Feeding on Fear

The last few days have been extremely dramatic. There have been very positive developments on the political scene. The fast developments are unprecedented!

It started with what looked like an invincible deadlock in the mediation talks. One of the government representatives in the panel of mediators, a Minister, had thrown a furious tantrum, literally abused the chief negotiator Dr. Koffi Annan and his Assistant, former Tanzanian President Mr. Mkapa, before walking out of the talks and virtually precipitating a gridlock of sorts. Koffi had been left with no option but to suspend the team of mediators from both sides of the divide and instead preferred to deal with the two principals in the December 2008 presidential election imbroglio, the President and the opposition leader.

Meanwhile, in what looked like a coordinated and perfectly synchronized move, USA, EU, and other western capitals issued a tough warning to those who appeared bent to scuttling the process and sending the country to the dogs, as does the present Chairman of the AU (African Union, our equivalent of the EU), who happens to be the current Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

By midnight on the same day Kikwete arrived, he had conferred with the President, opposition leader, and Mr. Annan. The following day, the four men went into a meeting held in the president’s office from 10am to 3pm! They locked out the selfish hardliners from both sides. I understand it was drama at the office of the president as the hardliners hissed with fury as they unsuccessfully tried to gain entry into the mediation room.

Rumour has it that Koffi and Kikwete gave the president a bare-knuckled assessment of his survival as the president, if he stuck to his position (that all negotiations had to be carried out within the flawed and contentious constitution). He was reminded that since the constitution was what gave him the illegitimate powers, he was wielding in the first place, it must be reformed to reflect the wishes of Kenyans and avail a valve for letting out the explodeable tension in the country. We understand that the obstinate president put up a fight, but was overwhelmed by thinly veiled threats that he would suffer the ‘Ortega’ of Nicaragua fate at the hands of one Mr. Bush and the so called Coddi! He caved in! But it took a whopping 5 hours!

Finally, two legal technocrats, the Attorney General, for the Government, and a current MP cum lawyer (in fact my wife's former boss, she worked in his Law Firm), were called in to draft the historical sharing of power agreement. At around 5pm, in front of local and international media, the Agreement was signed by the two protagonists and witnessed by Koffi and Kikwete. The non-Kikuyu Kenya exploded in song and dance. The Kikuyus felt short-changed, angry, and scared. The hegemonic bliss that they have enjoyed since independence seemed to turn prickly. Their assumed unassailable advantageous positions of control in all affairs of state and governance appeared to crumble under the weight of unstoppable demand for equity from other tribes. We could see those who have been acting with impunity literally shake in their shoes!

The mediator who had walked out on Annan, but saw a copy of the Agreement as it was being signed, could not take it! She walked out of the occasion in a huff. By the way, the Agreement was agenda no.3 in the five item agenda for the mediation team. When Annan convened the team to proceed to item no.4, the next day, she did not show up. That is how deep they had dug in. One thing they can not envisage in the agreement is that the opposition leader, they so loathe, is going to be the head of government, which translates to coordinating all ministerial work, supervising ministers, and evaluating their performance! Once the Agreement is entrenched in the constitution through an Act of Parliament, alas, they have to report to him. Too, he will take 50% of ministerial posts for his party meaning a number of current ministers will lose jobs or be shifted to lesser powerful and glamorous ministries. It is a shake down!

I do not think that without the involvement of the International community we could have wrestled the power from these guys. They were embedded in all arms of the government, so deep that extracting them would have caused blood, blood, blood. And they were prepared to go the all way.

In fact, soon after the signing of the Agreement, there was talk going round that since to entrench the Agreement had to go through the parliament voting system, they would deny the opposition the two thirds majority required to pass the motion. The Speaker swiftly came up and clarified that parliament Standing Orders governing the process to require a simple majority to entrench the Act in the Constitution. Talk of greed for power!

On a personal level, I immediately ‘let go’ of all except one family of three - who lost everything to fire and looters (except for a couple of hand luggage, a laptop, and child’s clothing.)

The security situation is still grim. There is no significant let up by the militias. They feed on fear. They have varied their tactics a little bit by getting less overt. For instance, now they walk in small groups of two and three at most carrying concealed weapons unlike before when they operated openly as menacing marauders!

