AT THE QUAD

I have stood in this spot
Vaguely lost in myself
Admiring the crisscross patterns
Of busybodies zig-zagging
As if headed to important somewheres

I have stood on the pavement sides
Or sat in the cold ageless benches
Enjoying the concurrent madness
Of phoning, talking, plugged ears
    and occassional sexting

I have observed
The rush to every(no)wheres
Trying to understand …
Why, for hells’ many sakes
People always seem so in a rush
or so loud on the phone
or so shut out in their small i-worlds
Unable to say Jambo
                 Or return a greet.

NIGHTMARE

I felt your presence
In the whisper of the winds
Here,
In the piercing coldness
Of solitary nightness
Your formless shadow
Deposited me
              
              But alas!
The tangible me remained
Ensconced between the warmth
Of seductive bedding
Stupidity squatting beside me,
I snored on,
Vainly caressing that formless you.
         
             I heard you sing,
Distantly cajoled my patience
And hope
In a wilderness of pessimists
So I learnt,
Mastered the art
Of cyclical shadow-chasing
Graduated with honours
In Superficial Intimacy

             And now,
Into the deep open seas
Of murderous hatred
I steer this breaking vessel
Choking from protruding
Weeds of stale expectations..
         
             For these,
I refuse to swallow the bait
Of servitude
And my pride screams
Against my imprisonment

          So outward bound I am
Standing at the helm
And ready to set sail,
For my pride screams
Against my imprisonment;
THIS IMPRISONMENT!

SERENADE

Like the first fast rays of the sun
Your eyes pierced my soul
Straight through my heart
Dispelling...
The cloud of gloom

Like the eagle
My heart soared into the sky
Earth and heaven asunder
My joy knows no bound…
And my face;
Miles of smiles

My lips quivered like feathers in a gale
Hungry and searching
From yours a permanent seal
And in your arms
Warmth like no other
On earth I found.

Like pigeons,
Like doves together we’ll be
Pecking and perching in the sky
Our hands stretched for company
In the wind
At dusk we’ll play.

Grow with me Love
Till the approach of sundown
Lead me to thy fireplace
And let us reminisce ‘pamoja’
In great nostalgia we’ll reflect
Our exploits..
Our adventures..
As we traversed the fabric of romance
And like the birds we’ll sing
Bye Bye
Good day.

Kenya, for the MAMAland

We have Struggled for a Return
To Relevance and Acceptance
Year to Years, Decade to Decades
We,
Children of a Lesser God/ess

Trumpled Upon by Potatoes
Boots of Coloniality Twice Endured
Though we do not Thrive
Yet Still We Survive
Tenacious,
Persevering,
Enduring this,
Our Internal Colonialism!

We Shall rise
From these Dungeons
Of Extended Political ‘Exiles’
When the Dust
Of this Turmoil has Settled
And the Tides have Calmed
Into a Soothing Songness
We Shall rise again to Count
And hold to Account
Those Whose Selfishness
Roasted Our Nationhood
In the Cackling Fires of
Ethnic Xenophobia

DAUGHTER OF THE TOILING CLAN

Say,
Daughter of the Toiling Clan
the Cockerels scramble
to split your eardrums
their competing crows
announce yet another Dawn
the Communal farms lie Untouched
the crops choking in weeds
anticipating the monotonous efforts
of your wilting muscles
will you not to the routine rise

soon the babes will yell
pangs of hunger to quell
the cattle too must graze
for they too demand your care
a dose of your tenderness to share
will you not relieve them Mama

the relentless sun awaits
your tired skin to scorch
now you traverse distant hills
for the water you too must fetch, still
when do you rest your frame Mama

I saw you the other day
bent upon the forested paths
unthorning your cracked feet
singing of hope and joy and happiness

Ooh Daughter of the lowlands
a bundle of firewood lay still beside you
against approaching night you will rush
lest the drunkard goes into
spasmodic fits of infantile rage
and you spend the night by the granary!

say Mama,
Daughter of the toiling clan
when do you rest Mama
When

© November 2009

SING…

In the silent passage
Of idle moments
You sank your tentacles
Deeper into the darkness
Of lost purposes
The pursuit of fleeting
pleasures
You became but a master

Voluntarily you surrendered
To the abyss of vanity
Drank from septic wells
In the allure of dark testaments
You over-indulged

But now,

The crocodiles are singing
Celebrating
Your premature return
To the woods of vanity
Will the aroma of
Burning flesh
Tickle you to numb
Insanity?
Or will you, like they,
Just once more,
Swing to the rhythmic
Crescendo of fatal ecstasy?

