KENYAN POLITICIANS - A REFLECTION OF US?!!!

Here is a long blog, but stay with me you'll understand why.

This has been a revealing moment for me. Have you ever written a piece in your head, that is before you get it down on paper, only for you to realize it reveals too much about you? About us? That’s what l feel about this blog. I have been thinking about my life.

In another life it seems, If l believed in a project, l would do it based on my belief of the result it was projected to contribute to humanity. If l got offered a project and l didn’t see how it was helping the world become a better place, l simply turned it down. This was regardless of how much money l was going to get at the end of the project. Noble? I think so. But my friend when l look at my life, l seem to have moved from there. Thankfully l am going back to my roots. Something happened that triggered this blog. Allow me to say l learn from my mistakes, and pretty fast baby. Did you know that you learn more from your failures than from your successes?

Today as l was walking to the stop to get a matatu l thought, “honey what changed?” When did you get so possessive of getting paid on time? About backing off from a contract if payment was not assured, even though l supported the cause? When did that lady l stare in the mirror everyday change?

At that point, My mind jogged to our political arena. The Kenyan political arena that is. And for the first time l wondered are these people we sometimes like to refer to as hooligans a reflection of us? Of Me?

How many times have we as Kenyans living in Kenya and in the Diaspora criticized the government of corruption, which is embodied in our employment system? Our school system, tendering systems and every other arena you can think of? How many times have we criticized the government for lack of preparation for everything they did?

AND NO KENYANS, l am not supporting anyone here. I have not been bought by anyone other than my belief system. I am just helping us think, critically for once.

When, dear Kenyan, you do a sloppy job and you know it, aren’t you reflecting one of our Kenyan leaders? Like our Nairobi Mayor who keeps promising things will be done at certain times only they are done half way and sloppily. Plus more ministers who have promised to do stuff and done it badly. When you promise to deliver a job on time and it is either late or doesn’t show at all or when it does, it is not what was ordered for , aren’t you reflecting the way our constitution has been treated by our ministers? When your cousin, daughter, sister or brother gets a job or when she/he gets a an internship in your organization, because you are the boss, aren’t you practicing nepotism like most of our politicians? When you take the company car to run your personal errands aren’t you behaving like Honorable Ngilu before she realized it was wrong? So which part of this don’t you as a Kenyan understand? I mean the mirroring part.

You might not be in grand corruption like some very suspicious ministers who get shocked when they are mentioned adversely in these cases. You might not access the kind of money that the ministers have access to. But in a small way, if we get involved in what l just mentioned or more, you are mirroring our politicians.

Remember today you have the small office coupled with ambition. When your ambition gets its way and you get to the mheshimiwa’s office, the little corruption acts you entertain will just become grand acts of corruption. These thugs, as we like to call our ministers, didn’t start stealing today. I can take a bet on 99.9% of them and l will win the money. Remember these ministers we were just raiya like you and l. They were Unknown, trodden upon and yet ambitious. It was only a matter of time though before small vices they considered not harmful became grand and could not be ignored.

I am not saying the voice of reason that sends us all back to the drawing board to check our acts should not be raised. But the next time we criticize our politicians lets ask ourselves,

Are we getting angry with them because they are mirroring us? Are we getting angry because they might cause us to be revealed as their messes get investigated? Or, are we genuinely angry at promises not kept, jobs not done or done sloppily and systems that aren’t working?

Kenyans, Exactly what are we angry at and why?
AND IS OUR ANGER GENUINE THEREFORE JUSTIFIED?

SURPRISE! SURPRISE!! LEADERSHIP AT ITS BEST IN KENYA!!!

Yesterday evening l watched in total awe as the KWS CEO Dr Julius Kipng'etich was talking to Louis on Newsline, a current affais talk show. I was besides myself at the display of character that came across from this dr.

If you ask me, Dr Julius should offer his time to schools that offer both BA and MBA. They will gain from his experience. This man displayed genuine interest in his job. The guy came into office no more than a year ago and yet he knows KWS like the back of his hand. He knows the weak links and admits to them and then tells you how he is countering them. He knows all the parks and the security guards. He refuses to be drawn into territorial fights about who did what before that was not right. He refuses to character assasinate anyone.

Dr Julius reminded me of Senator Hillary Clinton who is an excellent lawyer. If you have watched Senator Hillary get interviewed you will notice that she has a slicy way of getting around trick questions. She gives you an intelligent answer that later in hindsight you realize she expanded your knowledge on the very question you asked, yet didn't get drawn into unnecessary fights.

Dr Kipng'etich is the right person for that job. And it is true. He doesn't have to have been in Wildlife to make that place start glittering. This man knows his job and what is expected of him. If the Kibaki government could apply the approach this gentleman has to all the parastatals, believe me we can experience turn arounds.

It is unbelievable how CEOs refuse to be questioned by the very people they lead.The very people who help them achieve what they are supposed to be. After that interview l couldn't help but think about how he got all this info so right. But, It finally came to me. There are two angles.First, This CEO believes in teamwork. He got his briefings from the heads of these departments. And they must be good because they anticipated every question that Louis would ask, OR; Secondly, this CEO reads and reads and reads. Why? because he knows everything there is to know about KWS and some more. Plus he doesn't shy away from questions.

