tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968511175977377512024-02-21T06:26:49.095-08:00The EMC AgendaIdeas sharing forum on issues concerning Elgeyo Marakwet County (EMC) through unleashing our universal intelligence and collective genius while embracing critical thinking.
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WhatsApp: The EMC AgendaMARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-21617592491321617892021-07-12T02:04:00.002-07:002021-07-12T02:04:22.865-07:00African Experiences of Second World War: The Story of Isaya arap Mogin from Chebiemit, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Paul Kipchumba<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">October 2008<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">"By early 1940s we were quite contented as part
of the colonial administration. There were no expectations for another system
of administration to be run by the Africans, although the colonial
administration at Tambach had demonstrated a systematic attempt at transferring
power to Africans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">When the Second World War broke out it took a while
before we were directly involved. Mobilization had been happening in other
regions amenable to the colonial administration. The mobilization was meant to
save the empire from invasion and brutality of the Germans, Italians, and
Japanese. My age-set generation were actively mobilized, and we liked it. We
were fighting on behalf of the King. We were a reasonable number of young men. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">After recruitment we were taken to Nanyuki for
training and orientation. I was put in the transport corps. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">From Nanyuki base we crossed to Ethiopia through
Moyale. We did not get any fighting there. We crossed to Sudan then to Libya
where we fought and defeated the Germans. Then we took a warship at Alexandria
in Egypt to the Indian Ocean where we crossed Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and through
Calcutta we entered Burma (Myanmar), where we fought and defeated the Japanese
using swords and panga. The war ended while we were in Burma. Then we were
taken to Singapore, where in 1946 we boarded a plane to Nairobi. Then we were
discharged with a little cash compensation. Many of my colleagues died and
their bodies have not been repatriated."<o:p></o:p></span></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-4307000216309025602021-07-12T01:47:00.002-07:002021-07-12T01:47:19.549-07:00Terming Social Media Army Idlers is a Worrying Manifestation of Backwardness in Africa<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Paul Kipchumba<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Thursday 30 May 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">From late last year I have witnessed a very
challenging trend in the discourse in the social media where some proponents
hammer it home that their citizens who are active online are the idle educated
lot. In my view, they should be commended for embracing technology in a society
where access to Internet is both problematic and a non-issue.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If our society shields duty bearers from doing
the work in which they are paid and focus blame on private citizens who are
voluntarily engaging in progressive discourse to advance the socio-economic
space in their countries, then the society is very sick!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">We should encourage our residents to move
online to reduce the cost of doing business, ask them to do online business,
and even shift all administrative functions including policing online. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Fourth Industrial Revolution
(Industrialization 4.0) that is sweeping the world and is fundamentally
technological, supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI), has a tendency to
widen global socio-economic inequality. And over time the "social media idlers"
will recreate another socio-economic inequality in our society because they are
the only active citizens. The rest who pin hopes on the so-called
"practical reality" are actually the most dormant and useless lot in
Information Age. They hide a lot of deficiencies like computer or letter
illiteracy by invoking "practice". <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">However, I understand that we need to
industrialize and, for this matter, we need to make strategic industrialization
choices: (1) physical industrialization, or (2) technological industrialization.
Both require very advanced leadership and management. To remove illiteracy and
ignorance among our people, then eliminate idleness, then reach them middle
income status is an arduous task which will last through many generations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Therefore, those who are not active in the
social media are in the past already. Those who are active in the social media
should keep advancing by embracing cutting edge technologies and rigorous
learning. The difference between the two groups will be apparent over time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-24520016840033953712021-07-12T01:45:00.004-07:002021-07-12T01:45:51.334-07:00The Law of Success in Life<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Paul Kipchumba<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Submitted for Delivery on the Occasion of
Sahara Africa Elimu Networks forum at Kahawa, Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday 20
April 2017)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I do not know what it
means to succeed or to be successful in life. At least up now I am very certain
that I still have a long way to go. But since I have been asked to make a
presentation on this, I would like to base all the discussion on the experiences
of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">First, I observed that
most of our people live very simple lives when they are poor, but live very
complex lives when they make money. A friend moved out of a modest estate in
Nairobi to a better place because he became a lecturer in the university. He
gave the excuse that he was moving out because his students were also living
with him and could witness him waking up in the estate every morning. He
disliked the fact that he could be of the same economic status with his
students. “It is living in denial, isn’t it? Where on earth won’t you find
students who are far much better than yourself?” I said. Equally, I observed
that most of my friends are conscious of how they dress, where they eat, where
they drink. These mannerisms are a complete distraction to a lasting success. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Just as the Russian
writer Leo Tolstoy observed in “On Labour and Luxury” that simplicity leads to
grandeur, the American transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau in
Walden Chapter 2 “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” similarly observed that
simplicity of life but elevation of purpose is the game-changer in human
affairs. This is where you find key philosophers, influential leaders in the
world. He further said that a man is rich in proportion to the number of things
that he can let alone. His firm belief that you can be rich without any damage
to your poverty is very interesting. This refers to your choice towards certain
ends, not really into wealth creation, such that those who may have amassed
wealth should not think that they are ahead. According to him the brutes
(uncivilized people) have beaten the civilized in their life of simplicity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">However, I was
interested in the meaning of simplicity and how to sustain it. What is
simplicity? Material lack is quite often interpreted to mean simplicity, that
is modesty means ensure that you live a rather limited life, devoid of luxury.
