of responsibility right now. We need to do less finger pointing and more resolving of the contentious issues and actioning what we decide at international meetings.
Today during the United Nations meetings l was wondering.... what are we waiting for to understand how serious global warming is? Do we need a mallet to our heads so that we can begin to scream that everyone should give this critical issue all the attention it needs?
Again,l come back to civil society.We need to hear your voices. The civil society organizations understand better about the importance of these issues of climate change and particularly global warming.Therefore, they that understand best need to scream loudest without taking a break.
We are probably seeing more of Climate Change stories because of this United Nations meeting.What about after 18th November 2006 when this meeting will be over? Will this be an issue?
Civil society together with all other interested parties need to keep up the momentum if not increase it.The media only catches on if it can pick this as being a serious issue as presented by the interested parties. Of course l won't abdicate the media from its responsibility of reporting issues that are of concern to the society. They live in this region and therefore have a responsibility of making this place better than they found it by bringing to light issues of concern.The media affects decisions whether personal or national.They therefore need to use the power of their pens.
Africa, this has to be a concerted effort from all areas.If we are to survive this and have the generations that follow us live a better life, we need to plant seeds of responsibility right now. We need to do less finger pointing and more resolving of the contentious issues and actioning what we decide at international meetings.
CLIMATE CHANGE MEETING - HON. KIBWANA PUSH THE PROCESS
I am writing this from the United Nations complex in Nairobi where the COP 12 meeting on Climate Change is going on.
It is exciting that the world is continually discussing issues that concern us.But we need to move from the discussion table to the action table. It is a sad state of affair when all we do is talk and do very little about issues that pose great danger to our society.
I keep hearing ..you know the west is the greatest emitter of Green house gases and yet it is taking very little responsibility. I also hear that... although it might be the emitter of the most green house gases, it's people suffer the least. Who suffers the most? The developing countries whose emissions are unbelievably low. So what is wrong with this picture? Other than the west needing to take responsibility, we need our African countries to give Climate Change issues the prominence they give to issues of health.
Climate Change issues might not affect us right now, or so you believe, but later this issue takes a turn for the worse. Look at our weather patterns. Look at the Budalangi floods that happen ever so often. Why can't our government connect this disaster to the changes in climate? Why do we wait to invent the light bulb in the middle of the night when it is totally dark? Why can't we anticipate these changes and do something about them before they happen?
The Hon. Kibwana is the President of this COP 12 meeting.This means that Kenya has a visible status in this meeting.But it is sad that even with this prominence, Kenya is looking bad in terms of making sure that issues of Climate Change are well represented.
The civil society need to lobby the government so that issues of climate change don't take a back seat. You know, the most dangerous thing about Climate change issues not being given precedence right now is that later we will all wish we had done something.The repercurssions will be so great and so irreversible that we will all wish that we did something when we had a chance.
Hon. Kibwana, as we sit out here and listen to you chair the meetings intelligently, can we have the same vigor and intrigue put forth to engage the government of Kenya? Or are we forever inclined to be on nature's angry receiving end? The deaths that occurred in the coast as a result of the floods were a mistake.No not of nature, but of the government of Kenya. We should have ministers and other bodies thinking ahead of schedule. For example, these floods we now face are building up to an El Nino of some sorts. Are we prepared to counter that?Or are we waiting until it is too late to do anything?
Mheshimiwa, it would be good to hear from you.
It is exciting that the world is continually discussing issues that concern us.But we need to move from the discussion table to the action table. It is a sad state of affair when all we do is talk and do very little about issues that pose great danger to our society.
I keep hearing ..you know the west is the greatest emitter of Green house gases and yet it is taking very little responsibility. I also hear that... although it might be the emitter of the most green house gases, it's people suffer the least. Who suffers the most? The developing countries whose emissions are unbelievably low. So what is wrong with this picture? Other than the west needing to take responsibility, we need our African countries to give Climate Change issues the prominence they give to issues of health.
Climate Change issues might not affect us right now, or so you believe, but later this issue takes a turn for the worse. Look at our weather patterns. Look at the Budalangi floods that happen ever so often. Why can't our government connect this disaster to the changes in climate? Why do we wait to invent the light bulb in the middle of the night when it is totally dark? Why can't we anticipate these changes and do something about them before they happen?
The Hon. Kibwana is the President of this COP 12 meeting.This means that Kenya has a visible status in this meeting.But it is sad that even with this prominence, Kenya is looking bad in terms of making sure that issues of Climate Change are well represented.
The civil society need to lobby the government so that issues of climate change don't take a back seat. You know, the most dangerous thing about Climate change issues not being given precedence right now is that later we will all wish we had done something.The repercurssions will be so great and so irreversible that we will all wish that we did something when we had a chance.
Hon. Kibwana, as we sit out here and listen to you chair the meetings intelligently, can we have the same vigor and intrigue put forth to engage the government of Kenya? Or are we forever inclined to be on nature's angry receiving end? The deaths that occurred in the coast as a result of the floods were a mistake.No not of nature, but of the government of Kenya. We should have ministers and other bodies thinking ahead of schedule. For example, these floods we now face are building up to an El Nino of some sorts. Are we prepared to counter that?Or are we waiting until it is too late to do anything?
Mheshimiwa, it would be good to hear from you.
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