THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BECOME KENYA’S NEXT PRESIDENT

In a developing country where the notion that “the place of the woman is in the kitchen” still holds roots, and where chauvinism cannot be wished off, one woman is standing tall against all odds. She has set out to counter any dispiriting forces as she embarks on a daring mission in the race to succeed incumbent Kenyan president; Mwai Kibaki. It has emerged, much to the dismay of her critics that her candidacy no longer can be looked down upon; she’s a force to reckon with.

Martha Karua

Martha Karua has been the Gichugu constituency legislator for the last two decades and still counting. She is indisputably one of the most powerful female politicians in Kenya and thus it was not surprising the stirrups that her declaration that she would be seeking the country’s presidency elicited.

The fifty four year old law maker has for the longest time been giving the top Kenyan political class a run for their money. Hers is a strong and matchless personality that has led to her been branded as “the iron lady of Kenyan politics”.

Her fearless persona has seen her gain prominence in the Kenyan political scene, while at the same time endearing her more to the Kenyan electorate. The most memorable of which are when she walked out on former president Moi, and in the not so distant past when she resigned from her cabinet position, citing frustration in delegation of her duties. The latter was a big blow to president Kibaki, since Karua had been very vocal in campaigning for his second term, what had seen her branded “the only man in PNU” by ODM parliamentarians.

She is renowned for strongly advocating for the rule of law in Kenya, fighting fearlessly for equality among all citizens. Another of her potency is her valiant combat of corruption in the country. She has also been a leading crusader for the widening of democratic space and gender issues in Kenya.

Karua has in recent days been engaging Kenyan citizens in her series of campaigns, as she seeks to familiarize herself with the issues on the ground. She is the most active presidential aspirant on social media, commanding well over 150,000 followers on facebook, one of the largest followings commanded by a single individual in Kenya. She comes in at a very close second to Uhuru Kenyatta, himself a presidential aspirant.

Her critiques say that being a “lone ranger” may work against her, claims that Karua has disproved saying that she is banking on the endorsement of the Kenyan electorate and not that of her fellow politicians.

Martha karua flags off a cycling event in aid of the orphans and the less fortunate

The NARC –KENYA leader promises to tackle the issue of corruption as a matter of urgency should she clinch the presidency. She blames corruption and the major cartels running the show in the Kenyan economy for making the cost living in the country rise to unmanageable levels, leaving ordinary Kenyans struggling to survive.

Martha Karua engaging with the public during her campaigns

Political analysts have observed that her proven development track record as a minister and mp coupled with the fact that her campaign is issue based and not merely political play may work in her favor. In the meantime Karua continues to engage the citizenry through tweets, status updates and establishing secretariats throughout the country ahead of the phenomenal presidential election.

Could this woman be Kenya’s next president? ......only time will tell……

WHITNEY HOUSTON GETS HER PAIR OF WINGS

Whitney Houston

The curtains have come down on one of the greatest and most celebrated musicians of all time. Whitney Houston took her final bow on the eve of the Grammy awards set to be held in Los Angeles and in the wake of valentines’ week, a time of the year when her unimpeachable love songs are an enchantment between lovers.

I calculatedly accentuate on the word great, perceptive of the fact that not doing so would be a great injustice to this astounding diva. With her enviable music career spanning several decades, it’s amazing the numerous awards she bagged in her day. Having started at a junior gospel choir, Whitney went on to perform alongside her mother in night clubs in New York city, and from then on there was no stopping her incredible talent.

Whitney’s was a story of success from the instant it began, having progressively risen against skeptical racists to rightfully earn her place in the music industry. She goes down the Guinness book of world records as the one female musician who has bagged the most awards in our time.

Despite the rising star that she was, dreadful fate was looming close, as was to be evident when she married fellow musician Bobby Brown, a marriage that was marred by domestic violence and substance abuse. When the bug of drug abuse bit Whitney, life was never to be the same again for the legendary musician. While her music continued to touch the hearts of many, she was to lose touch with the world, as a result of which her career came tumbling down, much to the dread and shock of her fans.