A hermit or an ascetic can sustain a life with limited material means. It is a
rather challenging postulate. I would observe that simplicity is a commitment
to certain ends and the means that can deliver them. This is quite often
achieved by discipline and self-control. For instance, if you are a nun or a
priest you have got to be disciplined towards sexual desires. If you want to
succeed in business you have got to save and innovate with discipline. If you
want to be a general in the army, you should be able to keep secrets. Laozi in
“Daodejing” observes the same: “Hence the sage is able (in the same way) to
accomplish his great achievements. It is through his not making himself great
that he can accomplish them.” Therefore, simplicity is that sense of commitment
that can be sustained by its means. It is not necessarily wearing tatters or
eating one meal a day. But you will agree with me that sensual pleasures and
material indulgence are not often compatible with the ideals of a simple life.
However, most of our people keep to a simple life when they do not have but
overindulge when they get – this is not simplicity of life and elevation of purpose,
it is simplicity of life with no purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In “Of the Duty of
Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau I was impressed by the quotation
“The best thing that a man can do for his culture when he is rich is to
endeavour to carry out those schemes that he entertained when he was poor”. I
have interpreted it literally and found it in accord with my view that way. I
have had some wonderful ideas when growing up. However, it is almost an
impossible feat to implement them now because more money comes with more
luxury-trappings. Sometimes it is just hard to settle in a poor environment if
you have money in your pocket. But it does not mean that you live less if you
have little. In fact you can live a more organized life with little than with
more depending on your capacity to organize yourself. I find it a nobler
objective to transform the world in the way I used to think when young, poor.
That to me translates to “simplicity of life but elevation of purpose”
paradigm. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In addition, I should
say that the owners of Khetia Supermarket chain in Western Kenya are Asian
brothers who have demonstrated consistency of business acumen. They have been
in operation over 30 years as of early 2013. I visited two of their stores in
Bungoma and Kitale, successively between 2009 and 2012. I had an opportunity
too to meet one of the brothers in Parklands in Nairobi early 2013 over a
drink. He was really frank narrating to me of their expansion to Australia and
Tanzania and how they managed to have one of the largest go-downs in Kenya in
Kitale before our discussion entered into morals of trade. I asked him why
Kenyans haven’t demonstrated that level of industry. He said, “Ni rahisi sana!
Ukiwacha kufuata wanawake, kukunywa pombe ovyo ovyo na kucheza kamari
utaendelea kwa biashara.” He replied in Swahili that success in business comes
about if you avoid pleasures that include chasing after women/ prostitutes,
overindulgence in alcoholic drinking or engagement in gambling. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I reminded him that
even Africans who do not indulge in such pleasures have not demonstrated
industry. Of course, our cultures also stand in the way of our work edict. For
instance, a friend asked me why I should labour too much! “You just need a
small job and a cow so that your children can get milk!” he said. Also, our
level of concentration is compromised by our search for quick, simple
recognition. We do not aim at competing with the rest of the world. An Asian
can sit in his stall for a long period of time, some from 6 a.m. to past
midnight without complaining. There is an element of heightened consistency,
hard work and commitment. There is no self-importance, just as they could
manage to come from their sub-continent to Africa. Although for some of them
there are underhand tactics that are exploitative, I tend to think that their
success hinges on business values, especially shrewdness. Anyway, I was going
to say that we need to tell our generation that most businesses as they stand,
demonstrate a long-term effort, more than 30 years for most of them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Thoreau in Walden
observed this by saying that the greatest education that young people get from
university education is the interaction they get from highly cultivated members
of the school community. Sometime back a friend asked me why some teachers
cannot write their experiences of their teaching trade even after ten years of
service. Why is it that some teachers cannot raise their eye-brows after
producing Ds (poor results) consistently? Even some teaching in the university
cannot publish even if by publishing their careers are secured. A university
graduate gets first class honours in a certain field, they go into the job
market, but after five years they cannot remember what they were taught, not
even cite some of the prominent references in the field! Some even change
careers several times in their lifetimes, failing to get deserved recognition
in any. Our priorities become misplaced at some point in our growing up. More
important, we lack consistency in our dealings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In May 2011 in
Eldoret, Kenya, I asked a friend the late Ambassador Benjamin Edgar Kipkorir,
“Why is it that your approach to things is so mechanical?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">“You ask why! Look, at
your age I had achieved more than you have done. I had a wife and had finished
schooling. I had a piece of land too!” he replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">“Doesn’t it mean that
even if you took off very well, you have lost all the justifications why you
should not rank among the wealthiest or among the greatly revered intellectual
sprawls?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It is one thing to
believe that you are better off than others. It is equally another thing
altogether to be better off than them. I believe most people fall in the
former. There is nothing exceptional about them. If they go to school, they
don’t labour in intellectual rigour backed up by an element of sacrifice and
ranking among the best globally. If they go into business they would not rank
among the list of global wealthy their entire lives—they end up struggling to
justify how they have won the economic battle by buying small cars or big ones
and owning big houses, buying alcoholic drinks and growing big tummies. I
haven’t seen anything much in that kind of life. At least for me, if you mean
business you mean it. If you want to shoot, shoot. Do not keep saying ‘I will
shoot’ or ‘I was the first one to attempt to shoot’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Then I observed before
the late Ambassador Benjamin Edgar Kipkorir that a successful life is
determined by how it ends, not how it starts, because if you were the last one
to shoot, possibly you could be the one who killed it. And that is all about
consistency. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In conclusion, in the
recent past I began by writing my diary entitle “Living a Sustainable Vision”
to cover the period between 2010 and 2049 in 8 volumes of 5-year duration each.