In darkness they get bolder. They know that the police ratio is so low that it is difficult for the force to man all places at all times. But, also it is common knowledge that overly underpaid policemen and women are accomplices in the extortion business and some are the faceless bosses of the gangs. It is a vicious circle!

Of most concern is the inevitable looming hunger. Lots of food was burnt during the 2 month-long strife. Rift Valley is the bread basket of this country and the region bore the brunt of the skirmishes. We hope that this grand coalition government will move fast to avert a famine crisis.

There is the issue of resettling the internally displaced persons. It is the hardest part in solving the consequences of the conflict. It involves a land reform agenda. It involves rectification of governance injustices that span decades. It is most probably the greatest cause of inter-tribal indignation and the still-alive, emotional dynamite for civil dissension. I will not be surprised that this is the item that will get harder to crack! It runs taunt and deep. It is always signed in blood. It is scary!

Let us leave it there for today.

Flying Toilets

The national political scene is somehow shaping up in a promising way. But this is seen in the context of the on-going mediation effort led by Mr. Koffi Annan. It is evident that Koffi has ignored tantrums being thrown by both sides, more particularly the government side; kept his eyes on the ball and is continually extracting concessions from both sides.

Mr. Bush’s remarks, bordering on threats that the international commity cannot sit around and see Kenya going the Rwandan way, in my opinion, have had an effect on the loosening of the intransigence earlier exhibited by the government team. Of course the opposition had threatened to hit the streets with ‘peaceful’ protests, consequences of which would be blamed on the President and his coterie of court jesters. That has also contributed to the softening stance from the power hungry and blinded hardliners.

But, that is not the situation on the ground! There is a looming security and food crisis that may spin out of control and negate the political gains being made by the Koffi team. Time is of the essence. Patience and food provisions are running out fast. The people need a quick solution and fast-tracked return to normalcy.

First, let me describe Nairobi and its immediate environs, so that you may understand the situation. By the way, our Kenyan cities are planned nearly the same way, such that describing Nairobi will give you a typical physical layout of major cities in the country.

In summary, the city is divided into two economic zones: the West and the East. The West is home to the rich. The leafy estates are mostly owned by Kenyan Whites, Asians, Kikuyus, and economically successful elites from other tribes, especially those who have been previously or are currently being accommodated by the government. The unbridled and pseudo-official corruption makes the civil servants millionaires overnight as the common people gawk in awe.

It is good to note that all our unnecessarily overpaid politicians have bought palatial homes in the area even when they represent constituencies on the other side of town or in the countryside. It is the ugly face of capitalism encroached in deep rooted selfishness!

Just before you enter into the wooded suburbs, you go through or past the largest slum south of Sahara, Kibera, represented by the opposition leader, Raila, who owns and lives in a five acre farm in the West. Kibera is famed for the ‘flying toilets’. Basically, the area does not have sanitary facilities. So how do they dispose of their human waste? They relieve themselves in polythene bags which they swing up the in the air at night. Where they land is not their problem! It is hell! The issue was a campaign topic.

The East, where I live, accommodates life strugglers (hustlers of various degrees): in what you may call the middle class (in the Kenyan context) and the very poor (the scum of the world?). Some of these people are so poor, an American or a person from the developed world can not envisage the penury levels unless by visual witnessing. It is even disgusting describing the situation in this communication! Believe me!

Hence, the East is itself divided into two: the middle class and the very poor. The middle class stay in relatively organized settlements known around here as estates. The houses are either built in clusters, called courts, or are stand alone maisonnettes or bungalows in small compounds (that can accommodate one car or two if squeezed). There are also flats that accommodate the middle class. They look like those inner city buildings in some American cities. I stay in a flat that has six units, hence accommodating six different families, but with built-in facilities, i.e. the kitchen, piped water, sanitary facilities, a shower, etc. It is meant to accommodate three people, but presently we are twelve adults and three children!

The poor stay in unplanned settlements, which they do not own, in the first place. They are slums.

They have no facilities. If there are water or electricity connections, they are those routed to communal facilities or are illegal and are run by militias! These are the people who have so far posed the greatest security challenge to Nairobi and other urban centers.