Kenyan CEOs and Politicians should purchase that tape and learn a thing or two on fielding questions from journalists. They will learn that defending yourself in the presence of blantant evidence of your errors makes you look bad. They will also learn about body language. That interview spoke volumes about the excellence this man was and has been living up to. It was only a matter of time before his meticulous efforts came to fore.

When all was said and done l remembered Igor Sikorsky's quote, “The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind forward.”

MKAE MKIJUA...YOU BE SITTING WHILE YOU BE KNOWING

WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH YOU?!!!!!

Okay. I am trying very hard not to diss anyone especially knowing that we are not perfect. But here we go again. KENYAN POLITICS AND POLITICIANS.

Have you ever gotten angry mpaka ('till) you want to take a shower?!!!! That's how angry l am.

I won't even go into much. Instead l will dwell on something that l keep watching deteriorating on an hourly basis.

What is this thing about promising a nation something in order to get your votes and then turn around and not deliver it? Nini hii?!!!!! What is wrong with this picture Mr President?

Lets not go into all that has been promised us as Kenyans and has not been delivered. Lets go into the education system. Of course Kenya is being used as an example when it comes to meeting the MDGs by 2015. Bravo to Kenya!! But holla holla!!! Not too fast. Like many promises made by this government, this one on free education was made with no strategy of implementation and execution on the ground. A problem l think should have been sorted out earlier. When politicians go out to their constituencies and promise heaven, they had better have a strategist with them to provide it. Otherwise, it will be promising heaven delivering hell in the process.Like it is right now.

Good!!!!! kids went to school in the millions. Happy! happy! clap your hands and salute to these brilliant ideas!!!!!

But do you know that some kids can't go because they can't afford money to purchase desks, seats and what not?!!! Of course there are other things that are causing more hitches. But what puts me off is when there is evidence of a lack of preparation.

KENYAN POLITICIANS, Please Promise heaven but enlist the services of a strategist to think through the process of getting people there.
All this embarrasment of you not being able to achieve what you promised and in an organized fashion exhibits unbelievable confusion that is not supposed to be characterized with you.

Look at the health sector. You trying to introduce something people are not buying into by force. And of course other pet projects that seem to be getting injected into a patient who knows too much. Kenyans are unbelievably a receiptive group of people. If you as the government strategize meticulously, thinking through your options, you will have unprecedented success when you present your ideas. There will be no gaping loopholes.Make sure stakeholders across the board buy into your ideas. Don't force them. Work with them. Listen to them and don't try to pull their legs.

Kenyans are sharp. We will holla you down from your mighty high horses and in 2007, you will be gone like other careless politicians who thought we could not topple them.

Remember... you taught us that we have a voice. We learned from the best.

We learned from you. We are coming after you in 2007.

Mkae mkijua---you be sitting while you be knowing:-)

OKAY, AM DONE POLITICKING!!!!!:-)

KENYA FOOTBALL FEDERATION ANNOYS ME!!!

Holla Holla!!! Back off l am an angry Kenyan woman.

That's right. Who is this Sambu guy?Of course l know you know but who is he? Rhetoric question please.When you say that the team coach Muhidin didn't perform, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean a) That he has reflected the state of KFF? or b) You do not understand the meaning of failure? Which is it sir? And by the way, against which standard was he getting measured? What,Mr Sambu? I find it ironical that someone who has been there from...is it October 04, as not even been given time to come up for air.

Mr Sambu, you should realize that the issue is not with the coaches Sir. NOPES. The beef with Kenyan football lies within the managing body, l assume KFF. History will testify to this. KFF is disorganized. So this then obviously spills into the field. When you don't avail all that is needed to ensure that the team trains right and sufficiently, you as KFF have already handed the failure report card to Harambee stars. You cannot demand of people a standard you yourselves have failed to keep.

This new coach should enjoy his 15minutes of fame while he can. In fact Mr Mohammed begin to work on your defense mechanism right now. Otherwise when you are unceremoniously dismissed you will go into convulsions of disbelief of Kenyan ungratefulness.

Mr Sambu, have you read the book failing forward by Dr Maxwell? If not,l suggest that that be your next addition to your library. It will help you learn what failure is. One thing you will learn is that failure is just that-failure. No one is a failure, only events or plans. Failure my dear KFF, tells you that you need to restrategize. That you need to go back to the drawing board because the initials plans have failed miserably. In this case, the preparation time for the team is what caused the great embarrassment. The team Mr Sambu, was just reflecting the state of KFF, l repeat. That my dear Sirs, is how you look in front of all Kenyans. So the team didn't need to collapse in front of the world for us to know that there was something wrong with them. The team had already failed before it left. The only thing they needed to do was to exhibit your questionable managing style to the world. The external conflict was a great display of what was going on internally.

So Mr Sambu Sir, in my own opinion, this should be the last coach you have taken in hastily. This should be the last time you have blamed players and coaches for your mistakes. Its like a parent blaming a kid for not going to school yet the parent didn't pay school fees. Ironical? Yet that is what your management displays. Unless you tackle the problem from the root, you will have more coaches than the several marriages that Elizabeth Taylor has had. In the end, the four fingers will still be pointing at you and wondering, why the hell you keep thinking it is others with the bigger plank.