TYRANNICAL REIGN OF THE FLIES BY JOEL MOLA

You have to admit it by now that in the current Muso    office, we only have artists, activists and others. An old      cliché describes a leader as a people’s servant. Each year, we go to election full of hopes that some thing is going to change. We spare a few minutes of our privacy listening to promises, policies and manifestoes of fellow students we believe are honest and can do something, yet every beginning  of a new era, the first thing that goes is hope.               At last, we begin to realize the vicious cycle of hollow words, broken promises and petty threats. Too early at the dawn, we begin to experience desperation, then        disgust and lastly annoyance. That the student of Moi   University is a perennially annoyed lot is beyond question, this is an understatement. They get used to it and move on silently. A few get extremely annoyed and begin to       question how things are handled here. It is this lot which some times you hear Mwamburi calling  “election losers, dwarfs and cowards”.               We are yet to see anything tangible being done by the current Muso office. Like their predecessor, they have adopted the ‘eat, do nothing and go’ attitude of the Rashid-Karega reign. In Tyrannical Reign of the Flies, poet Pablo Neruda calls them domain of the flies. . . the leader fly is a crook, the worker fly is a crook, the female fly is a crook, the child fly is a crook. . . he concludes by saying all ‘flies are crooks’.  The entire leadership wallows in miasma of corruption and deceit, they have perfected the art of     leadership by trickery.       And while their business          interests suffers no harm, they make other students lose business opportunities, did you know that a student has taken another to court over the use of items which he had acquired to use in chips café A at Soweto only to be shortchanged when he realized the premise had changed hands to some two Muso officials? Did you know that he enjoined Okeri Orina (Sec Gen) and one Olando David (Accommodation Director) as interested parties? You might not have known this because the media in Moi do not want to report these events. They still walk everywhere in campus shoulder high is because they have     compromised a certain media house( which is said to be undergoing internal restructuring after senior officials    disagreed  why comrades are not being adequately          informed about this and other ‘secrets’ we are yet to put on these walls) . Media freedom is not only when Muso leaders frog match writers to the dean’s or Chief Security Officer’s offices, nay, it can also involve covert censorship where certain articles can only be published if they are       consistent with the viewpoints of some Muso officials. Like KANU in the 1980s, this Muso has now said to have acquired two media houses which dance to their tunes. One media house which initially was vigilant in keeping former student leaders on their toes is today a pale shadow of its former self. They even punish      internal dissent by members with divergent                viewpoints. In the KANU of 90’s, all senior writers and editors; anchors and broadcasters were staunch           sycophants of KANU, this scenario is slowly coming back to our generation. It hurts, it shocks.               In a recent war of words between Ted Ngugi and Philip Ochieng (fifth columnist), the young Ngugi wa Thiong’o wondered how Ochieng- a three decade prolific writer has since ‘seen the light’ and can now define democracy in un-KANU terms. When I read this piece and compared it with the recent          Mwamburi-Disembe wars, I realized just how writers can contribute to positive development of a place.               But lest we forget, Okeri Orina was one of the best writers through which students got a glimpse of the rot in the 23rd and 24th SGCs. Today, his writings remain a sad reminder of a conniving politician who used a media house to make ends meet and get into Muso leadership. If a sequel of his best pieces were to be put on these walls again, you will be utterly         disgusted by this fellow. He fulfilled his mission and so long as our sister media house is composed of his     former friends and sycophants like Obilo Kobilo (I hear he hurls shoes at people he disagrees with, maybe he still suffers from stone throwing exercises of the post-election violence era in South Nyanza), he can still sleep soundly and softly without ever thinking about that Together towards change crap. It is this way of doing things that we must begin to question. And yes we will. FOLLOW US ON www.tcommunicator.blogspot.com

The Hague Reality; impact on 2012 By Maureen Wairimu

Based on our painful history as a country where grave injustices have been committed with no attempt of any justice, many of us can be forgiven for having been cynical about these Hague proceedings. When the terms ICC and Ocampo came up, we made jokes about them and even comedians got fodder for their entertainment. It is this mutual belief that led our leaders to overlook this looming factor and indulge in deep campaigns towards the coming general election. Alliances have been formed and talks held to choose and prepare candidates for next year’s election because our leaders, and even us as the voters, believed The Hague situation would have no significant impact leave alone taking place. However, following the ongoing confirmation of hearings at The Hague, the seriousness of the issue can now be felt and this will have an influence on the 2012 elections. It is emerging that some of the key contenders in the next election may not take part in the process after all. Mr. Ocampo and the prosecution have proved that they have undertaken composed and deep investigations that could indict these leaders. It is also evident that the trial at The Hague will carry on throughout 2012 and even some years after. Could our constitution or even the citizens embrace a head of state that makes monthly trips to answer grave court charges?  It is highly unlikely.  The biggest change however will be on the perception of the voters. Lying on my bed and keenly following the hearings, I could not help but recall the happenings of 2007 and 2008. There have been repeated mentions, details and discussions of this dark time throughout this process and this exposure will change the way people view those particular leaders. They could be exonerated but the image that will remain in the voter’s mind will most likely be blemished. The process of justice is finally catching up with the country and this reality will eventually create cracks in the prevailing political alliances and laid plans as well as shattering political dreams. My hope is that fellow citizens will see through this process with clear minds and realize the change that we have to make through our choices.   By Maureen Wairimu The Communicator, Political Editor. Follow The Communicator on www.tcommunicator.blogspot.com And be the first to get the latest news and developments in and around campus.