Sometimes one wonders whether they should be blamed! Most of them come from the politically disadvantaged and minority tribes. Disadvantaged here means none of their own has been the President of this country. They do not have the necessary networks to the center of power and are uneducated. They are so desperate, they kill for food and other basic needs like it is normal, a way of earning a living! Anytime they lay their hands on illegal firearms, they simply cause mayhem. Mostly, such are labeled thugs and end up being shot by the police; eh, summary execution! What do they call it? Extra-judicial killings by the Police force!

Anyway, when hell broke loose in the country, confusion ruled large. So the first instinct was of course to stay indoors. We relied on TV and radio for information. Pictures started coming in of fires, killings, police in the streets, roads and villages, tear gas, and fear stricken Kenyans running, crying, looking helpless.

Through our floor window, we could see running battles between the police and rioters and looters as gunfire and gunpowder lent the air. Of course, most of these people came from the adjacent slum. It was a picture that was repeated across the city and across the country.

When they could not penetrate the security condones thrown around the West by the Police and around the non-slum East areas (by our own paid or self-employed security), they turned against each other. Soon they organized themselves into groups based on ethnicity when word came through that tribal ‘wars’ had broken out in the countryside causing massive displacements of the ‘foreigners’.

What almost looked like parallel ethnic cleansing and pogroms started taking shape depending on a location and the majority tribe in whichever region. Our security, some of whom were actually slum dwellers, got tired or rushed to the slum to salvage their properties from burning ‘houses’. It is at that point that the Kikuyu dreaded militia, schooled in scorch-earth tactics, ruthless, and enjoying some measure of government support surrounded our buildings and demanded protection fees or else. In some quarters, where owners had fled in fear of attacks and some other fleeing families occupied, they are demanding rent.

They have a horrific way of dealing with the defiant. They kidnap one, decapitate him, and skin the head. Meanwhile, they dismember the rest of the body, so that they dispose the torso and the upper part of the body in different locations. I understand they keep some parts of the body for oathing purposes. They belong to a traditional sect that believes in archaic traditions that use such organs to defend themselves from what they believe would be haunting spirits of the victims! Disgusting, but real! Most probably you have read it in our media.

So pay for fear of the consequences. It expensive and unnecessary! Our efforts to get the Police to stop them are still unsuccessful. The Police claim for such dangerous proscribed shadowy organization, they will have to carry out their own investigations in their own time. We understand some in the Police are involved as they share the spoils. It is corruption at its best. Those of us who are looking for help have to be very discrete in fear of victimization.

It is frightening.

However, I am not claiming that the Police are doing absolutely nothing about this particular militia. Only recently, they netted 50 of them who were in the process of taking an oath (they initiate new members through oathing) and just yesterday they were released on bond of an equivalent of US$750 each. Since they are usually sponsored by their local tribal political masters and also from their illegal collections, I am sure they will raise the bonds.

There is spontaneous sprouting of tribal based militias throughout the country. Just this morning, it was said that each tribe, especially in the Rift Valley, is recruiting private armies and readying themselves for a ‘civil’ war just in case Koffi’s mediation efforts fail. One group raided a farm owned by the other tribe and stole hundreds of heads of cattle and sheep and disappeared into a forest.

Second is the food scenario.

The markets are slowly running dry. Those hit are the middle class and the poor who depend on the local products for food. The rich have not only stored their provisions, but also depend on the expensive imported stuff which is still available in the supermarkets. I do not know for how long they will enjoy this precarious advantage. I am seeing a scenario where their homes will be raided by unstoppable hungry multitudes of commoners and food taken! I hope I will not be forced to join them!

However, if security improves, farmers who still have sellable food products will access the markets even though it will be expensive but still a lot cheaper than buying from the supermarkets. Nevertheless, this may not mitigate the general poverty levels. People need money to buy food.

Yesterday, the national labour organization boss said 500,000 employees have lost their jobs due to the instability. Meaning that lot of people are penniless right now; I leave the rest to imagination. In fact, in anticipation of problems, the government has quickly recruited 10,000 more policemen!

At a personal level, I am getting worried. I thought this situation would be over quickly, so I agreed to house some refugees. I went further, in trust of the power of providence and used my little savings to provide for my visitors. Now, I can not anymore because I have basically run broke. So I have been appealing to neighbours, the Red Cross and the Catholic Church nearby for assistance. While they initially looked willing to help, the tone has changed and urged me to send away the refugees. On the other hand, the refugees (most of whom are related to me) have ‘kindly refused’ to leave. As a family, we right now do not have much to go on by.