I began by looking at past heroic personages such as the Greek philosopher
Socrates (469-399 BC); the military general Alexander the Great (356-323 BC);
spiritual figures such as Jesus Christ of the Christian Religion, Prophet
Mohammed of the Islamic Religion, the Chinese Confucius of Confucianism, Laozi of
Daoism, the Indian Gautama Buddha of Buddhism; political figures such as the
Russian Vladimir Lenin, the British Winston Churchill, South African Nelson
Mandela; industrialists such as the American John Rockefeller, Bill Gates;
inventor-scholars such as the British Isaac Newton, the American Albert
Einstein; Philanthropists such as Henry Durant the founder of the Committee of
Red Cross, among others. I discovered from them that there are two very
important traits that make a successful life: (1) simplicity, and (2)
consistency.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-20504054382135979112021-07-12T01:41:00.002-07:002021-07-12T01:41:31.597-07:00Modern Life is a Complex and Massive Paperwork<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Paul Kipchumba<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I was shocked by the
audacity of one of the discussants in the social media who said that only two
pages of a write-up is enough to execute a major project and move forward. I
agreed with him in the sense that the two pages should be just the summary of
the written work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I know it’s difficult
to reconcile that what we call hard work is drudgery of details. And it makes a
whole difference between individuals, organizations and nations. Let’s assume
that all great ideas are a result of research and incremental observations. It
should not be challenging to trace the paperwork from first discovery to
present state. For instance, the drilling of the first oil well (Drake Well) in
Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1859 to the development of the modern complex
refinery; the invention of the gun powder in China nearly 1000 years ago to the
development of the hydrogen bomb and complex nuclear reactors the AP1000; or
the experiment of Turing machines that could fool a human being in the 1950s to
today’s widespread use of Artificial Intelligence. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nearly all practical
accomplishments are begun with an idea, then research, then a plan. The
research and planning components are the most detailed aspects of it. Even in
the manufacture of a cup for drinking water, there is a lot of combination of
all sorts of paperwork from material science to fine art. I followed the
development of Soviet-Ukrainian abandoned hull of an aircraft carrier Varyag
that was bought and modernized by China into a ski-jump aircraft carrier
Liaoning. The hull was accompanied by 40 tones of design paper that cost
Chinese academics and engineers about 3 years to study. A catapult aircraft
carrier like the US’ Nimitz or Ford classes would be even a more complex
paperwork.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">That is just in the
realm of science and technology that is usually prompted by a myriad of
scientific papers. Academics and writers excel one another not only by quality
of paperwork but also quantity. This category of paperwork practitioners rank
foremost on the complexity of their paperwork. Paperwork not only shows the
extent of their commitment to their careers but is also a manifestation of the
attitude of the individuals and their organizations. Individuals and
organizations with limited paperwork are the less advanced and lowly ranked and
should not be taken seriously. Even leaders with less paperwork have not caused
any fundamental socio-political reforms in human history. Paperwork is not
necessarily published materials. They can be organization’s reports, speeches,
letters, counsels, among others. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This challenge becomes
even more glaring with states, businesses, and other organizations.
Organizations and states influence public opinion through paperwork. There is
virtually no state without think tanks that churn out endless policy and
strategy proposals. There is no competitive business without a dedicated
research and development wing, which is much more superior to an average
university.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Therefore, to move
forward we must pay attention to paperwork with practical details. Even to
modernize agriculture alone there should be dedicated paperwork on soil
science, technology, markets, management, et cetera.<o:p></o:p></span></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-62535129831235248002021-07-12T01:39:00.000-07:002021-07-12T01:39:17.076-07:00Pursuit of Idealism in Africa<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Paul Kipchumba<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">June 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In a sense I should
apologize for using myself as an example for an experiment on African progress.
I grew up with a dilemma of pursuing either internal (personal) or external
(societal and peer) goals. In nearly all instances I elected to take my course.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">From the first day I
took this case, I began to be both vigilant and sensitive about happenings
around me. A lady friend said that I was as sensitive as a teenage girl. A male
friend said that I was too overcautious to succeed in anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The worry of the
average person in Africa has been not to be ignored, trampled upon and
forgotten. The worry of the smart person has been the balance between personal
security and personal empowerment. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In the short period I
have had an intense social interactions in Kenya, my worry has been a
possibility of succumbing to societal humiliation. There has been registered
tendency towards tampering with one’s self-esteem, leading to either
alcoholism, temperamental arrogance, or miscalculations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The crises in my
coming to terms with what sets young people back was in 2007 when I decided to
work with the late B E Kipkorir whom his Marakwet elite termed mean. When I
persisted in my interest in his company I was termed confused. The second
encounter was in 2009 when I founded Infomercial Researchers where my peers
were cynical about my capability to run a business. The third case was in 2011
when somebody used my phone number to call me, my yahoo e-mail address was
hacked, and a detractor presented a printed statement of my bank account.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In 2012 when I founded
a joint Pokot-Marakwet settlement in the Kerio Valley I was termed mad and
insane for opting to live in the jungle. I was excommunicated from the village
by a clique. They initiated and funded a series of village meetings with an intention
to tarnish my name and reputation. Classic cases are orchestrated against
brilliant individuals to frustrate them. In 2016 I witnessed a local
unravelling of elite gang-up against me when a friend said that if I did not
toe the line I would end up like a friend that financial blockade was extended
against because he presented a real threat to the status quo. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">While I have made very
many mistakes that I am proud of because they have given me an opportunity for
learning, my experiences serve to highlight some of the challenges that
independent minded people face in Africa. If they are not entrapped and
entangled in local social processes such that they face career precariousness;
they are frustrated at the job level through unnecessary transfers, demotions
or even unlawful or morally wrong suspensions. Some are frustrated to death.
