THE MASAI AND ODM POLITICS

The  nature of my business in Narok County over the weekend, whether for business or pleasure, was an eye-opening experience with too many interesting  twists and turns. It happened that it was also the weekend Kenya Olympic team was mauled in women’s 800m, men and women 5000m, and marathon - even as NOCK and AK extended the weird Kenyan habit of duplicity and bickering to civilized streets of London. Reports have it that one arm had the right to admit whoever they pleased to Olympic Village. Even coaches and spouses of our highflying athletes needed special 'visas' to lounge around Olympic village. 

Talking about duplicity, you must reckon this is the land of KFF versus FKL and FKF, super eight versus KPL, the land of Grand Consultation Government where, despite the dictates of New Constitution, one section of the government wakes up one morning and appoints 47 unconstitutional county commissioners without consulting the other half. If governors were already elected what duplicate role would commissioners not perform? Kenya is also the land of ;KADU, and KANU; FORD, FORD-Kenya, FORD Asili, FORD People, and New FORD Kenya ;NARC, and NARC Kenya; ODM, ODM-Kenya. Duplicity and imitation are not only our limitation but also integral part of our national gene.

Within our national memory, at one time, Head of Civil Service (leave a lone the VP), claimed equality with the PM. It is the same land that hosts both Ministry for Nairobi Metropolitan and the City Council of Nairobi without clear distinction in their roles. Is it not the very land that has Ministry of Planning and National Development and of Vision 2030. Methinks Kenyans think in multiples of one thing. If you know all that about my country the shenanigans in London between NOCK and AK is just a commonplace that cost us national glory and millions of shillings.

But even as the national Olympic psyche was plummeting and the gold basket getting dry by the second, one Maasai from kilgoris broke the world 800m record against all organizational odds. There was national jubilation in equal measure with national disenchantment when our invincible Pamela Jelimo was licked dry by the likes of Mr/Ms Cater Semenya. It was to much embarrassment unlike in the past when only in one day, the Kenyan flag was raised and the National Anthem sung eight times. One friend of mine who noted that elusive gold only kissed the Kenyan basket after the PM arrived in London wished President Kibaki should never have set foot there because unlike football, golf is not one of the constituent Olympic games –but that is Ole Nkukuu’s opinion. With such resounding defeat, Kenyans accustomed to defeatist Kiswahili sayings, acquiesced adding that asiye kubali kushindwa si mshindani. It loosely translates that whoever does not concede defeat is not a sportsman –my Swahili is very bad despite 8-4-4 conveyor belt erudition.

As that was going on, the nature of my business in Narok County allowed me to attend a wedding ceremony at Olasiti AIC church. I haven’t been to many wedding ceremonies (except for wedding show on Citizen Tv which I watch under compulsion by female folk in the house hold) and my kin are largely polygamous. I was waiting for Hollywood intonations like ‘You may now kiss the bride’. Seriously, why don’t they say ‘you may now kiss the groom’? Just a thought. At Olasiti both bride’s and groom’s families exchanged oblong-shaped elongated milk gourds full to the brim with that sour lactic substance. I did not see those intriguing Masai jumping dances that would relegate Lady Smith’s Black Mambazo to curtain raising. The Masai of Kenya are the only modern community with unshakable attachment to traditional culture, customs and tradition. It is true mkosa mila ni mtumwa (one without culture is a slave).Women donned their beaded and beautiful embroidered red and white lesos while their  elegant crane-like necks thronged with beads of all imaginable shapes strewn with hidden threads. Those gorgeous Masai girls shake their supple necks to any rhythm, Christian or secular – there is always grace in their motion: not the snake like motion of Indian and other Asian dances but graceful African vigour of lithe bodied women with both divine and sublime beauty.

The most amazing part of that event was marked by a Masai old man who had travelled twice marathon equivalent of a distance and could not help saying that Right Honourable PM Raila Odinga has been president for close to five years and has not cared go back and  express gratitude as they wait to re-elect him. What occasioned this ejaculation was the presence of Gubernatorial, Senatorial and Parliarmentary aspirants who graced the occasion to woe voters. I observed that Masai is ODM and ODM is Masai even after TNA opened an office in Narok East Constituency last month. The youth want to hear nothing but Chungwa moja, Maisha Bora. If you tried to mention another party, as sure as the sun rises, you would be wacked on the head with a bolted club. I waited in trepidation but ‘may you kiss the bride’ moment never came. My friend and interlocutor, James Ole Seneyia explained that Masais are prudes and not given to such public display of affection. However, in private, they transform into passionate and indefatigable lovers.

From that rustic part of the county I conveyed myself to the headquarters where Narok University as located. It was refreshing to have political discourse with budding activists burning with embers of zeal and enormous energy which if properly nurtured and mobilized easily become political synergy. They related an incident when DPM Uhuru Kenyatta, Najib Balala and William Ruto were denied audience by students and youth in Narok town. That very day Uhuru was blocked from going to Bomet and had to swallow the humble pie and return to Central. In their understanding, such an act is not political intolerance but passionate vigilance against the forces of impunity who seek the tiniest window of opportunity to misinform the people and gain grounds in reversing gains guaranteed by the new constitution. Ole Salaash put it with a tinge of humour that the trio are ‘peeling back the skin of constitution’. 

At that juncture the discussion scaled up to issue-based politics vis a vis problems faced by the locals that could be solved through selfless leadership and structured policy formulation and implementation, or just proper legislation. One student, Ole Punyua, observed that farmers in Narok obtained ADC loans just like coffee and pyrethrum farmers in Central Kenya. However, all the loans granted to Coffee growers in Central Kenya had been waived while Narok farmers, not averse to natural calamities and adverse weather, have nooses around their necks. Mr.Punyua wanted to know if that was not ‘selective amnesia’ or regional favouritism on the part of Ministry of Minance, which ministry has never been held by one outside GEMA since president Kibaki assumed power in 2002. He suggested that uniform application of the law is the only answer to social equity. Ole Nkitoi wondered why finance docket is so dear to President Kibaki that will never leave GEMA as long as his reign endures. Or is he just a tribalist?

One Mr. Moses ole Setek opined that Masais are largely pastoralists whose livelihoods heavily depend on pasture and water. Unfortunately, due to land grabbing orchestrated by ‘outsiders’, communal land not only faces fragmentation but also degradation. There are too many fences in communal grazing land and hardly any permanent waterhole. Land grabbing is at an acceleration gear in Narok County. To make matters worse, some president wannabes are the beneficiaries (through proxies) in Suswa land tussle which is before court. He suggested a policy frame work like the Land Use Master Plan (LUMP)that was developed to regulate land use in Olkejuado County. Livestock too reach maturity when they are supposed to be ‘harvested’, but the Kenya Meet Commission operations in Narok is wanting. The only farming activity which faces lesser structural challenges in Narok is wheat growing. The National Cereal and Produce Board is competent and works with both individual and communal farmers effectively. Our discussion then spanned through revenue collection and resource distribution which is skewed to the disadvantage of Narok County despite huge revenue collected by the ‘Central’ Government. I also realized that Masai’s understanding of ‘Central Government’ is influenced by numerous counts of historical injustices committed against the community by some central people in government.

 They unanimously praised the leadership of Mzee William Ole Ntimama who champions through thick and thin the prosperity of Narok County. At the end of our debate the University Staff and Students lauded the efforts of the Prime Minister to grant Narok University College a full University Charter. What annoys them is that an opportunist, probably a ‘water melon’, wants to travel to Narok and present the charter to make political capital out of it. Mr. Mark Lempaka quipped that Prof. Kamar would not allow any opportunist of whatever 'fruit' (banana or watermelon) to take credit for a success they hardly knew about. After midnight meeting with still another group everyone retired to bed despite active night life in Narok Town.

The following day was even more interesting: a maisai young man had just graduated from Moi University and was being welcomed home, not far from where we held a youth caucus. Our mashinani leaders were part of the group organizing the twin events and to my surprise all and sundry, including who is who, in the political arena in the county was present. Among them was governor designate Francis ole  Nkitonkoi, MP in waiting Dr. Muntet and a host of others. The parents of the graduate gave speeches bordering on eulogy. Some people have the honour to listen to their eulogy when still breathing this vital air, so I mused. Gathered in the homestead was a crowd close to two thousand people in number, feasting, dancing, and singing as time, space and strength could permit. In my constituency it is a lot easier to draw such crowd in a burial and not a graduand’s celebration event. Together with young Masai men of my age, I was served roasted goat meat after I had gulped down three calabashes of fermented milk, much more delicious than a Delamare strawberry yogurt. After gorging ourselves with tasty goat meat I watched in amazement as Masai elder used their walking stick to rid their snewy hands of fat. My curiosity was assuaged because I always wondered why the Masai walking sticks are so smooth and shiny. Goat fat does the wonder! But that is nothing compared to the efficacy of Oleleshwa leaves used as serviettes. They have a soothing fragrance and a velvety texture that wipes away all fat and dirt.

All politicians have a crowd fetish. After the family and provincial administration speeches, politicians, all waiting to battle it out through ODM ticket, made the usual promises punctuated by party platitudes amid cheers and deafening claps. Among the local leaders who spoke it was easy to discern that the community just needs protection from ‘greed’ of other leaders and communities as far as land and social amenities are concerned. All they require are two ambulances for Olasiti, piped water from Lake Naivasha, which with the help of PM has received Ksh50 million from World Bank, writing off of ADC loans and completion of a road within the area.

Lastly, my business took me to Oldonyorasha area of Narok South Constituency where a group of young people organized youth caucus. Just on arrival fermented milk and roasted goat meat freely found their way down our throats as our jovial hosts exchange heartfelt pleasantries. The magic of Oleleshwa serviettes cleansed both our hearts and hands. The youth in that area have a bone to chew with Kenya Wildlife Service. Hardly two days earlier, a rogue elephant killed a woman leaving behind a one month old baby. A neighbour, Salalai Joseph reckoned that it took KWS officers two days to arrive at the scene while observing with irony that it only takes the same officers thirty minutes whenever villagers kill a marauding elephant or lion on the prowl.  In the same week, another rogue elephant killed a woman in Ntulele area. As is the norm KWS did not respond until after two days. The question Joseph asks is weather human life is less important than wildlife. The government collects revenue in terms of foreign exchange to better the lives of the citizens but in Oldonyorasha that revenue comes with too much sorrow, only told too well by an orphaned one month old baby. There was almost immediate response in the case of Oldonyorasha from Mzee William Ole Ntimama and county women representive aspirant Lydia Ntimama who called for a meeting between KWS and local community within the homestead of the deceased.

After the recent cases of human-wildlife conflict, the government through KWS must find ways of addressing the issue. Lions lost their lives in Kitengela after attacking livestock the same way a woman in Oldonyarasha lost her life leaving a one month baby after being attached a rogue elephant.

All in all, the youth of Narok County will elect a reformer and a leader who will implement the new constitution.

Shem Sam