But, the dilemma is that I can not have even that small meal with my family while they are looking and starving. It is impossible! I’m seriously considering re-locating my family, but I remain behind in solidarity while I make traveling plans for them. All except one family have an ancestral home to go to. I also do not want to involve the corrupt Police who may rape the women. I can not live with the guilt.

My nature is anti-begging. I have never done it. I believe in hard earned income or rewards. When I borrow, I refund. I have built my character around that virtue such that I rarely have problems borrowing. This is keeping us going right now. But the lenders are becoming scarce. I am seeing a scenario where we may have to look outside our jurisdictions for help. Surely we can not all perish when somewhere, friends, sympathizers and the world in general can spare something for us. Some of us are luckier for we can get word out through the Internet like this one.

There are some who know nobody outside their environment! Maybe it was meant that some of us should remain alive to tell the story. I do not know. Hence, we always welcome and are very grateful for ANY help in this hour of our need.

But, I also strongly believe that our country will not go to waste. A solution will be found soon. We are a resilient people who will take off very fast once peace returns, so we continue fending for ourselves. There is no doubt about that. More so, we are a Jesus country. He will perform a miracle. I believe! Meanwhile, I believe prayers will sustain us.

Phew, I think I have de-briefed enough for today.

Stay Blessed
Moracho

Killer Youth Groups

You can’t believe what has just happened in our country. Soon after a show of support from the international community about our situation andveritable suggestions (e.g. REAL power sharing) on the way out of the quagmire and apparent willingness by the current illegitimate government to play ball, they reneged on their promise to cooperate as soon as Coddi left.

The opposition has moved swiftly to announce a schedule of mass action across the country. Fresh violence has already broken out in the most volatile parts of the country. Real despondence has once again gripped the country. Annan is still around though, but has started looking and sounding tired. Oh my!

Let me give you some summarized background about the on-going crisis, so that you may have a fair picture of the situation on the ground.

Kenya has 42 tribes. This excludes former British colonialists who preferred to remain in the country after we attained political independence, but who hold dual citizenship, and Asians, mainly Indians and Pakistanis, who had been brought into the country by the British colonialists to build the Kenya-Uganda railway and stayed on, most of whom also hold dual citizenship. Out of these 42 tribes, we have the BIG FIVE tribes which make up about 20 million out of a population of 34 million Kenyans. They are the Kikuyus, Luos, Luyhas, Kalenjins, and Kambas.

Of these, the Luyhas and Kalenjins have sub-tribes. For instance, the famous Masai are a sub-tribe of the Kalenjin tribe. The British colonialists displaced the Kikuyus and Kalenjins from most of their fertile land and squeezed them into small “reserve” areas. It was easier to maintain control over such designated locations and it became a source for cheap labour, mainly in providing farm labour and low cadre security services. While the Kalenjins who were pastoralists were not interested in working for the colonialists, the Kikuyu embraced them and soon thereafter they even started intermarrying. This opened them up (Kikuyus) to the world.

The quest for labour that was left by the Kalenjins was taken up by the Luos, and to some very limited extent, and most probably because of its small number, the Kisiis (my tribe). Since the British also came with the missionaries and education, till today, the most educated and religious, are biased, in absolute percentages, along the same analysis.

For instance, in the two mass national examinations, the top three positions have been shared between the Kisiis, Kikuyus, and Luos, even though the Kisiis, irrespective of being a minority tribe has taken a lion’s share of those positions, sometimes leading three years in a row!

When the British left, the first President, Kenyatta, was a Kikuyu. He institutionalized corruption, tribalism, and classicism. First, instead of returning land left by the British to original owners, he first grabbed the most fertile land for himself, a whopping 80, 000 acres and distributed the rest to his Kikuyuelite tribesmen who later made a killing selling the same to a second string (commoners) of Kikuyus.

Later, those who would not maintain it, started selling to anyone who would buy. Since Kisiis are located in a small, but highly fertile location, they were getting overpopulated within that locality; so, they took the opportunity and bought most of such land as it became available. All this time, the Kalenjins whose land was being grabbed were bitter, but helpless since they did not have the financial wherewithal or instruments of power. To control them further, he, Kenyatta, appointed one of them, Moi, as a vice president (who later became the second president) and heavily compromised him by dishing him 20,000 acres of arableland!