Smart guys are sensitive to humiliation because they rarely live it simple.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nearly every young
person who grows up realizes the need to make some contribution towards the
advancement of their societies. But this quest easily degenerates into
hopelessness and a raw deal. It does not take long before they feel cheated and
shortchanged. I was told that I spent a lot of my time helping other people,
not helping myself, or that “Paul, all those guys you have assisted, when they
see you they pity you”. I realized that the language that our people understand
best is the language of competition and inequality. But this is equally
troubling because a dumb person, even if supported, cannot compete with a
determined smart person. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">At the end of 2011 I
decided to put aside some societal pretensions and play a long ball. I put a
sketch of my infamous break from fundraisings for local relevance into action
by making a case for founding a trust. I mooted Kipchumba Foundation. At the
beginning such programs like running seminars from 2012 seemed very silly and
naive because some other guys laughed at me by asking “how much do you earn by
organizing a seminar?” I replied, in fact, I spent more money to realize them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The idea of exiting
Kenya through a scholarship did not make sense to me at that time, nor was it
important because every country in my kind of quests matters and that Kenya is
my country. Usually, local detractors use exit of dissidents to shut them out
completely. There has never been a systematic attempt at maintaining both local
and international influences to safeguard local gains. Smart individuals once
they leave their countries rarely maintain credible tributaries to safeguard their
work or build a framework for an effective local comeback. The lack of the
latter is what has made smarter individuals easy to manage in Africa, if they
manage to survive all considered cases of assassination. There has not been an
equal attempt by smart people to act evil. The fact that it is a smart person
who has to fear for their lives in Africa seems absurd. In my view, it should
be the other way round. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I realized that my
problems were caused by those around me. I decided to expand my network tremendously
to counterbalance them. Every time I took note of the attitude, behaviour and
actions of those around me and developed a counter mechanism without betraying
my disposition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Because the life of a
graduate is put at the disposal of an illiterate boss who is neither the parent
nor the guardian; because community debt of gratitude and control value
supersedes personal aspirations; because those who have ideas have no
instruments of power or the freewill to execute their ideas; I realized that
there was need for social transitioning by young people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In the run up to the
postponed June 2019 conference that I was organizing for the Association of
Elgeyo Marakwet Professionals, one of the participants confided in me that an
informal memo was passed round to the employees of the County Government of
Elgeyo Marakwet asking them not to attend the forum or to give the organizers
the rates for conducting the conference at the chosen venue because the status
quo forces felt that “the professionals were coming up too fast!” As much as
the local economies need talent and investments to progress, in reality they do
not need them nor are they ready for them. This scenario is very challenging
for effecting the balance between patriotism and personal selfishness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I witnessed the same
trend in my interactions among the young people, especially in the social
media, where they come up with an idea but it does not take long before they
abandon it altogether without trying. But one very serious trend in my
observations is that most of the young people face both career and progress
precariousness because life is not lived within a plan but as a framework for
chancing economic opportunity which, in most cases, has no guarantee of success
because the external environment has a lot of bearing on individual will to
prevail. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If human life, despite
its normal challenges, is lived accumulatively then a human work-life of 30
years should make a lot of difference in bestowing lessons to the succeeding
generations. In most part, I have not seen this happening because the most
important space for progress is controlled by the less progressive. Therefore,
I realized that both action and inaction carry the same risks at the individual
level in Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-56067422947868604112021-07-12T01:36:00.000-07:002021-07-12T01:36:04.261-07:00Every Story of the World Begins Somewhere<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remarks to the School Community,
Tunyo Primary School, Arror Ward, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Saturday 13 April 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paul Kipchumba<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Principal,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teachers,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Parents,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">School
alumni,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Guests and
friends,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ladies and
gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am
gratified to speak to the community of Tunyo Primary School. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I was
asked to make these remarks I felt like I was speaking to the community of my
former primary school that, in my view, faces the same challenges as Tunyo
Primary School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I sat for my
Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at Chechan Primary School in 1996
and was lucky to subsequently join St. Patrick’s High School-Iten then the
University of Nairobi, where I majored in literature in English. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am aware
that the performance of this great school has been fluctuating and there is an
urgent need by the school community to put the school into a competitive path
of excellent performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am most
happy to be associated with this noble goal. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ladies and
gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I would like
to speak about the story of the world as beginning from somewhere. Every part
of the world faces certain challenges that compromise with their ability to
realize their aspirations. For instance, some nations face poverty, civil wars,
environmental disasters, infectious diseases, while others even face serious
elements of progress confusion. Therefore, the challenges faced by Tunyo
Primary School can be surmounted by good will, thought and commitment. Thus, we
should ask ourselves, why can’t Tunyo Primary School be the best performing
school in Kenya? Why not? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tunyo
Primary School can awaken the history of humanity because every story of the
world begins somewhere, and Tunyo Primary School is somewhere. In the coming
years I am hopeful that I will hear some of the stories of the world emanating
from Tunyo Primary School. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The school
community can draw a strategic vision for the school community. Most primary
schools that I have visited in Kenya lack written strategic visions. I consider
this one of such challenges that we face as a society both at individual and
institutional levels. I strongly advocate for a school community with a
concrete strategic vision that children and adults alike will be reciting as
they keep the struggle for good performance going.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While
academic performance is important towards the standing of the school, I equally
encourage all-round education that focuses on talent search in art, music and
sport. I know that it’s daunting at the beginning; however, once the momentum
is sustained through a step-wise development that builds up and out from
internal resources it is going to be possible. Success is not dictated by
buildings or other material provisions but by the commitment and determination
of the stakeholders. It takes only one person to change the world; it equally
takes the stakeholders of Tunyo Primary School to produce excellent
performance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ladies and
gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a school
community we should emphasize the economic empowerment of the stakeholders so
that they will be in a position to participate in school development. This will
entail the school equipping the library with computers, Internet, printing and
other services for both internal and community-wide use, and also organizing
occasional education outreach programs and public lectures. Learning
institutions that make history make them because they support their school
communities. Our schools should be developed in a way that is intended to
support different aspects of our development as their core responsibility. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am
confident that Tunyo Primary School will be built in a way that is intended to
support the local community then the local community will support the school,
hence good performance will be realized. Therefore, Tunyo Primary School should
be the reference point for other school communities and for the world at large.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thank you
very much.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wish you
all the best.<o:p></o:p></span></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-84941719778129122352021-07-12T01:33:00.000-07:002021-07-12T01:33:59.653-07:00I Will Be the Future of the Kerio Valley<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Remarks delivered
to students at Queen of Peace Day Secondary School, Elgeyo Marakwet County,
Kenya<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Friday 21 June
2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;">Paul Kipchumba</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Chinese educator Confucius (551-479
BC) who introduced education to students from humble backgrounds the first time
in China in his work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Analects</i>
(Book 2, Chapter 17) said that “to know that you know what you know, to know
that you do not know what you do not know, that is true knowledge (</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-fareast;">知之为知之,不知为不知,是知也</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">)”. This afternoon I am about to tell
you what I know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In October 2000 Hon. Neddy Jeruto
Kiptoo who was a student at Kerio Valley Secondary School but now a member of
the County Assembly of Elgeyo Marakwet mailed to me at St. Patrick’s High
School-Iten a melody type examination wishes card on the occasion of my
preparation for my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE) in
November the same year. In June 2001 after high school I met with her. She
confided in me that she had sacrificed her pocket money because she thought
that I had broken a record by sitting through high school life without a
girlfriend. And according to her that was all that mattered for me to pass my
examinations then be admitted at the University of Nairobi. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However, I am most proud as one of the
founder teachers of this great high school. In October 2004 I got an
opportunity to teach Swahili and English at this school when it was still
located at the Chesongoch Primary School workshop. I had come home because of
university lecturers’ strike that paralyzed learning in the university. In the
subsequent off session between January and April 2005 I came back to continue
teaching. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I grew up in this region and I know
virtually everywhere around this school. I used to look after livestock around
here. My primary school (Chechan) is also a stone’s throw away. I was in
primary (1989-1996) and high school (1997-2000) at the height of the violent
cattle rustling activities of the 1990s. Despite that I passed all my
examinations and was lucky to be admitted to the university. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This school was founded as a way of
promoting peaceful coexistence between the warring Pokot and Marakwet
communities in the Kerio Valley. I taught both Pokot and Marakwet students. And
I hope the same spirit is still relived. I have equally relived it when in 2012
I founded a joint Pokot-Marakwet settlement at Chepchoren at the Kerio River.
It is about 11 killometres from here, with its road branching off the main
Kerio Valley Road about 3 kilometres from this school. I am certain that most
of you know that. It was closed in 2016 when the recent violent cattle rustling
activities recurred. Operations will resume once calm returns. This is my own
story of growing up here in the Kerio Valley. In my case, cattle rustling
nuisance became an opportunity and motivation for me to work harder in my
studies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Amid those challenges I devoted most of
my time into study; I remember saying to a friend those days that if there will
be ten great people on earth at the close of 2049 I shall be one of them; if
there will be only one great person then that person shall be me. That level of
self-belief is all that is required to pass your examinations, join the
university and then conquer the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But mentorship plays a great role in
the life and growth of every student. That is why I am here this afternoon. My
great mentor was the late Amb. (Dr) B E Kipkorir. In May 2011 we visited this
school on the occasion of promoting his two books <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Marakwet of Kenya: A Preliminary Study</i> (1973, Kenya Literature
Bureau; 2008, East African Education Publishers, co-authored with F. Welbourn),
and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Descent from Cherang’any Hills:
Memoirs of a Reluctant Academic </i>(2009, Moran Publishers) which I assisted
greatly in researching and publishing, and I have been acknowledged. Copies of
the two books must be in your library. In his company I managed to read all
what he had written in his lifetime and also a greater percentage of great
books in his study in his office or at his home at Kipkundul (Kapcherop). One
of his seminal works <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kerio Valley Past,
Present and Future</i> (1983, Institute of African Studies, University of
Nairobi, co-edited with J. W. Ssenyonga and R. Soper) inspired me. Then I said
to Kipkorir that “I would like to be the future of the Kerio Valley”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He encouraged me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When a friend asked me recently what
did Kipkorir tell me, I replied her that he pleaded with me to remember to be
the future of the Kerio Valley. Right now, I am growing older, though I plan to
retire in 2049, 30 years later. I beseech you students to take the baton from
me and be the future of the Kerio Valley. That is exactly what mentorship is
all about - to build great students and great people out of you. Your mentors
will be very happy about your accomplishments wherever they will be, even after
death. Thus we need to take our mentors and mentorship seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At St. Patrick’s High School-Iten in
form three I was trailing my colleagues in math. One time I asked my teacher
why other students performed better than I. He replied that because they did a
lot of practice. Practice makes perfect. I picked a friend Edison Marindich as
a study mate. We began revising math a lot more, spending an hour every day without
fail. We utilized two revision books a Topmark series and a C. Muturi which we
exhausted after one year of practice and honest self-marking. In the subsequent
Iten Math Contest (very difficult math examinations), Edison was mentioned. His
mother bought us a yellow alarm clock which helped us to manage time very well.
In the end I scored an A in the KCSE math exam. (I changed my course at the
university from science to arts because I love literature.) Therefore, I urge
every student to devote more attention into study. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is no genius student. The only
genius student is the one who studies hard consistently and haves fun all the
time without wasting their valuable time. Facility for study and avidity for
reading are all that make the difference because they expand your mind
tremendously to tackle complex questions by effective reasoning. But read good
books that help you to pass your exams and to expand your mind. If you are in
doubt about good books, consult your teachers every time. My reading enabled me
in the third form to become the third best student in British Council Essay
writing competition in 1999. Otherwise, there are no other brilliant high
students in Kenya than the ones before me this afternoon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wish you all the best in your studies
and examinations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thank you very much.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7fozmMuuOMgr7J7U7EH4HSxVocb_0GE6L4aAuz5dcE8_iK2Ry71y5-GDeDdNN0fEyAvLxQacMKOVB_4o88b-SSJlMTeBSi9yicK4By9ctHoepT6ANabrinj5K53tt35Dl6brdKj3F7M/s720/Saints+-+future+of+KV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7fozmMuuOMgr7J7U7EH4HSxVocb_0GE6L4aAuz5dcE8_iK2Ry71y5-GDeDdNN0fEyAvLxQacMKOVB_4o88b-SSJlMTeBSi9yicK4By9ctHoepT6ANabrinj5K53tt35Dl6brdKj3F7M/s320/Saints+-+future+of+KV.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><p></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond",serif;"></span></b><p></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-70443509457430162002021-05-08T03:32:00.000-07:002021-05-08T03:32:00.564-07:00The Essence of a Personal Revolution<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAfNfJT2iXrEGoO5unMTHcGgMJePtOAfNygVVY7I9EdttpsjMb_GZPEDwF16qPDQ5IMb5Wr6r25Y4VaEos3XRb9sbBHmo9OdDKI2oELx0xLygEclT0vc9jwUEWVhtjFesGOjgYM6zDUQ/s2048/0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1447" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAfNfJT2iXrEGoO5unMTHcGgMJePtOAfNygVVY7I9EdttpsjMb_GZPEDwF16qPDQ5IMb5Wr6r25Y4VaEos3XRb9sbBHmo9OdDKI2oELx0xLygEclT0vc9jwUEWVhtjFesGOjgYM6zDUQ/s320/0001.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZym5s7ScXgADKgvsYMgif9xsZm_dysKuqrjcOUoJrwvpBrLaSt1bYnGHH5i7zbKlEgj_8KbSzau-sVYumGd9Gk4knw2JIIxlDxd2UeN5FcFSRknGXYClSGYzQMcm0AQ5riVxKOC4y40/s2048/0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1447" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZym5s7ScXgADKgvsYMgif9xsZm_dysKuqrjcOUoJrwvpBrLaSt1bYnGHH5i7zbKlEgj_8KbSzau-sVYumGd9Gk4knw2JIIxlDxd2UeN5FcFSRknGXYClSGYzQMcm0AQ5riVxKOC4y40/s320/0002.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-32598240057469324172019-08-05T14:40:00.001-07:002019-08-05T14:40:16.425-07:00The Challenge of a “Handouts Transactions Economy” in EMC<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;"><b>Friday 26 April 2019<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<b><span style="font-family: NanumGothic; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">Paul Kipchumba</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">It is certain that it will not come to anyone’s surprise
that not a single smart person in our society has managed to live up to their
expectations of a reformed society or optimum participation in society affairs
since independence. The space between smartness and socio-economic
transformation in our society has been taken over by a “handouts transactions economy”
conducted by illiterate masses and ignorant politicians.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">Ideally, the professionals are a significant link between
the masses and the politicians (who happen to represent a retrogressive trend
of professionalism). As soon as these crop of professionals join the “handouts
transactions economy” as key stakeholders, they begin to take instructions from
illiterate masses and champion their interests, chief among which is to
unempower the professionals to sustain a backward economy which is amenable to
their outlook in life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">This “handouts transactions economy” is about KES 50
mentality marketed by politicians and adopted by the masses. The politicians
give the masses about KES 50 note every time they have an encounter. This
exchange corrupts the minds of the masses and the politicians. Thus it ensures
that a codified economy is created and sustained.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">For our society to progress there is need for the
professionals to take their rightful place to restore the balance. At the
moment there is a socio-economic disequilibrium that makes it impossible to
transform. If you take the productivity math of our dependency economy you will
realize that one professional is equivalent to one thousand masses, or, to be
precise, one thousand masses depend on a single professional. But the
professionals are not part of the county transformation agenda. So, it means
that all the dependency financial remittances send by the professionals to the
county end up being consumed by the masses, and that way a vicious cycle of poverty
is sustained, while everyone nurses a false hope of a socio-economic
transformation in our lifetimes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">While this observation seems rude and arrogant, it is the
blunt truth that we rarely confront about our society. For instance, we have
got to banish the hand hoe in order to modernize our agriculture. For us to
reach a factory system where we export industrial goods, we have to work with
talent which is absent among the masses and politicians. Therefore, the
responsibility of transforming the society in substantive ways rests with
united professionals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">I know that there is some misconception that corruption and
other underhand deals can create wealth. In my reading of history I have not
come across an example of a corrupt person becoming a first-rate wealthy. They
can only escape poverty, sometimes just for a short period. To create brands
and products in the market needs a conducive environment that is based on
thought and labour. Nearly all individuals who have managed to do anything
meaningful in life have done so because they have worked exceedingly hard. The
price of everything in life is determined by the amount of labour expended.
Where there is no labour, there is no price.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">Similarly, I know that such weird suggestions as asking
smart people to immigrate to other societies where there is overcapacity is
both cowardice and irresponsible. Without a strong local economy it is
impossible for immigrants to compete and rank out there. The best hope,
therefore, is for the professionals to fight to reform the local economy by
taking their rightful position in the society, with dignity and decorum. The
masses and the politicians have to be guided.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">There was also the question of leadership positions in the
society. There is another misconception that political positions are the only
major positions of leadership in the society. There are very many of them
outside politics. The only problem is that they have not been developed to be
even bigger than political positions. I said a while back that we can aspire to
have the next pope from EMC, a Bill Gates, an Isaac Newton, a Beethoven, etc.
Already we have the finest athletes. But they need to be institutionalized in
order to play a dominant role in the society. If we develop all other positions
of leadership to reach their rightful influence in the society, political
positions will be left to career politicians or to idlers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: NanumGothic;">But why haven’t the smart people managed to reform their
society? The proponents of the “handouts transactions economy” harbour a higher
sense of inferiority complex that works on blackmail, negative gossips and
scare tactics; however, if the professionals take time to observe keenly and
see through, they will realize that the proponents of the “handouts
transactions economy” do not have the capacity for a sustained onslaught.
Therefore, united professionals can effectively put a stop to the “handouts
transactions economy” in EMC.</span></div>
<br />MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-31788865725939359602019-08-05T14:36:00.001-07:002019-08-05T14:36:24.180-07:00Banditry in the Kerio Valley is a Community Investment<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">Paul Kipchumba<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">Monday 27 May 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">To
be at the receiving end of the reprimands of the Pokot and the Marakwet
communities in the Kerio Valley is to utter a couple of statements:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">(i)
all residents of the Kerio Valley are bandits, save for the degree of banditry;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">(ii)
all bandits are community properties because since 1900 there is no bandit that
has been handed to the government for prosecution;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">(iii)
there is no way that an illiterate and cashless bandit (except a few) can
procure a gun, a hand grenade, and a bullet;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">(iv)
all dead bandits are community martyrs or heroes and are accorded a funeral
honour, and all wounded bandits are supported by the communities; and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">(v)
all bandits in the Kerio Valley are normal citizens who transact with the
government in very many ways and are known by the government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">The
government is reluctant to stamp out banditry in the Kerio Valley because it
will be tantamount to fighting a whole community; therefore, banditry in the
Kerio Valley can only be ended by the two communities involved at their own
time and of their own volition. There is already a lot of financial allocation
from the national exchequer channeled to the two communities. But their local
leaders and policy-makers are reluctant to invest the money in priority areas
that can promote economic development in the Kerio Valley such as joint
community agricultural and industrial projects, model joint settlements, joint
churches and schools, among other innovative approaches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">In
my view, the only hope for ending banditry in the Kerio Valley is to promote
harmonious coexistence between the Pokot and the Marakwet. However, the
beneficiaries of banditry have used it to impoverish the local communities in a
way that will sustain a “handouts transactions economy” to guarantee
re-election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">I
grew up in the Kerio Valley and have researched widely among the Pokot and the
Marakwet communities as exemplified by my latest paper “Prof. Wanjala in
Culture Work: A Reflection on the Socio-Cultural Profiles of the Pokot and the
Marakwet Communities” (Education Tomorrow - Kenya, Issue 5 number 1,
January-April 2019). I have established that 70% of the local communities want
to see a transformed Kerio Valley, whereas the remaining 30% want to continue
using the 70% to champion their selfish interests centring around participation
in local politics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: left; word-break: break-all;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: NanumGothic;">Thus
there are two measures for ending banditry in the Kerio Valley: (i) encourage
the two communities to fight a lot more until they realize the full picture of
sustaining banditry in the Kerio Valley, and (ii) to eliminate the 30% who
sustain it. And these are the choices that have put the national government
security policy-makers in a dilemma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-50557335141373321052019-02-14T03:31:00.002-08:002019-02-14T03:31:15.687-08:00The Dangers of Cattle Rustling Terrorism in the Kerio Valley<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is a developing brand of
deadly terrorism in the Kerio Valley section of Baringo (Tiaty) and Elgeyo
Marakwet (Marakwet East) counties out of violent cattle rustling activities. It
is violent cattle rustling marred by serious disinformation by both local communities
and government officials. This threat of cattle rustling terrorism has
instilled fear among the local residents and has brought about standstill to
development in the region.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Marakwet East and Tiaty
sub-counties practise some form of violent cattle rustling using illegal small
arms and light weapons, picking from an age-old cattle raiding tradition
between the two communities. While there are witnessed vanishing herds in many
regions of Kenya, demonstrating some steady transition into modern economy,
there is a diametrically opposite development out of the Kerio Valley – cattle
rustling terrorism. At the moment it is not clear how far it will go, hence the
need to nip it in the bud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Marakwet East is an economic
embarrassment to Elgeyo Marakwet County, whereas Tiaty is an economic
embarrassment to Baringo County. However, the leaders of the two sub-counties,
especially their members of parliament, are proud individuals. One would have imagined
them being demeaned by leading backward regions and so should be at the
forefront of fighting cattle rustling terrorism through creative mobilization
of their people through joint economic activities and people to people
exchanges in such forums as church functions, economic and educational fairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is on this account that I
propose national and international sanctions against the members of parliament for
Marakwet East and Tiaty Hon. David Kangogo Bowen and Hon. William Kassait Kamket
for holding back their people from the much needed economic empowerment, thus
compromising with the viability of and trickle-down benefits out of the county
