| Friends, I was in the Western Region of Kenya once more from Thursday 22nd July till Sunday 25th July. We painted Kisii Green on Friday in a Presidential YES campaign and on Saturday, we met with Joshua Nyamori to do a joint Greening at the funeral of my cousin, John Owino Awich, at Ndere in Alego. I then hit the road for more action in Busia and Kakamega. The land is pure green and I am looking forward to 4th. When I was coming back to Nairobi on Sunday 25th July 2010, I bumped onto our leaders at Imperial Hotel in Kisumu where they had gathered to issue the following Press Statement. Read for yourself. As for me and my people, we are ashamed! Though, we will be voting YES on 4th August on the same side with them. Our YES vote is inspite of them. It is for Mother Kenya and progeny. 25th July 2010 Our Apologies; Press Statement Dear Kenyans, We, the undersigned leaders from Western Region in Kenya, do hereby make a public apology for dereliction of duty on our part. You overwhelmingly gave us your votes in the last elections where you mandated us to be your representatives in Government and in the Legislature. We want to make a public apology because we have failed in that. We have not represented you well. We have been squabbling too much and doing too little for the benefit of the people. Our interests are at variance with that of the people, and our lust for money is insatiable. We know that bread is very expensive, and many of our people cannot afford the costs of basic household commodities. We have hence been very busy looking for money in whatsoever ways and this made us forget that your brief to us was to go and bring the goods for the common good of all of us. We must apologize because, any sane person would want to eat to his fill before you start being your brother's keeper. We also know that you know that we know everything. We are the masters of platitudes and at best, court poets. We do not tell the person with real Executive Authority in Kenya what our people need; we have only been telling him what we need at personal levels. And you are the people who elected us! It is such a mess that we have no known economic blue print for our people and for this region. And the CEO knows how to deal with us individually. He calls us separately and gives us only what can satisfy our immediate earthly needs. We do not go back to ask on behalf of the people because he can easily be in foul mood and nowadays, he sees all of us as pumbavu, or, mafi ya kuku. We ask that you do not vote for him again. That man is so mean. He gives us very little allocation for roads, CDF and development. Do not vote for him again. At a time when others are benefiting from good roads, our side of Kenya is in such a mess. And yet, you gave us the same mandate that was given to other leaders from elsewhere in Kenya. We have lost it, but as we eat now, we must apologize that your turn to eat is not yet. You must wait for us to reach Canaan because your food is waiting for you there. What we currently have is not even enough for our selfish selves. You must keep faith and you must be very loyal, for your food is still cooking; can't you feel the smell? The smell of power? So, wait even if you are starving, even if you are driving on no roads; we know that you have pot holes for roads, and we want to fix them as soon as we have one full loaf. You must hence wait and keep voting for us; we will build for you super highways once we get power. As at now, we must struggle for all supply and construction contracts because it is you who gave us the mandate to eat on your behalf. We must apologize to you that even as our lack of vision becomes so glaring, we still need your votes immediately the next elections are called. Your turn will come, but as for now, you must help us reach the top. Only then will we be able to start sharing our wisdom with you. I hope you all know that we can do nothing in our current status. We need power to make us start doing what others are doing now. So you must continue having faith in our ineptitude. As we have said before, and for which we must apologize, we know that development, all development is hinged on good roads. But you see we only have half a loaf. That cannot help us do what you voted us to do. We do not know the magic the other half a loaf guys are using to enable them do all those road construction works in their regions. Have you ever visited Thika in the recent past? Their half a loaf must have been bigger than our half! How come our half a loaf is building only roads whose tarmac layer is so thin that they wear out 2 days upon completion? Did you see the road we did between Mai Mahiu through Kedowa to Chepsinendet just the other day? That was real development and we are very happy that it gave you some insight into what we will do for you immediately we reach Canaan. Do not worry that it looks like a cattle track now. We have no idea how those guys are spreading electric power across their region with their half a loaf! They are also building fish ponds with their half a loaf while, our half cannot protect our God given Lake Victoria. Our half a loaf cannot listen to the cry of our fishermen and yet, we must come back to you to seek your votes to enable us continue being of such good service to you. Forget about Migingo. We will just take it the moment our loaf becomes full. So, make it full for us. Honestly, we do not know how half a loaf can land those guys all the plum Executive jobs both in the Civil Service and in the State Corporations. We must apologize because on this one, we honestly do not know. And yet, it is you the people who elected us to eat for you. Your turn to eat will start immediately we rich Canaan and get a full loaf. How those guys are sharing their half a loaf we cannot tell. They must be consulting with these people who have no money yet they have the power to pray for your money to multiply. In the end results, you remain with papers in your hands, while, they go eating your money. But we are not saying that you are like those people who pray for others to have money. It is us who have been praying for you to have money. Even God said that it is only to those who have that more will be added. You know that we need a salary increment, because, we are eating on your behalf. We have eaten in partnership with road contractors, we have eaten all the money the CEO gave us to develop the country. You know that what they allocated to our roads could not even patch the 1 kilometer stretch that passes by Kisumu Airport on your way to Maseno. That stretch needs real money, not the type that we are allocated every year. Yet, we must apologize for collaborating with road contractors to eat all the road construction money. And we know that real development starts with good roads, and we are yet to reach Canaan where you will surely swim in milk and honey. We are so sorry because we cannot even command the Provincial Road Engineer in Kisumu, in Kakamega and in Nakuru to patch our roads. We will do that immediately we have one full loaf. As for now, we must eat the entire road provisions, even what the Provincial Roads Engineer has for doing any patch works on our roads, we must eat that also. You must wait and help us reach Canaan. Only