Meanwhile, the first president “gave” all plum civil servant jobs to the Kikuyus. Since we were not schooled in business and economics, the government ran everything including retail business. Those Kikuyus, and Britons, and Asians who were already knowledgeable took advantage and became millionaire middlemen, a position they maintain to date. He also concentrated in developing his tribal area. To date it has the best roads, schools, universities, hospitals, and communication facilities; and more.

In fact, I got my education in one of their schools, but I had to be one of the two top performers from my district to earn the place. It was a quota system they have maintained to date!

The second President, Moi, from the Kalenjin tribe, ascended to the position by default (a story for another day), and continued with the trend only that he was more corrupt and tyrannical. He cut the Kikuyu down by trying to re-distribute the jobs; but ‘gave’ most of those jobs to fellow Kalenjins; but did not touch ‘their’ land.

The Kikuyus, however, became verybitter. The third President, Kibaki, a Kikuyu, in his first term in office, turned tables on the Kalenjins. It was the turn for the Kalenjins to get bitter as they were sacked in droves from the lucrative government jobs and contracts. (I am sure now you are getting a feel of why I, a Kisii, find it pretty hard to secure a job in the government irrespective of my credentials andability.)

Anyway, the opposition leader, Raila, a Luo (Barrak Obama’s uncle through his father), promised to stop all these and introduce sanity into the function of governance through elimination of tribalism and nepotism, equitable distribution of national resources, devolution of power by weakening the power of the presidency, and making regions centers of developmental decisions, etc.

In the December 2007 presidential elections, when the Kikuyus realized Raila was winning the presidency, on the last day of the presidential vote tallying, they simply panicked. Since they were controlling the instruments of power and the Electoral Commission, they started topping up numbers for their man, e.g. they would change the count sheet from their tribal constituencies (regions) to read 75,000 votes instead of 25, 000 votes. Of course, they would forget that registered voters would be, let us say, 60,000 votes!

Too, that the same voters voted for a parliamentarycandidate and only 25, 000 votes were counted and the presidential votes should be around that figure. It was blatant theft, shameless, and heartless. An epitome of greed for power! They then rushed and swore the current president at about 7pm! Under the cover of darkness!

Needless to say, there were spontaneous protests across the country. By break of the next day, Kikuyus and Kisiis, in Kalenjin land, popularly known as Rift Valley, had their houses torched, property destroyed, women raped, men killed or seriously injured, etc. The rest is history in the making.

By the second day, revenge of the Kikuyu had started. The violence escalated. Roads were barricaded. Demonstrations, though outlawed, sprang up everywhere. The Police were overwhelmed trying to put down the protests. There was bloodletting everywhere. The violence came into town. Two opposition MPs were shot dead in mysterious circumstances. The international community intervened. They had to.First Kisiis were caught in a very interestingsituation.

While we have land in Kalenjin highlands and were also considered intruders, we however overwhelmingly voted for the opposition. That is why my cousin, a government puppet lost. Hence, in some parts of the country, we are being persecuted by Kalenjins, in others we are being persecuted byKikuyus; and while some parts Kalenjins are welcoming us, in others Kikuyus are.

What has helped us a bit is that we have heavily intermarried with these two and we are very industrious. Hence, irrespective of our low population numbers, we can’t be ignored either way. Evidence is that out of the 8 people in Koffi Annan’s mediation team, representing 7 tribes, we are represented by one Professor Ongeri. (Do I sound tribalistic? If I do, that is how bad it is!)

The militia groups are becoming stronger as they fill the gap left by government security forces! It is scary because they are lawless and operate with chilling impunity!!!!

I have personally not lost any valuables. Where we are staying now, we are paying one of the proscribed, but re-activated militia groups for protection. Defaulting means they send a wing of their ‘thugs’ posing as thieves to ransack and carry away your property; some sort of illegal auctioneering! The police are overwhelmed and their action will depend on which tribe one hails from.

Upcountry, where my parents and the rest of my larger family live is inaccessible. It is an 8-hour drive if the road is clear. But all sections of the stretch are manned by rowdy killer youth groups looking for people from tribes other than theirs to kill in broad daylight. I am sure the American media has shown people being pulled out of public transport vehicles and being killed in front of partisan police and army personnel. In essence, we have to stay put till further notice.