It takes strength unbeatable to trounce drug abuse and master enough courage to face the world again. Being the strong woman that she was, Whitney made a major comeback to the limelight in the year 2009, much to the relief of her fans. But the relief was short lived as reports that she was using drugs again surfaced in the media. Whitney however dismissed the reports terming them ridiculous.

Whitney and her daughter

Whitney Houston passed on at the age of forty eight (48), leaving behind her loving daughter and a legacy that is sure to stand the test of time.

“WHITNEY  HOUSTON  HAS LEFT  AN INDELIBLE  MARK  IN THE  SANDS OF TIME AS FAR AS THE MUSIC INDUSTRY GOES” ~ Jesse Mutuah

REST IN PEACE WHITNEY, WE WILL MISS YOU DEARLY…………..

COMMERCIAL SEX

Never has there been, in my opinion, a more sensitive and emotive social debate as that on whether to legalize prostitution. I say “Sensitive” because it touches the very heart of all important subject of morality in the society. Emotive because both of the parties involved in the debate do strongly argue their cases, producing what would pass for reasonable grounds for their chosen stands.

In the not so distant past, prostitution was viewed as a preserve of the female gender but my how times have changed. Men are as involved in this business as are their women counterparts. The oldest ‘profession’ has further diversified to include men who have sex with men as well as women who have sex with other women; (Homosexuality).

Legalizing prostitution would see the hundreds of men and women who clandestinely engage in the profession seek treatment without fear of victimization. This would be a major milestone in the fight against the HIV/AIDS scourge.

I dare say giving the ‘profession’ a legal backing would see the governments under which the commercial sex workers fall, rake in ample amounts of  income, since just like any other economic unit, the sex workers would be under obligation to pay their dues.

Commercial sex workers have for the longest time been victims of abuse, both verbally and physically. Cases have been reported where some of their customers turn very violent, inflicting physical and emotional impairment. Without a legal ground from which to punish perpetrators accordingly, the persons involved in the twilight business have had little or nothing to do at all. Legalizing prostitution would see sex workers press legal charges against those of their customers and other parties that harass and affront them in the course of their business.

Legalizing prostitution is not without its consequences. Of imperative importance is its direct effect on morality in the society. Commercial sex is many a time viewed as the height of moral decadence. The skimpy dress code which is viewed as a major tool of trade in the industry draws nothing but sharp criticism from conservative members of the society. It is for this very reason that prostitution is seen as a ‘profession’ that sends out all the wrong signals to young tucks and is branded a shameful profession.

There’s substantial ground to believe that once commercial sex is legalized, then many individuals in the institution of marriage would seek to get sexual satisfaction from the red light district!  There are not enough words to lay bare the magnitude of the blow many marriages would suffer as a result of this, and apparently, divorce cases would be headed northwards.

All info on this concern put together ladies and gentlemen, leaves each party at pains to explain why it should be their side of the account that should be allowed to see the radiance of day and not the other.

How about you decide what works for you and what doesn’t? Coz after all, that’s as far as this subject can go where evenhandedness is concerned!!!

THE KENYAN POLITICAL-MATURITY QUESTION.

The political heat wave is sweeping across Kenya with the flurry of presidential hopefuls trying to woo voters to their camps ahead of the country’s poll at a date yet to be confirmed. The election date had been dictated by the constitution as the second Tuesday of August every five years, but a cabinet sitting resolved that it would be impossible to hold the elections on the stipulated date, citing time constraints. The cabinet is now in the process of moving a bill to parliament that seeks to amend the election date to December.

This move has been faced with a lot of resistance by the civil society and some politicians, terming it as a plot by the government to ensure that they stay in power thereby unlawfully extending their term. This amidst recent polls show that most Kenyan’s would prefer the elections to be held in August as stipulated by the newly promulgated constitution.