SPOILING THE CELEBRATIONS

Do not spoil the beauty
Of the Celebrations,
I want so many a lifetime
Smiles to combine;
To enjoy utmostly
The short-lived pride of gowned men
Before the bitterness of potholing
Embraces me.

Scare me not today
Spoil not this occasion
With mention of weeds that await
To choke tender shoots
Tell me not of peakless anthills
Of the world yonder
Do not sing me your dirge-like songs
Of departure.

I do not care
For I want to drown in the glamour
Of this passing moment
And though for a few ‘masaa’,
Let me celebrate…
Ooh.. Let me bask in my laurels,
In the joy of conquest over putrid volumes
Whose authors adopted aerial view
Of mother Earth.

With a reason;
For a season
We ventured to taste
To drink from this fountain of wisdom
But now,
Reason within
Season having glided by
The world awaits
My armour to test.

More than ready too I stand
At point of no return
Where dreams and memories embrace
But for now…
I will rejoice
Ooh let me celebrate
Let the gown fill me with pride
And POWER
Ooh let me Celebrate.

YOU ARE A MAN

Life comes at you first
Fast and furious
You twitch and turn
Contortedly you slide through
This peephole
You forgot it’s a one-way
So you can’t see back
But you feel and suspect
No?!
You know
Your feet is dangling
Beneath

Your neck breaking
Cracking ….. …..
You cry .... Silently
Your shoulders stuck
Behind the wooden frame
Soaked but unrelenting
And you cry the more
Silently still
You are a man
So you must cry
Only silently

Here you are now

Hanging out with mortality
A place you don’t belong
You should have asked
All the while I was here
Beside and behind you
Before you
You should have asked
Let it out and breath with ease
Share …
But you were a man
Now here you are
Hanging out with mortality
A place you don’t belong

You should have asked

J.B ODHIAMBO: A tribute

You were the blazing wind
That swept the savannah
Singing relentlessly
To the suppleness
Of tender blades

You were the sun's rays
That permeated
The thick undergrowth
Of childhood vanities
Our forested ignorance
You mowed down with ease

I salute you, my redemptor
I salute dedication to a cause
And curse the cunny fate
That led you to vanity

You were the star
That led the flock
To the evergreen mangers
Of the academia
You were the lone oasis
A rejuvenation to all
I owe my all to you
Great shepherd
Head shepherd

Though gone
We shall pass the dreams
We must uphold in your memory
The simplicity and dedication
Even to the hills yonder
For the generations to come

Teacher;
May you realise
Even in your distant presence
That you are never alone
In your humble abode
That the brightness of your soul
Will forever connect us
You and Us
With the eternal rhythm
Of universal peace

Eternally

I Called in the Morning...

..... i knew that you had probably started work
and your phone would be off
but i still tried to call you in the morning
at around 9ish
because i missed you terribly
all of a sudden
an i couldn't resist it

celltel went through
but safaricom said mteja, so it was difficult
to know if ua phone was off or
safaricom had issues

but i missed u so much,
and i just wanted to hear your voice
and wish u a good day b4 i retire to bed
twas a round 2am here
had been thinking about you
about me
about us and it was beautiful
like that attachment Nje sent us

wish i could say better
use clearer words
invent new phrases
and birth a new language 2 xpress me
but i can't

i can only but say:
you the one, STILL
{for Sweets, 21st may '09}

CASCADES...

As the roses rise
And blossom tomorrow,
And Lianas sway
In the morning dew,
May your affection
For loved ones
Join in the Serenade
Of enduring oneness.

May your path,
Forever evade
The shrubs of solitude
Let the fire… and the ice
Of tomorrow’s passion
Mingle to consummate
Your vowed
COMMITMENTS!!