My little café: I gave it up to a more establishment friendly tribesman, but the landlord did not find him ‘blood related’ enough and so he evicted him. He had not paid him rent because of poor business, so he confiscated all equipment, furniture, and fittings. We can only recover them if a solution is found including a right to property!

So far, I have lost a number of relatives, 9 to be exact. What may shock you is that many of my relatives have lost property worth hundreds of millions. Their houses have been burned, food granaries, cattle, and crops. One of the houses belongs to my cousin, the former Minister. Many of them are in refugee camps. One of my brothers is in a danger zone, but he had made very strong friends among the majority resident tribe who are protecting him and his family. So, my immediate family is fine.

We have just been joined in the house by a desperate young couple with a child - from the ‘wrong’ tribe - who nevertheless we have decided to give shelter! We have known them for a while though, but they lost everything to fire.

Bravo to Internet technology; we can ‘talk’ across the globe on the instant!

Wait and See

Thanks for your immediate response. It is refreshing to hear from outside the confines of our present circumstances. Makes one feel that all is not lost and actually there is life beyond this dismal horizon.

The situation in the country continues to deteriorate. Right now fear is gripping the country as Mr. Kofi Annan looks exasperated. Yesterday he said that he was ‘bitterly disappointed’ at the rejection by the government, of Mr. Ramaphosa, an experienced South African mediator he had carefully selected to spearhead the mediation process along himself or/and in his absence. The government side claimed the mediator had business dealings with the opposition chief. You know, Mr. Annan is right now the only credible and tangible hope out of this quagmire and anticipation against potential destruction of the country. Any sign of scuttling his efforts sends waves of fear and despondency through the populace.

My cousin, a candidate, was thoroughly trounced by the opposition and right now is jobless as his party has not considered him for any nomination. I have not seen him since the outcome, but I can imagine how devastated he is. He lives in the leafy suburbs of Nairobi still untouched by the violence. He is not picking up calls!

Inflation around here is hitting double digits and that is if commodities are available. It seems like all efforts are now concentrated on the Internally Displaced People. Dangerous militia groups are re-grouping or emerging and controlling almost all sectors of the economy and the cost of life is spiraling daily in a situation where income does not match expenditure!

Please let me stop here. I will update you as we go on. Otherwise so far my immediate, extended family and I are fine. I am still holed up in the volatile Eastlands area of the city. Well, I also made inquires about getting out of the country. Apart from ‘terrible’ restrictions by the western embassies on prospective ‘refugees’, I am told by those already out there that it is not a bed of roses in the developed world; unless the situation becomes beyond unbearable around here.

Hence, it is like the option is a ‘wait and see’ scenario.

From "Burning" Kenya

I'm sure you are amazed at the turn of events in Kenya. Many people are. We were considered as an icon of peace in a continent besieged with all sorts of strife. But the bubble has burst.

To a quintessential Kenyan, the situation is not surprising. It is the timing and velocity of occurrence that has jerked many out of their pretentious cocoons of peace. The level of anger and intensity of atrocities in this country right now are beyond description.

The causes are embedded in one word: INJUSTICE.

Systematic and premeditated injustice by one hegemonic tribe over others since independence. The injustice manifests itself in an unequal distribution of resources, employment opportunities in state and private agencies, stereotype based prejudices, and official impunity in using national institutions to serve selfish ends.

These people “stole” the presidential elections and openly said that nothing other than a few days’ street protests would ensue. And the country would go back to business as usual. It did not happen. On the contrary there were spontaneous vicious protests resulting into death and destruction of public and private property. Many people are now internally displaced and being taken care of by the Red Cross.

About my family and I:
My tribe makes about one million people out of a population of 35 million. Fortunately or unfortunately, we are located between two non-Bantu tribes, namely the Luos and the Kalenjins. Each of these tribes number about 5 million. Our land is highly productive and hence persons per square kilometer are the highest in the world. Our birth rate at one time was highest in the world!!

What the above has meant is that very many of us have been forced to buy land outside our ancestral land. And that is where it starts. In the last elections, we voted 50:50 for the government and the opposition. But that did not save our people from being driven out of the “foreign lands”. Many of them have been killed.

