A lot has been said about Citizen TVs Julie Gichurus reported chastisement of the leaders of Awasi over the horrible plight of the women in getting water, and her bringing the proposed referendum into the conversation- reportedly implying that leaders from the Luo community should get water for the women of Awasi instead of politicking about the referendum on the Constitution. The news article was an important one to highlight- it would have been in the interest of fair reportage to look at the water problem itself and what is being done about it (sort of a right of reply from the people she would end up accusing of failing at their job), but it was critical and I hope someone got a wake up call. Where Julie lost her professionalism and became just another garden variety Kenyan journalist- carrying a megaphone and either ignorant, for sale, or with an agenda- was when she tried to set side by side the referendum drive (which I personally oppose, but defend CORDs right to invoke it, perhaps as a tool for political negotiation) and the water problem in Awasi. It is THREE vile things: (1) it is first a false choice- there is mutual exclusivity between working at the local level and engaging in national level political discourse, to insist that it is one OR the other is to try to muzzle those representatives at the national stage for failings that, while real and desperate, are not exclusive to Awasi.. this is particularly abhorrent because Julie probably doesnt know the MCA for Awasi ward, she was speaking Kenyan code for the Luo; (2) it is a stereotypical and POLITICAL narrative that never fails to irritate- Moi said that he could buy a Luo for 5000 shillings, at the same time he and his cronies killed the Kisumu Cotton Mills (KICOMI) and cotton farming which was the mainstay of the Kano plains areas outside the sugar-belt. He would bring electricity poles when he wanted his candidates to be elected- and when they failed to be elected, he would have the poles withdrawn and people would wallow in darkness for another election cycle. Every time the Luo have made noise that served common purposes- such as alongside other Kenyans for the repeal of one-party state, it wasnt labelled as rabble-rousing. The likes of Kibaki waited for these to be achieved before his opportunistic formation of DP and Matibas breaking away from FORD with FORD-Asili. When most of the Luo, then in the NDP joined Kanu following Raila, there was a hostility even I who has never carried the card of any political party, felt in Nairobi. They were traitors- this not disturbing the government so that you can get development wasnt the narrative being sold then. Now that the bulk of the Luo nation follows Raila in his interesting referendum foray, it emerges again- Luos are rabble rousing ingrates who should shut up to receive mandeleo from the government and develop their people. It is very sad when urbane young people like Julie Gichuru are deceived into such a stupid narrative of exclusion. (3) It is hypocritical and subjective- if areas that have not met any of the Millennium Development Goals shouldnt talk at the national stage, which communities deserve or have the luxury of being developed enough to be heard on the national stage? Are young people (under 40) such as Julie telling us that they buy the narrative that national largesse shall be distributed based on the extent of acquiescence to the national government? Arent these the things that raise the stakes for the Presidency to the dangerous levels weve seen before? And if the points under (3) above are extensions of (2), Julie did another thing with her flippant comment- she stole the narrative from the unfortunate women of Awasi and politicised their plight- and therefore shifted the conversation from keeping he local MCA, MP and our useless Governor accountable, and resolving the water problem to her tribalistic drivel which is capturing all the debate oxygen. Shame on the MCA for Awasi, on Onyango KOyoo-MP, on Governor Jack Ranguma, and on Julie Gichuru. A pox on all their houses!
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 19:34:29 +0000
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