When an Angel is Born

What, for lack of words
Can a man so distant say
But a truly Happy Birthday
To an Angel so deserving
Of eternal happiness

What soothing serenades
Can a heart so captured sing
When love,
Though so far removed
Flourishes thru’ the vastness
of transatlantic engagements

.... Happy Birthday Reginah.

You will celebrate this milestone
Yet another stride closer to perfection
Immerse yourself in this (our) celebration
You must savour this moment Babylov
And do not allow the hassles of/for tomorrow
to steal away its fleeting magic

What else, for lack of words
does a man so favoured by destiny say
On the birthday of a being so very special?

Yet like before,
I know you will prevail
Upon the roughest of tempests

Still I know
That in the darkest of moments
and the coldest of nights
The radiance of your Big Heart
will shine you thru’
And when the sun rises tomorrow
You will stretch your gifted hands
To claim your earned victory
Forever assured
In this world,
In my world
And in our world,
Forever assured of a place so secure
For that was the promise!!

Happy Birthday Honeywell
Now, And always.

4.00 pm 16th february, 2009. Syracuse, NY

R.I.P. OULU GPO

we shall overcome
the evolution of a police state
we shall overcome
the shattering of youthful voices
we shall overcome
the darkness that envelopes our nation today
we shall overcome,
because we can, and yes
we have overcome in the past...

overcome mightier rivers and larger 'Mugumo's'
overcome blazing guns and cracking of police whips
overcome the batons and water-hoses and breathing horses
overcome the return of Nyayo Torture Chambers
and overcome betrayal of our hopes
our aspirations,
we THE PEOPLE

if bloodletting demands, we shall
if leadership demands, we must
if sacrifice demands, we should
overcome we will
because we must reclaim our republic
from neo-colonial relics that hold us captive to the dark testaments
of yesterday-years
reclaim us from the old ways of old men for old men
from the assassins and betrayers of Uhuru
from those who silence and erase
the true (s)heroes of our Jamhuri

we shall arise to take the place of fallen (s)heroes
we shall hold their dreams alive
remember them in the solitary silence
of our collective deprivation
in the slums of Kibera and Korogocho
where they shared our poverty
and verbalised our misery

it may be now or then
yesterday or today, but reclaim our republic we must
i say Organize, not Agonize!
for the spirits of the departed we must
for the sake of 2morrow we should
and yes we shall
because we can
and so we must !!

R.I.P Comrade Oulu GPO
Tell J.M Kariuki we know
Tell Robert Ouko we remember
Say Jambo to Bishop Alexander Muge
Father John Kaiser and Tom Mboya too
Pio Gama Pinto still lives, so does Kimathi
Tell Jomo his rattle snakes are biting hard

But we, THE PEOPLE, Shall overcome !!

http://www.ktnkenya.tv/media1.php?id=6651

Lessons from Nakumatt Fire: Seizing the Moment and Organizing for Change

More than twenty human beings have died in the Nakumatt inferno, while the loss from Sanchang’wan tanker fire in Molo is long over 130. As the forgetful nation we are, we will soon return to normalcy having buried our dead and cursed the politicians for not preventing the two most recent disasters. The fire in Nakumatt Downtown was not just preventable, but the extent of human casualties would have been lessened if we were a working nation.

You don’t have to have lost a relative in either fires to feel angry and saddened by this wanton destruction of human life. But like the 1998 bomb blast, to Kikambala, the collapse of a building in Nyamakima and many fire incidents in between, we often come out to rehearse the same chorus of condemnation at the politicians, the city councils, hapless firefighters, and human selfishness among other agencies. Afterwards we recoil into our cocoons and await the next disaster, comfortable in the knowledge that we have exercised our patriotic duty of ‘cursing the devil.’It is obvious that these uncoordinated outbursts have not helped our country. We now know that the for the past seven years, Moi and Kibaki cabinets have been sitting on critical recommendations that would have established a coordinated response to disasters and availed resources for the same.