then will we do something for you. Name it, what does not need to run on roads? We know that all industries that could drive Kisumu to make it a regional hub were suffocated. But we have not reached Canaan, so you must not blame us. Blame the other guys who took the bigger size of that half a loaf. They lied to us that the loaf was 50-50. But we cannot go back and start afresh now. We can only help by eating what they throw our way as you wait. Development does not come so automatic. How come you have never known this? It is a process, a very tedious process and we must think as we eat. We must eat for you as we think for you. Period. Who has ever been a philosopher on empty stomach? Even Jesus had to go fishing at some point. But you all know that for Him, He went fishing for the people, and that was 2,000 years ago. Who verified that story? Things have changed and now, when you go fishing, you eat first, eat for your family then you eat on behalf of those you are fishing for. Ever heard of Me, Myself and I Syndrome? Our apologies if you have not. The moment we reach Canaan, Kicomi will be revived; Rivatex will be revived; Kisumu Breweries will come back- we know that you are the people who consume more beer than any other Kenyans; Ahero Irrigation Scheme will be revived; falling education standards will be addressed; health care will be given a priority; water will cease to be absent despite the presence of the largest fresh water Lake in the World, Migingo will be taken back and Ugandans will not arrest you poor fellows anymore; a fishing plant will be built for you; And definitely, we will build those roads that you so desperately need, Especially, the one that starts from next to Kisumu International Airport to Kisian via Spectre International and Otonglo Market- just in case you would pretend that you do not know the road we are talking about. It serves all of us; those who avoid the road by flying, and those who break their cars on these cattle tracks we have for roads. We know that. And we pray that you keep voting for us to enable us keep flying to our rural homes. We must apologize for your foolishness. We also know that our roads are hanging above the earth level in most cases. We want to apologize to all those Kenyans who have died as a consequence of this. We know that a trailer was coming at high speed on the pot holes that we have for roads and you could not escape him. You tried moving out of the way, and because the road is hanging above the earth level, your car had to roll and you died. We are very sorry that you had no choice. Either way you were going to die. The trailer was going to crash you and still, you were going to roll to your death if you ever tried moving out of the death traps that we have set for you. Our apologies because you chose to roll than to be crushed. But we achieved the end result; we killed you. Our apologies. But as for now, we must eat on your behalf, because it is you people who gave us this 5 year license to eat, eat without any shame. The roads can wait. After all, you have enough money to fix your cars on a daily basis. Again, we need your cars to break down every so often so that you may help us achieve Vision 2030 for our mechanics. Because we are sure to miss this thing called Vision 2030, it is better we empower our mechanics to be our representatives towards the attainment of Vision 2030. They also need bread just like we also need it. If we give you good roads, what will they eat? Again, if we give you good roads, you will start being creative and you will stop begging from us. You will even stop voting for us. We love it when you follow us like a swarm of bees begging for Kshs 50.00. If we empower you, who will vote for our greed? You must understand these things. We must keep you in constant poverty. Our apologies. We must also apologize for eating all the Constituency Development Funds. That money is too small. It cannot even patch any road, not even with murrum. We need to have real power, not the kind of power sharing that Condolesa Rice came talking to us about. It is only real power, not real power sharing that will make us start focusing on development in our region. In the meantime, we are eating on your behalf. And when we want to go to Kisumu, we fly. We have learnt to behave like bats. The only problem is, we must all land at Kisumu Airport and share in the agony of that small stretch. But then, it is fulfilling our desire to empower our youths. We have nothing to offer them except when they make our cars and we pay them pittance. We shall have achieved something; Vision 2030 for our mechanics! We must apologize to you for believing that we shared in the same vision. No. Ours was driven by the GONYA syndrome, where you eat what is available. You do not plan to make it available and eat the proceeds with your people for ever after. No. We are eating all of it now. As your elected leaders, we have no wish to share this loot with you. You gave us the license to eat without shame, and now, do not lift a finger even as you drive in no roads and see no development. This is our gravy train and you are powerless till the next election. But come that time, we will give each of you Kshs 50.00 and you will sing our praises as you vote for us again, and we promise to serve you with diligence, just like we have done always. We are all Building the Nation, different ways though. We are eating as you salivate. Our apologies again. Things will improve. Just vote us back and we will do it all over again, just like we have done since independence. We hope you accept our apologies as you vote YES on 4th August 2010. Your faithful and trusted leaders, Rt Hon Raila Amolo Odinga- Partner and Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, Hon Kenneth Marende- Head of the 2nd Arm of Government- The Legislature, Hon Musalia Mudavadi- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government, Hon Amos Wako- the Attorney General- Republic of Kenya, Hon Franklin Bett- Minister for Roads, Hon Chris Obure- Minsiter for Public Works, Hon Prof Anyang' Nyongo- Minister for Medical Services, Hon Fred Gumo- Minister for Regional Development, Hon Prof Sam Ongeri- Minister for Education, Hon William Ruto- Minister for Higher Education and something, Hon James Orengo- Minister for Lands, Hon Henry Kosgey- Minister for Industrialization, Hon Dalmas Otieno- Minister for Public Service, Hon Moses Wetangula- Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Sally Kosgey- Minister for Agriculture, Hon Dr Otuoma- Minister for Fisheries, Hon Otieno Kajwang Mapambano- Minister for IDs and Voters Cards, Hon Shoita Shitanda- Minister for Housing, Hon Samuel Pogishio- Minister for Information, Hon Noah Wekesa- Minister for Forests, *Odhiambo T Oketch refused to sign this press conference. This document was signed also by all the elected and nominated members of parliament, all the civil leaders, all the permanent secretaries and all the state CEOs from Western Region of Kenya with the exception of Dr PLO Lumumba because he was only one day into his new State appointment. He had not even been informed that he was the new kid on the block; the new protector of the political class. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment