INSPIRING A NATION

(IRB.COM) Wednesday 30 January 2008

Benjamin Ayimba has set his players the target of another Cup quarterfinal in Wellington. It would be a huge understatement to say that Kenya’s preparations for the New Zealand and USA legs of the IRB Sevens World Series have been far from ideal.

Political unrest has brought violence across significant sections of the African country, destabilizing the team and forcing coach Benjamin Ayimba and Manager Oscar Osir to improvise training, sometimes by text message or email. Not that Ayimba’s expectations have been lowered by the experience. On the contrary, he is still be demanding that his players attain their goal of reaching the Cup quarter finals in every event this season - a feat they have so far managed in Dubai and George before Christmas.

“It has been difficult to prepare, especially given that the first few sessions in the beginning of the year were difficult because we couldn’t get players over at the same time,” Ayimba told irbsevens.com.

REASON TO SMILE

“It was quite challenging, but things cooled down a little bit and players could get their way through. I think the players and ourselves decided we were going to try and use the safest routes to training and try as much as possible to keep it very short and sharp.

“Right now we represent every Kenyan there is. It is our duty now to try and make Kenya a country that people smile about rather than frown when they hear what is going on.

“For us that is a big challenge too because amidst everything you have to perform well, so that everyone can actually get a smile on their face.”

Their strong form so far this season means that the Kenyans are ranked above both France and Australia in pool C, while even South Africa will afford them maximum respect after three second half tries almost scored a remarkable victory in their Dubai quarter final, Kenya eventually going down 17-15.

“It is something [Cup quarter-final target] that helps us chase our goals if we set such high standards. Sometimes we can achieve them consistently and I think to the players it is much more pressure and everything is always geared to chasing that [target].
“In Sevens things can go whichever way anytime you are on a roll.

We are looking always to upset anyone who thinks they are very comfortable up there. All respect to everyone who is playing, but we will come out to try to do our best to achieve what no other Kenyan side has achieved.”

TO: HON. MELITUS MUGABE WERE

Dear Sir,
Your death is indeed very saddening, not only because of the times Kenya has found itself in but because this young country has lost a young man who was ready to work for us. I watched the News yesterday as they paid tribute to you, your life & achievements. I applauded your work in Dandora where you have built an orphanage & given young boys the chance to better their football skills & dreams - keeping them off the streets. I hang my head in shame when I heard that you have left us at the ripe age of 39; whether you were killed by ‘accident’ or assassinated it is of no consequence because many things in the passed month have gone unanswered! What remains is that despite us singing the song of “Vote Young” we have, as youth, murdered our very own; a youthful leader who was ready & willing to lead us into a new tomorrow. May you rest in peace, and look down upon us with mercy. Please pray for Kenya as we work out our problems. Amen.

I AGREE…

US Senetors table Bill on Kenyan Crisis: In addition to wanting the Bill to state President Bush should support efforts facilitating dialogue the Bill …”proposes personal sanctions, travel bans, an asset freeze on PNU & ODM leaders and other actors who refuse to engage in meaningful dialogue to end the current crisis.” 29.01.08 Daily Nation pg 44.

In addition to this any & all relatives of the protagonists should be on the same travel bans & sanctions; along with shipping back to Kenya any related people(s) and or relatives living abroad. If we are suffering we are all suffering together… no one should have the luxury of causing trouble and getting on the next available flight out to live in peace while the rest of Kenya burns.

PEACE & JUSTICE

by Samson

No justice, no peace or so the refrain goes. A young man is shot dead by police in full view of the media as a politician arrives in a luxury car to commiserate with those who have lost family members, No justice, no peace.

Women and children are roasted to death in a church as MP’s issue press statements from 5 star hotels, No justice, no peace.

Kenyans are refugees, just imagine that, REFUGEES! In their own country as their leaders stuff their greedy faces at “party retreats” to chart the way forward.

A fourteen-year-old boy stays awake all night at a camp to protect his family members from panga wielding youth while an MP wails that his security detail has been withdrawn, No justice, no peace.

A man is pulled out of an Akamba bus and hacked to death because he is “the enemy” as his MP shakes hands with an “enemy” politician in parliament, No justice, no peace.

The Rift Valley is in flames as the peoples elected representatives issue statements from the safety of Nairobi hotel rooms asking “the government” to stop the violence, No justice, no peace.

No justice, no peace. Well you know what? I agree entirely. I believe there can be no peace without justice. If injustice means MP’s earning a million shillings while their constituents starve then I agree, No justice, no peace. If injustice is a few people owning most of the land while the vast majority squat in their own country then I agree, No justice, no peace. If injustice means that a few areas in the country get most of the development budget while the rest go wanting then I agree, No justice, no peace. If injustice is politicians hobnobbing in swanky hotels as they exhort the rest of the wanainchi to fight amongst each other, then I agree, No justice, no peace. If injustice means politicians live peacefully as neighbours in Karen and Runda while telling us to murder our neighbours then I agree, No peace no justice. If injustice means that the people who set this country on fire have passports for them and their families to leave at their convenience while the rest of us burn, then I wholeheartedly agree, No justice, no peace.

Our politicians in their boundless arrogance believe that the violence rocking the country today is because of a stolen electoral process. They shout, No justice, no peace and tell each other “the people” are behind them. Lets get one thing straight, only a blind person or a willfully stupid one can believe that neighbors of long standing can pick up pangas and hack each other to death because of a stolen election. Only someone mired in self-deceit would think that the horrors and atrocities being committed in the country are because of a flawed electoral process. What have politicians ever done for any of us that we would commit murder just because a group of them stole the elections? No justice no peace indeed.

OF GOD & KENYA…

There is something that has been bothering me and that has been laying dormant at the back of my mind…

Kenya has all these years prided itself in being a “Christian” country; as a matter of fact we even tout to the world that we have an 80% Christian population. Occasionally when the government or foreign body steps out of line morally we are sure to see a Christian group/body/affiliation on TV reminding us that we have erred in our Christian ways. Sadly Askofu (Archbishop) Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki has retired, so we won’t see him on our TV screens every other Sunday uttering passionate comments about who did what, when and why it’s wrong. Many a times I have heard Christians openly declare that the only reason we made it through the tough 24-years of Moi’s regime, without any bloodshed and loss of our peace of mind is because Kenyans pray earnestly & consistently. You have gone through those long prayers before a meal that pray for the President through to the neighborhood beggar. Our national anthem is a prayer though many have never thought of as such. Basically, we are a Christian nation and we are proud of it.

So I have one question… despite the electioneering mishaps, blood-filled skirmishes and destructive mass actions… my wonder is, why we haven’t even once questioned the speed & manner in which the President was sworn in without the approval of the Church – without the approval of God?

We have in the passed witnessed auspicious swearing in ceremonies where a representative of various religious groups came forth and prayed for the President and the land of Kenya. From the Kalenjin & Mijikenda elders to the Catholic & Protestant churches and not forgetting the Muslim & Hindu communities. Even our very own President has on occasion set aside certain days in the year as a National Day of Prayer… & called upon these same religious leaders to pray for the beloved Nation of Kenya. Some might say that these are just rituals, but I say they are rituals we perform as a country before God & man - showing that we are all accountable to both.

Now in a time of tears & torment, bloodshed & hate… I hear not a National Prayer Day being called forth by either our political and or religious leaders. Shouldn’t it be now that we dedicatedly pray? Now when it is all going to the dogs? Or shall we wait till we have managed to wipe each other off the face of our country? Have we left it all to God’s discretion as to whether this country deserves to live in peace; when He himself has said “Ask and it shall be given to you…” Have we not the guts to stand together before God/Allah/Buddha/Krishna and asked for His blessing as we gave the President the mandate to govern us? Have we not the conscience to declare that we have wronged whether (we being the elected/non elected/ rigged in leaders, voters, citizens, men & women of Kenya).

I know someone will come and say that those were tough times, too insecure to hold a ceremony…BUT if this is a land of Christian leaders & believers who could & can not stand in front of God for forgiveness & a blessing… if the Christian leaders are not asking for Mass National prayer, if they are not now rushing to tell us the error of our ways… what then? Haven’t we lost the right to call ourselves a God-fearing nation?

NEW LIFE

Since the world of election rigging, skirmishes & mass action dawned on Kenya I have been wondering about one thing… “Is it worth it  to bring a child into this world we live in right now?” One can’t go for 2 secs before hearing of someone’s death, or some distant economy collapsing et al… basically bad news is surely & definitely all around us. The world feels more insecure & unsure so why bring another life into this mess?

Yet yesterday a very beloved friend of mine gave birth to a baby girl, and when I got the sms my heart was filled with fuzzy feelings and instant hope. Despite the birth having occurred all the way in Dubai, I feel blessed that I know and am part of a new life… Her name is derived from a delicate flower… & maybe we’ll not be able to shield her delicateness from all that is bad around her, but we sure can try…

Here is to new life & renewal in old ones…

DON’T FORWARD THIS

by Samson

Most likely you are reading this e-mail from the comfort of your office or home or at Java as you sip a coffee or even from abroad. I could be wrong but in all likelihood most of us swapping these aggrieved e- mails have food in our fridges and money in our pockets even as we send all sorts of rhetoric about stolen elections, demands for the president to step down, police brutality and calls for mass action.

Should we assume that all of us reading and forwarding these mails will leave our cushy jobs and go out onto the street and brave teargas and live bullets? Will we leave our sleek cars at home or forgo our daily cabs and javs and go out and fight for democracy on the streets? Are we willing to forgo our salaries and weekend drinks in the pursuit of justice? Are these intellectual discussions of ours even reaching the average slum dweller or rural farmer who are the ones bearing the brunt of job losses and extra judicial police killings and ethnic cleansing? Did the youth who was shot dead in Kisumu belong to a mailing list?

We watch all of this on our televisions and laugh at the demonstrator who expertly flees the cops and shake our heads sadly as we see another shot dead for making faces. Then we sip our beer and send each other texts filled with rumor and innuendo and ethnic hatred as we prepare for work the next day.

It is easy to pontificate about justice and mass action from behind a keyboard or from the peaceful leafy suburbs, it is quite another to experience it on the streets.

I watched a movie about Rwanda yesterday called “Sometimes in April” and it struck me that after a while there were no good and bad guys in that country, it was just ordinary people who listened to their leaders and went mad and started to kill their own countrymen. Now the victims and the victors have to live with everything they did and everything that happened to them. I hope we have the courage and will do the same and stand by everything we say.

I don’t have the answers my brothers and sisters. Maybe mass action is the way to go; perhaps fresh elections and a new/old crop of leaders will be our salvation. Maybe sticking to our guns, dismissing mediation and pretending elections were free and fair will bring us peace. Maybe justice is more important than peace or peace more important than justice, I just don’t know.

But what I fervently hope is that all those who have died and are yet to die are dying for something more important than politics. I hope they are dying for economic empowerment and not ethnic cleansing, I hope they are demonstrating for access to national resources and not to secure power for politicians. I hope they are burning for a true social change not just to swap political faces. I sincerely hope that the ten-year-old boy shot dead by police gave his life for a worthy cause that will comfort his mother. I hope those of us on both sides of the divide lighting fires in this nation will still be here when it burns down. Let us hope.

LET US PRAY

When was the last time we stood together united in our national prayer? I’m sure it was some school assembly some odd 10+ years ago where we rushed through the national prayer without much thought to what it meant to ask for things such as blessings, peace and harmony in our country. Now we know how these things are so very fragile; that lives, families, properties built in 40+ years can be destroyed in a mere 20days. Think of the dark clouds hanging above our country & let us pray…

O God of all creation,
Bless this our land and nation.
Justice be our shield and defender,
May we dwell in unity,
Peace and liberty.
Plenty be found within our borders.

Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true.
Service be our earnest endeavor,
And our Homeland of Kenya,
Heritage of splendor,
Firm may we stand to defend.

Let all with one accord
In common bond united,
Build this our nation together,
And the glory of Kenya,
The fruit of our labour
Fill every heart with thanksgiving.

CARRY ON LIVING

A friend of mine managed to slap me into reality via an sms. She works in Eldoret at the referral hospital that got teargassed and shot at yesterday (the reason for such an uncalled for act wasn’t given. The same way the reason for the young man being shot dead on live TV was brushed off by the police spokesman as being like a fake Rambo movie. I won’t get into that because that deserves a rant post unto itself).

Anyway, so when I watched on the news about what had happened in Eldy I immediately tried to call her to find out if she was fine, the call didn’t go through, so I smsed her telling her that I hoped she was in Nbi & safe. The response was “stop being an escapist”. That hit me hard & threw me off guard. Was I being an escapist by hoping she was safe in Nbi?

I remember on the 29th as my friends & I managed to leave Nbi for Naivasha after trying three different routes every time being met by a crowd of people fighting, throwing stones and causing havoc. Many people said we were crazy for even attempting to leave the city but we had the last laugh as everyone went on lock down the next week & we were sitting pretty enjoying our new year. But most of the time I was there I felt like a traitor to my country for not being there to go through the anguish and pain that everyone around the country was going through.

So you can see how my friend’s sms brought back those thoughts of not being there in the midst of all of it and or doing something about it… but as I said before that I am one of those Kenyans who hasn’t taken what’s happening to heart. That however, doesn’t justify my being removed from it all, and I do feel bad. I just wonder if mentally escaping what’s happening will make it better or worse…

What I got from all of this however, is carry on living. Do what you do, let’s not give the Kibaki’s & the Raila’s the power to ruin us. As for those who are in the midst of the mess pole sana, be strong and keep your head up. The rest of us, even if it be through prayer everyday, let us find a way to immerse ourselves into this the saddest time in our generation’s history.

DAY OF PRAYER FOR KENYA - JANUARY 25th 2008

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, I will hear from heaven, I will hear and I will come and HEAL THEIR LAND.” God, 2 Chronicles 7:14

On January 25th 2008, we are asking Every Kenyan, Every Friend of Kenyans, Everywhere to take time to make a concerted prayer for Kenya. We want EVERY Kenyan and Every Friend of Kenyans in EVERY CONTINENT on the face of the earth to be praying together on this one day on behalf of our country.

How to participate:
• Spread the word: send this message to Every Kenyan and Every Friend of Kenyans all over the world that you know, everywhere – SMS, e-mail, blog & phone call.
• On January 25th, make a point of setting aside time to pray for Kenya, it does not have to be a long time but it must be a deliberate effort to pray for specific things about Kenya.
• You can pray individually, or get together with a friend or friends, workmates, someone on the street, your priest, pastor, congregation, and youth group.

What to pray for:
• PEACE, PEACE, PEACE.
• Whatever else you feel in your heart to pray for concerning Kenya.

‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; when there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.’ St Francis 1915