Mashada Blogs » May 5, 2009

You Missed This: Have You Ever Been A Casualty Of Corruption?

Chris — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:36:00 -0400

I will never forget that hot sunny day some years back, somewhere in Tharaka Nthi (Meru). I was standing there in the hot sun in one of my warmer suits with tears rather than sweat trickling down my cheeks as I squeezed a Kenya shillings one thousand note into the worn hands of a mother who had cried most of the way from Nairobi.

Mutula "Reforms" Kilonzo: Would you trust a lion to guard your sheep?

A few minutes earlier the tiny coffin that carried the remains of her 9 year old daughter had been lowered from the carriage of our minibus. We were going to bury a friend’s wife and had offered her a free lift in our minibus all the way from Nairobi to Meru.

Her daughter died because of corruption. There was no medicine at Kenyatta National Hospital to save her life because corruption made sure of that and her parents had no money to buy it elsewhere. She told me her daughter’s last words to her which will forever ring in my mind. She had said; “Don’t cry mama, I am going to heaven.”

To many Kenyans corruption is a joke. Something that is not too serious, after all Kenya has more serious problems like road accidents and violent crime. Right? Wrong!! The truth is that it is the ordinary folks (e.g. the Mathareans) who feel the full impact of corruption. While Westgateans enjoy the fruits of it.

A day after being appointed the new Justice Minister, Mutula Kilonzo had the nerve to say that in his many years of practicing the law, he is not aware of any clique out to derail reforms in Kenya. For those who know Mr Kilonzo that statement is hardly surprising. It is easier for a hungry Tana River crocodile to ignore a baby bathing on the banks of the river than it is for Mr Kilonzo to bring reforms.

Many Kenyans are not aware for instance of how rotten the judiciary system in Kenya is. An advocate who recently returned to the country and had to go and file her papers in the high court has been frustrated for the last 2 days because her conscience does not allow her to pay a paltry Kshs 500/- to facilitate the process. Just walk into any legal firm and ask them what "facilitation fees" are.

That is how stinking rotten our dear Kenya is.

Many times when I lose focus in this blog my mind goes back to Tharaka Nthi and to that hot Saturday afternoon and to that young girl who died because of corruption. What would she have been today? A lawyer, a doctor saving lives in some remote hospital? Or maybe some happy Kenyan housewife bringing up the next Barack Obama. Or maybe some cocky blogger posting excellent articles here. We will never know.

My post today is dedicated to her memory and to the memory of all those “insignificant” unknown Kenyans who have been casualties of corruption

You are dead right Mr Kilonzo, there is nobody fighting reforms. Excuse me folks, I need to throw up!!!Kumekucha

AfriGadget: Climatisé en Mali

JKE — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:27:51 -0400

Our good friend Forsty sent in the following picture of a “climatised” bus he took in Mopti, Mali the other day:

While it may not be the perfect example of an AfriGadget, it still helps to illustrate how people make do with what is available.

For some folks this may just be an unroadworthy vehicle, for others it’s a comfortable bus that will take you from A to B. Hey, and did we mention it’s air-conditioned?

Kenyanentrepreneur.com: The Business of Transferring Money

kenyanentrepreneur — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:00:46 -0400

It appears that ever since Safaricom introduced M-pesa, many companies have been trying to get on board with their electronic transfer money business ideas. BD Africa has one such story on PostaPay, the online money transfer business offered by the Postal Service. From reading the story (which is always a chore for me because they are [...]

Kenya Imagine: Kenyan Women on a Sex Strike: Why They Did It

Tue, 05 May 2009 09:04:00 -0400

Many people have wondered why non-political men should be "punished" for the sins of Kenya's political class. If we are to use this argument then teachers, nurses, doctors, policemen and other civil servants should never go on strike because their pupils, patients et al are not responsible for their grievances. Sex, unlike medical treatment and education, is not even a right.

Nekessa explains and defends the reasoning behind the strike.

Kenya Imagine: Catholics and Condoms

Tue, 05 May 2009 05:56:00 -0400

It has been condemned in Brazil for its anti-abortion stance, it is suspected of sheltering child abusers in the US, Portugal is thinking of legalising gay marriage, Spain is on the brink of legislating for abortion on demand, and the Italians can't be relied on to breed the next generation of churchgoers. All in all, Catholics in the developed world treat the Holy Seen as a mad old uncle who has had one sherry too many at a family party: don't take what he says too seriously, he's just in one of his moods.

Stephanie on the Pope in Africa.

Kenya Imagine: Wallis event pops vital questions

Tue, 05 May 2009 05:55:00 -0400

What became of Mutava Musyimi? Jesse wonders.

Kenyanpoet: Photos of Bantu's Memorial Performance

N.W — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:29:00 -0400

I was at the Bantu Memorial Performance at the Kenya National Theatre on Friday 1st May. There was quite a huge turn out by Kenyan thespians, performing artists, poets, journalists and Bantu's family. The afternoon hosts were Githuku and Mueni.
Here are some photos of the event.

STONE COLD HAVEN: Would you let him take care of birth control in the name of equal opportunity?

Darius Stone — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:59:40 -0400

I can think of any number of women I know who will scream “It’s about bloody time” when you confidently tell them that this time – the male contraceptive that is proving to be as good as the pill in preventing pregnancy is just round the corner – literally. There’s been a number of hoaxes and [...]