Wanted urgently: Kenyans with fresh ideas to move the country forward

Praise the Lord. The people have at last become the government. Well, they might have to wait for a week before President Kibaki promulgates the new constitution but that is just a mere formality.

Gone are the days when people will be saying “Tunaomba serikali itusaidie” (We are requesting the government to help us). Unless there is a disaster of biblical proportions, such a statement will soon become a contradiction in terms. After all, with part of government revenue going directly to counties, most of them should be able to meet their basic needs, and if they are innovative enough, they can find ways of making money for the benefit of their people.

Those willing to learn the trick can send delegations to Bangalore, India, which has become a world leader in business process outsourcing. Of course, the new county leaders can change their education strategies and make books like Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat compulsory reading for the youth. But I will be returning to that point. First, some lessons from history.

There was a time when one could tell the area represented by an opposition MP just by looking at roads in his constituency. If your representative was thought to be among the disgruntled few or was politically ambitious, which was a euphemism for eyeing the presidency, the government of the day responded by starving his constituency of development funds.

Of course, such politicians were always popular but even their supporters’ patience had limits and times would come when they would either persuade their leader to defect to the ruling party or they would elect a conformist just to get electricity to their district hospital.

Under the new dispensation, however, such tales will sound like the stuff legend is made of. In a generation or two, we ought, ideally, to be regaling our children by recounting how we used to run our politics in the 1980s and 1990s. And I can visualise those children, their mouths ajar, wondering whether what we used to do to each other was humanly possible in a sane society.

The challenge ahead of the nation now is to make the system work first by changing the way voters elect leaders. In the past, it was often necessary for people’s representatives to sing the same tune as the government of the day. So, it always happened that dubious characters would find themselves in positions of leadership just because they were good at singing the song of “the father and mother” of politics.

Going forward, it will be imperative for the people to select leaders who can manage local resources efficiently for the benefit of all. They must also be able to transform their counties into modern societies devoid of ethnic hang-ups. And this is where education comes in.

I recently had a chat with Mr Muriuki Njeru, MD of Oxford University Press, and he was making a case for an education system that makes it possible for children with different talents and abilities to flourish. Our system favours those with a partiality for book knowledge.

What about those with talents like creativity, athletic prowess and other natural gifts that cannot be matured in a classroom setting? Is this not a mine of wealth that remains unexplored? In his book, Five Minds for the Future, Howard Gardner makes a case for an education system that develops multiple intelligences.

According to him, the future will be shaped by people who have disciplined, creative, respectful and ethical minds. In his view, the education that produces these kinds of intelligences will have prepared its people for the challenges of the future. Naturally, societies that embrace this education system are likely to be more successful.

And this brings me to my final submission, that, yes, the new constitution will make it possible for Kenyans to usher in a new system of government but that is not its primary job. That, if you ask me, will be to usher in new Kenyans who will face the future with courage and who will not allow pettiness to distract them from their pursuit of global citizenship in a highly competitive and dynamic world.

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Watch Wyclef closely and draw lessons, Hellon

Dear Mr Joseph Hellon I hope that you are well and that the Finger of God is still thriving despite the tribulations that you and your associates had to endure not so long ago.

Please forgive me for writing this open letter to you but I thought you should know that Wyclef Jean has expressed his interest in running for the presidency in his home country – Haiti. In case you have forgotten, Wyclef used to be part of a music group known as The Fugees. True, he was not adept at playing the sax but in years gone by he and his group did jazz up the world with their hit song ‘Killing me Softly’.

I still remember the opening line which used to go something like this: “Stromin my pain with his fingers ...” It is still not clear whether Lauryn Hill, who was part of the original Fugees, will be his running mate and their then rapper, Pras Michell, will be Prime Minister.

But that is besides the point. What I wanted you to note since you have made it public that you will be vying for the presidency in Kenya in 2012, is that more musicians have been coming out to declare their interest in politics since DJ Rajoelina seized power in Madagascar several years ago.

Although Wyclef is a Johnny-come-lately as far as politics goes, he is likely to ascend to the echelons of power before you, not because he has a head-start but because his country will be going to the polls on November 28 while you have to wait until 2012.

Helping the people

I am bringing this news to your attention so that you can watch Wyclef’s campaign closely to see what you can learn from him. For instance, what kind of music will he be playing during rallies? Will they be electric numbers like ‘Unbwogable’ or ‘Bado Mapambano’? Will he work up the crowds by playing hip hop or jazz or a mix of both?

But most importantly, how will he fair? You know, being a celebrity is one thing and being a popular leader is a whole ball game altogether. But, let us give it to him, Wyclef has done his part in helping the people of his country, especially after the devastating earthquake a few months ago. No one can say that he does not stand for something.

I could be wrong but I found the Placenta Party was not too outspoken about its position on the new constitution. Maybe this should be your entry point. Since Kenya has experienced a rebirth, I would advise you and your party to take a more active role in showing the country which way to go. Then, depending on your fortunes, you can inspire musicians like Dudu Baya of Tanzania and Jose Chameleon of Uganda to follow in your footsteps.

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I hope to finally watch a local football match after a decade

I have a confession to make to one Mr Nkaari Martin. The last time I was in a football stadium was in 2000 or thereabouts. I was in a group of four — including a Canadian journalist and his partner who was working for the UN — and had paid for pavilion tickets to watch Mathare United play against a foreign club, I forget which one.

But, as was wont to happen those days, we found the pavilion full of people waving terrace tickets. But because they looked like they were high on something that was on the borderline of legality, we did not insist on taking our rightful seats and ended up sitting in the terraces.

When it was time to leave — the game was at Moi Sports Centre, Kasarani — we had to walk in the opposite direction to increase our chances of getting a matatu. And it was just as well that we were commuters. Some of those who had driven to the stadium had their cars vandalised.

Last week, Mr Martin told me, and I have no reason to doubt him, there are serious Kenyans who are not sitting on their hands and waiting for the fortunes of our football to improve. They are doing something about it but they have become unsung heroes, as so often happens.

What’s more, Mr Martin has offered me two complimentary tickets to watch Wednesday’s floodlit game between Gor Mahia and Mathare United. I would love to watch, if only to be enlightened on what is going on on the pitch, and I hope my boss will have read this piece by the time I walk into his office to ask for time off.

Mr Mbugua is Chief Sub-Editor of the Daily Nation: jmbugua@ke.nationmedia.com