As I am writing, right now, news has just come through that the Kalenjins have killed ten of us and torched about 80 deserted houses at the boundary dividing our tribe and theirs.

My family and I are holed up in Nairobi’s Eastlands area. We can not move out freely unless we pay a militia group turned paid-security-provider. There is no choice. It is some kind of “cooperative extortionism” because if one does not pay, one will be dealt with. Their services now cost more than food, whose prices have skyrocketed too.

I am seriously considering getting out of the country. Only that I do not know how and where to go: Britain or USA!

I could not get to the Cyber cafe. I am using a friend’s laptop to send this message and I must go for now.

Introduction

I am Omogusii. A Kenyan. A black African in origin and ancestral lineage. This may sound loquacious in Western culture, but in this part of the world, it epitomises pride of belonging and readiness to stand for one's own.

Let me explain:
Omogusii (singular)
Abagusii (plural)
This refers to a group of people whose basic unit is a clan (group of up to 4 generations families) that speak in the same dialect and dominantly live in a particular region (an ancestral land, if you like).

In its depth, referring oneself to as Omogusii connotes that one is ‘pure’, that is all the four generations have no interruption of another tribe’s DNA import through intermarriage. In that sense, I may not be a ‘real’ Omogusii, since my great grandfather came from the Luo tribe (of Barrack Obama's, please this is for clarification; I am not trying to ‘relate’ myself to him!)

Kisii: This is the area where Abagusii live; their ancestral land.

Each Omogusii (men only, though nowadays women are increasingly being considered) must get a piece of land allocated to him for just being in the lineage. If a man has 10 sons, a common scenario in Kisii, and owns a 10 acre piece of land, the land will be subdivided into 10 equal portions and allocated to each son.

We are at a point where the land is no longer divisible and that is why, like the Kikuyu, we went out to buy land in Rift Valley. And that is how and why we got caught in the thick of the conflict. Nearly a half of the Abagusii population lives outside their ancestral land amongst other tribes.

Now, the right spelling for Kisii is Gusii; but the Sussex colonial master decided, I think to facilitate pronunciation, to call it Kisii. Our main town is named Kisii. The word Kisii is, at the national level, interchangeably used to mean Omogusii! Oh my, I hope it is not getting even more confusing!

Ekegusii:
This is our language; our dialect.

We have radio stations that broadcast in the language. Our (Kenya) national language is Kiswahili and our official language is English (British English). Every Kenyan speaks a minimum of 3 languages; the mother tongue, Kiswahili, and English (save for the uneducated, about 30% of the population). Since I studied in Kikuyuland and I worked for Italians, I speak 5 languages, though the latter 2 only a little bit!)

I am forty eight years old. I am a happily married man to one beautiful lady. She works as a volunteer in a non-government organisation that deals with women (human) rights. In African societies, the girl child and the womenfolk suffer inordinate deprivations of what would normally pass as basic rights. The organisation is trying to incentivise the recalcitrant African men with the benefits of a free world to let go of their archaic practices for the betterment of women in our society. We have three children. In addition we have adopted three more, in a perfectly quintessential African setup. Five of them are in school. All our children are between 1-18 years.

We live in the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. We operate a 10-seater french fries restaurant. Our country (just like other African countries) is plagued with unbridled corruption, nepotism, and robbery. Self-employment remains one way of sidestepping this vicious cycle and treadmill ot frustration and misery.

Here's how I stumbled upon Swedenborg! It was in 2000. A customer at my restaurant "providently" left a copy of SILA behind. SILA (Swedenborg Information of Los Angeles) is a monthly newsletter from America about the Christian author, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772). Madam Chair of SILA, Candace Frazee, had answered a reader's question in the SILA newsletter that struck me by the in-depth analysis of the answer backed by quotes from Swedenborg Writings.

I wrote to Candace Frazee. Presto! In her element of characteristic altruism, she answered my letter and mailed me all sorts of reading materials. And she still does! The Writings of Swedenborg have changed my life, my family's and of those close to me. They changed my subjective perception that I acquired from my religion of upbringing, Seventh Day Adventist.

I thought that all I needed was faith... I can write on and on and on about what the Writings mean to me, but I reserve it for another day. I just cannot get enough of the Writings. I'm forever a Swedenborgian!