What is set to be Kenya’s most historic election since her independence has attracted the largest number of hopefuls yet seen in the history of the country’s race to statehouse. The elections come in the wake of a new constitutional dispensation, which will see immense changes in the country’s system of governance.

In the race are some of Kenya’s renowned politicians as well as fresh entrants into the political scene. It is interesting though not surprising the heated debates that recent poll ratings of various candidates are eliciting from different quarters.

In a country where the voting lines are fast changing, it has become very tricky for analysts to predict exactly how Kenyans are going to elect the next holder of the country’s top office. Speculation is the best shot one can take, seeing as Kenyans have previously voted along tribal lines and from the influence of powerful politicians.

 This trend has however been seen to change during the various by-elections held in the recent past. The same was also the case during the referendum to vote in the new constitution. Kenyan’s are seen to have made their independent decision, despite all the pressure and influence  coming from powerful quarters and the religious front for a ‘NO’ vote.

It is this very factor that analysts are unsure if to interpret as political maturity on the side of Kenyans, or if the bug of tribal politics could come biting again come 2012. There are two likely scenarios to this tale, where the first could see Kenyans vote along tribal lines as was the case in previous elections. The second scenario could see the electorate, as was the case in the referendum and the by-elections; make an informed and independent decision. This will result to voting in a candidate by virtue of their impressive track- record and noble agenda for the country, as well as having an immaculate CV devoid of scandals and corruption allegations.

Whichever scenario plays out, everyone is watching with anticipation as the political drama, unfolding with every new dawn, promises to keep keen followers fascinated for quite some time.

My Nairobi!!!!

The Kenyan commercial and political capital Nairobi is one of Africa’s most famous cities and for good reasons, or at least most of them. It is the thirteenth largest city in Africa based on population and the fourth largest based on infrastructure and development. Nairobi goes on record as being one of the continent’s most beautiful cities; in as far as the natural habitat preservation and green space goes. It is the only city of its magnitude in the world bordered by a national park, the Nairobi national park, which is a sight to behold, seeing as it is home to the big five and very many other species of animals and birds.

Nairobi city skyline as viewed from Nairobi National park

The upgrading of the road network in the city, dabbed the Nairobi – Thika highway road expansion will see Nairobi leave the records of shame terming it one of the world’s worst cities to drive in, and instead earn it some serious bragging rights as the first city in East and Central Africa to have a one of its kind top notch superhighway and road network.

The modern architecture that is used on most of the city’s sky crappers forming a beautiful skyline has led to its being christened “The London of Africa”. Simply put, Nairobi is arguably a major center of modernity in Africa, having very modern shopping malls, eateries, estates and apartments and being a major ICT hub in Africa.

It is however not all bread and better living in Nairobi, as it is one of Africa’s most expensive cities , thanks to the high cost of living. There is also the issue of the gap between the rich and the poor in the city, which simply put, is too wide. The traffic situation in the city and its environs is currently very bad, as most of the city roads are heavily congested with traffic especially during the rush hours, which is in the early mornings and in the evenings. Thankfully and much to the relief of the city residents, the government is currently engaged in running a project that seeks to expand the road network, and it is expected that the new roads will reduce traffic significantly.

The sprawling slums where Nairobi’s urban poor live, with most of the households surviving on less than a dollar a day, are for lack of a better word, a disturbing site. It’s frightening how so much contrast can exist within such close proximity with the haves having too much, while the have-nots have nothing at all, painting a clear picture of the wide gap that exists between the rich and the poor in the city.

 ‘Musings of a Nairobian’ is a blog revolving around the various social, political, cultural and economic issues that affect humanity in day to day living. The blogger is a Kenyan citizen watching the world from within the city of Nairobi, hence the blog title, and boldly expressing himself to paint a clear picture of the world as he sees it!! …….