system of governance. They should shoulder the ultimate political
responsibility for the developing cattle rustling terrorism in the Kerio Valley
under their watch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What is this developing cattle
rustling terrorism? The residents of Tiaty depend on the Kerio River for
watering their livestock and also for drawing drinking water out of improvised
sand dams. The residents of Marawket East depend on the main Biretwo-Tot-Marich
Pass Road for active mobility and commerce. The Marakwet cattle rustling
terrorists keep ambushing innocent Pokot at the river point, killing them. The
Pokot cattle rustling terrorists keep ambushing innocent Marakwet travellers at
the main road, killing them, as exemplified by the recent killing of a clinical
officer riding on a motorbike. However, the Pokot of Tiaty have paid the
additional price of extreme marginalization, and lack of media coverage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have had an opportunity to
interview both the Pokot and the Marakwet, having lived at the Kerio River
between 2012 and 2016 at the Kipchumba Foundation educational settlement at Chepchoren
at the border of Marakwet East and Tiaty. Since December 2018 I have managed to
engage members of the two communities through social media where I made relevant
observations until I published a book: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lessons
for Economies in Transition: The Case of Elgeyo Marakwet County (EMC), Kenya</i>
(2019). I have scaled up those discussions these past a few days by enabling
operationalization of Pokot-Marakwet social media groupings and by adding key Pokot
leaders into a premier Elgeyo Marakwet County ideas forum on Whatsapp called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">EMC Agenda: SWOT Analysis</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While every one of the members
of the discussion groups believed that the local police officers knew all the
cattle rustling terrorists, it was difficult to ascertain the existence of such
data in the hands of the local police. However, the participants strongly
recommended empowerment of the National Police Reservists (NPR) by being paid some
remuneration from local sources of finances such as Constituency Development
Fund (CDF) and allocations to the affected wards. With political and community
good will, the NPR should be able to cross the borders to pursue and arrest
culprits like in the case of the Pokot and the Turkana counties. There is also
some need to recruit more educated NPR and procure advanced security facilities
such as night vision goggles and (armed) infrared surveillance drones, within
the law. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The peacebuilding efforts
between the Pokot and the Turkana, as spearheaded by the governors of West
Pokot and Turkana counties, centred on political good will, empowerment of
National Police Reservists (NPR), recruitment of peace ambassadors, and massive
joint educational investments at the border areas. The Pokot-Marakwet
peacebuilding suggestions included identifying and stopping the flow of illegal
small arms and light weapons to the Kerio Valley, and borrowing from the
northern Uganda case between the Pokot and the Karamojong, where communities
were asked to surrender their illegal firearms in exchange for development
through the Ministry for Karamoja Affairs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There were also some
suggestions such as adoption of modern livestock breeds, land demarcation,
paddocking of grazing areas to create multi-layered barriers, allowing Pokot
herders to graze on the vast abandoned Marakwet meadows at a fee, and
prevention of the violent cattle rustling activities from degenerating into
cattle rustling <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">warlordism</i>,
perpetrated by organized armed militia, as there are enough illegal small arms
and light weapons in the region to make it easy to form a highly capable
fighting force.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, there is need to
mobilize the counties of Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot to invest in
joint development projects along the Kerio Valley in a bid to redirect their
people into meaningful economic activities. The prevailing aloofness of duty
bearers amid emerging cattle rustling terrorism should be punished for being a
major encumbrance to the attainment of the goals of the county and national governments,
and the aspirations of the people of Kenya. One way to do this is move the
residents of the Kerio Valley to the nearest commercial centres by building
low-cost houses for them, using locally available materials; ensuring that all
local government officials who lie about the developing home-grown (cattle
rustling) terrorism in the Kerio Valley should be dismissed forthwith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-696851117597737751.post-79504614309179452842019-02-14T03:29:00.000-08:002019-02-14T03:29:00.391-08:00An Ode against Convenience Leaderships in Elgeyo Marakwet County (EMC)<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">In a discussion last evening in a Whatsapp group I promised to write this brief protest note.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The problems bedevilling EMC include<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">capital
outflow – as a result of convenience leaderships, and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">lack
of capital inflow – as a result of unproductive staff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The county leaderships view
occupying a leadership position as a lifestyle convenience, not sacrifice and
commitment like in the case of Christian missionaries who built most of the
structures, especially schools and health centres, which we take pride in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the moment EMC does not
have full-time senior staff but part-time consultants operating from Uasin
Gishu County (Eldoret Town). By this measure alone EMC is a big corruption pipe
that is used to siphon money from the national exchequer to develop
neighbouring counties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it is the
most serious happening in 21<sup>st</sup> century – leaders who do not have
confidence in the regions they lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Until we address this glaring pilferage of public resources, EMC has no
moral authority to tax her residents whom they don’t buy from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In addition, there is no
concerted effort towards attracting investments or carrying out viable and
productive investments in EMC. There is only a talk of increase in allocation
of finances from Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), even though it is
clear that going forward such formulas used in the allocation of monies to
counties will only favour producing counties, not consuming and wasteful ones
like EMC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I suggest that <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">EMC
should curb capital outflow by employing only those who are committed to live,
work, and operate within the county, and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">all
future discussions about EMC, especially with the professionals and other stakeholders,
should include mechanisms for curbing capital outflows and inducing capital inflows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">#Say
No to Convenience Leaderships in EMC! <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />MARAKWET CULTUREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01762089888787570831noreply@blogger.com0