But looking at the Nakumatt fire, it is emerging that legislation alone will not put a stop to this madness. A few years ago, a factory fire in industrial area killed people because night shift employees were usually locked in to prevent theft! In Nakumatt, we now know that the management’s primary instinct after the explosion was to close the doors and the steel shutters to prevent looting, not knowing the depth and breadth of the disaster unfolding within. From Nairobi city Council, we are informed that safety inspectors were frequently turned away, while fire fighters at the scene have said that if the fire exits had not been sealed off from within to create room for more goods, they would have rescued more people. The irony was not lost to me that while the Internal Security Minister castigated those who perished in the tanker incident as typical of Kenyans’ greed and inclination to free things, he had no similar word for those who perished while paying for goods in Nakumatt. The difference is that in the latter case, it is the greed of the rich, not the poor that caused the deaths. It is the epitome of insanity and insensitivity to blame the recklessness of a desperate (wo)man.

Your bet is as good as mine on whether someone will pay for the lives lost, livelihoods shattered and futures distorted. The most we will get is a brief soap opera in the courts, and perhaps a brotherly jail term that will then be quashed after an overdrawn appeal. In the mean time, the management will be out on eternal bond, doing business as usual. Does anyone of us still remember Cholmondeley and the peasant he killed? Or Pattni and the tragi-comedy that was the Goldenberg hearings? Or the Kimunyas and the mortgaging of a nations heritage? This trend is bad, and this is why we must shift our focus from the politicians and take matters in our very hands. There are things we can fix with sheer thoughtfulness, determination, and commitment to our collective betterment as a people. To expect lasting action from the bunch of pseudo-leaders who occupy state house, parliament and Sheria house is foolish to say the least, especially since it is not an election year.

Perhaps we can begin by being the change we want, being active participants ion the change process. As consumers, let us organize, not agonize! Let the government catch up with us in policy issues. Despite the convenience, we can start a campaign to abstain from supermarkets that will continue stocking gas in their premises, those that are congested with absolutely poor ventilation (I often wondered how the cashiers sat still for an entire shift in Nakumatt Downtown without fainting, the place was packed to the door). Even as we organize, we must demand to see Nakumatt management in court enroute to serving life imprisonment for the deaths of many Kenyans because they not only failed to prevent the disaster, but their greed made it impossible for help to reach their dying clients at their hour of greatest need. No amount of monetary compensation can heal the wounded and return the dead, but it is a justified starting point. Punitive compensation and awards will also serve as deterrence for future and on-going offenders.

Yet I am profoundly aware that these wishes cannot be guaranteed within our pathologically dysfunctional legal system. Regardless, if Nakumatt is not held to account for negligence, murder and endangering the lives of Kenyans, then we must abstain from all its stores in Kenya. This campaign should start at the table of every household in respect to those we have lost. We must take the initiative to defend ourselves from unscrupulous and heartless businessmen and women whose primary goal is profit to the exclusion of any value of human life. Above all, those who die everyday from road accidents, robberies, professional negligence in hospitals, avoidable starvation, police bruatlity and sheer hopelessness (all offshoots of corruption, greed and individual indifference) demand of us, at the very-very personal level, a fundamental transformation in our hearts and minds.

The Pan-African Parliament: A Balance Sheet of Progress

(Originally written for publication on 01.13.09)

All eyes will be trailed on Tanzania next week when African member states convene in Dar es Salaam to consider reform proposals on the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) due later this year. Discussion will focus on the protocol establishing the PAP with a view to granting it legislative authority. Challenges and opportunities abound on several fronts such as the proposal to have members of the PAP elected directly by universal suffrage rather than the current practice where national assemblies second members.
In addition to the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), the Peace and Security Council, and the African Court of Justice, the inauguration in March 2004 of the Pan African Parliament was a brave and gigantic step towards asserting the AU’s stated commitment to the pursuit of broad-based understanding, representativeness, and inclusion of citizens’ voices in important affairs of the continent.

Sitting in Midrand, South Africa, the Pan-African Parliament was established as an advisory and consultative body. It was envisaged as a critical platform for informing and involving Africans and their grassroots communities in discussions at the African Union. In 2008 for instance, the PAP – among others – sent electoral observer missions to member countries, it discussed the African Charter on Democracy and Elections Observer Missions and hosted a session on Security in Africa with a special focus on the situation in the Great Lakes region including Somalia. Together with NEPAD and the South African Parliament, the PAP also organized the International Women’s Conference that adopted the Commitment Platform Declaration which inter alia, recommended that African countries end indiscriminate privatization of water and sanitation services and retain greater responsibility over the provision of these and other essential services.
While the Pan-African Parliament is one of the flagships of this rejuvenated AU, the organization has won acclaim for being at the vanguard of change and transformation in Africa. By consolidating its achievements and learning from its predecessor’s weaknesses, the AU has proven amidst enormous challenges that it can fair better in the pursuit of peace, justice and social transformation for Africa’s people. Indeed, its very existence today is a big step towards continental solidarity while its ambitious proposal for a Union Government – still viewed as a mirage by some – remains an inspiration to all those who believe in the promise of an era of possibilities.

While achieving such a fete presents far-reaching logistical challenges and political implications, it would test the commitment of AU member states to this belated pursuit of continental government. In particular, the extent to which member states would be willing to cede and/or confer authority to a continental authority outside their individual governments and regions.
When in September 1999, Heads of State and Government of the now defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU) delivered the Sirte Declaration in Libya calling for the establishment of the African Union to, among other aims, facilitate and fast-track the long-held dream of continental integration, this was widely considered an ambition as far-fetched as it was distinctly unoriginal. This cynicism was fuelled partially, and understandably, by the then dominant (mis)perceptions of the OAU in the court of public opinion as little more than a post-independence club of despots uncommitted to the basic tenets of democracy and popular will of the ruled.

Regardless, successive summits like the Lome (2000) and Lusaka (2001) would further consolidate this dream eventually leading to the momentous launch of the African Union in 2002 at the Durban Summit in South Africa. From this moment, those citizens long immersed in decades of conflicts and political turmoil found it possible to hope for tranquillity since the new institution would be critical in brokering sustainable and home-grown peace, just as it would spearhead the continent’s search for a more dignified life away from numbing tentacles of historical poverty and deprivation.
But even as this watershed event took place, genuine concerns remained as to the prospects, potential and ability of the new institution to realise these dreams, to bring forth a much-desired solidarity as well as to create spaces for public engagement in continental affairs.
Next week’s deliberations in Dar es Salaam must not lose sight of the challenges that the Pan-African Parliament must gear itself for in the years ahead. As it gears itself for these challenges, the PAP must pay attention to several imperatives.

Firstly, the PAP must enhance and expand mechanisms for constructive engagement with the civil society organizations, especially those at the forefront in the struggle to turn back the enduring tide of poverty, disempowerment and hopelessness on the continent. Even when it may seem (as it will sometimes) to border on the adversarial, this symbiotic relationship between PAP, grassroots and civil society organizations must be construed and maintained essentially as that of partners pacing one another on the road to perfection. By their very nature, civil society organizations can inject valuable insights into the parliament’s agenda and debates.

Secondly, it will be critical for the PAP to embrace ICT in its broadest possible extent, making it work for the PAP and the peoples of Africa. Harmonisation of ICT policies, joint investments and harnessing new media technologies will enhance e-commerce and support the rise of a vibrant information economy and an informed citizenry. Of necessity, and with regard to fostering linkages with grassroots people, a vibrant, up-to-date and interactive website would be critical in linking Africa not only with its diverse Diaspora, but even more importantly, with itself. Towards this end, continental internet connectivity, quality and affordability should be a leading agenda for the parliament in an era where the youth who dominate Africa’s population now spend more and more of their time in cyberspace.

Finally, a most welcome and timely proposal is that of regional contact points to act as links between the parliament and the people. To be effective though, this initiative must be matched by commitment of resources. As it aspires to become a legislative body, the Pan African Parliament must remain instrumental and committed to opening spaces for public participation in the processes of governance as well as voicing the fears, aspirations, and achievements of Africa’s citizens. The deliberations in Tanzania next week should strive to create the necessary legal and institutional frameworks that grant legitimacy to citizens’ and grassroots initiatives, hence, enabling citizens and their chosen representatives to fully contribute towards the realization of the historical and contemporary pan-Africanist objectives of the African Union which include, among others, strengthening continental solidarity and promoting principles of human rights, transparency, accountable and effective governance, cooperation, peace and democracy in Africa.