Newton’s letter to his son’s teacher BY KAKIM MWANGO

He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not equal, all men are not just, all men are not true; But teach him also, that for every scoundrel, there is a hero; that for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated leader. . . Teach him for every enemy there is a friend. Steer him away from envy, if you can. . .teach him the secret of quite laughter. Let him learn early in life, that the bullies are the easiest to lick. . . Teach him if you can, the wonder of books, but also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and the flowers on a green hillside. In school, teach him it is far honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him they are wrong. Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough. Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the bandwagon. . . But teach him also to filter all that he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through. Teach him if you can , how to laugh when he is sad. . . Teach him there is no shame in tears, teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness. . .teach him to sell his brain and brawn to the highest bidder but  never to put  a price tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right. Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire, makes fine steel! Let him have the courage to be impatient. . . Let him have the patience to be brave Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself-Because then he will have sublime faith in mankind. This is a big order, But see what you can do. . . HE IS SUCH A FINE LITTLE FELLOW.                              - Abraham Lincoln Chairs to be Fixed in LT4               By Stanley Mathenge The School of Human Resource Development is set to solve one of the biggest problems which has perennially affected students of the school-chairs.               The school is planning to fix permanent chairs in Lecture Theatre Four (LT4) where most common courses with large student concentrations are usually taught. In the recent past, students from  the school have raised the issue of lack of chairs as one that affects their       concentration and time management.               “I stay in Hostel K and can’t carry my room chair all the way to ICDC, some times you reach class only to realize there are no seats.” a first year female student said of the daily predicaments students from this school undergo.               This situation will be a thing of the past if students are to believe the school administrator, Mr.    Maritim. In a meeting with second year students who jammed his office due to clashes on lecture venues, the administrator revealed plans are at advanced stages to get permanent seats into LT4.               Meanwhile, many students from the school are yet to have their exam results as fear and uncertainty about supplementary exams (sups) set in. The most affected are members of the second year class who were told to wait for another week before they can get the full results.

OPPOSITION WILL TRIUMPH BY STEVE MACHARIA

Allow me to loot some sentiments from history:     Whoever lived in the early nineties read to it on the rise of second democracy which conceived multiparty .This was triggered by the mounted efforts by the opposition martyrs. The tale of the high profile opposition veterans in the 90s isn’t foreign and we are well accounted  with its unwrithing. This is the vessel that was boarded by Ken Matiba, Charles Rubia and the then  new crop of young Turks; James Orengo, Gitobu Imanyara…             I subscribe to the opposition doctrine as we reap frolic fruits from its protagonists, having been            disdained and displaced to seek refuge after the 25th SGC campaign trail and victory. A remedy to my       panacea has come knocking as the opposition has     instigated efforts to push for what the lip-service      officials hurled as lies in their votes seduction             escapades. To me, these are my unscandalized directors, and they do not own shops. The opposition right men hail from martyrdom domicile, theirs is to rephrase and reconstruct mutilated promises sent to shallow graveyards immediately we cast our votes to elect what we thought was a new generation of reformers.               To scoop and digest better my bulky optimism       embedded in hopes and promises of recent happenings, I will pin and hammer on great strides and the  public goodwill the opposition has so far attained in their   efforts to clean and renew students confidence in Muso politics, once and for all.               The opposition conceived the idea of quenching     students thirst for good leadership practices through total overhaul of our present constitution. This was especially in regard to governance and management of students finances. To prove how determined they were, they approached the dean for his take on recent      pressing  issues in campus.. In the marathon four hour meeting with the dean, they  realized that part of the major defect in management of students affairs was due to inept leadership by successive SGCs, especially in the last four years. Contrary  to usual accusations failed MUSO officials put on the deans office, the opposition asked the single question which most arise whenev   t these people advance this line of argument is: why have they not told comrades exactly what the Dean has    refused to do? On the constitution note: the dean approved the        formation of an INTERIM CONSTITUTION REVIEW COMMITTEE which in turn incorporated MUSO leadership thinking they would be genuine for such a noble idea. It did not take two days before the Sec Gen       decided to turn the process into a publicity stunt by sidelining the very people who came up with the idea, now revelations emerge of defections of members of the ‘new team’ he lured into the review process through the back door. . . The opposition is yet to laugh last!               Things started being shuttered on dark zones when Okeri Orina involved his ego in the whole process. He infracted procedures, abrogated agreements with the  committee which was in place, and assisted by his 3rd eye friends, went ahead pasting memos every where forming his own committee. The existing       committee in turn released another memo disowning Mr Okeri’s memo and urged him to be extremely honest with his actions. Okeri’s actions irked even some of the SGC members who now vows not to honor his new committee. It remains to be seen whether this noble idea from the opposition will see the light of day.               If you think this is the first time MUSO is messing up good intentions of the opposition,  then you will be more shocked to hear the fate which befell the two Da Shuttle  buses. It is said a senior member of MUSO blocked the whole process claiming he was not         consulted by the concerned  students he always insults as  “political losers, dwarfs and cowards”. To him, only the SGC can do any thing tangible to comrades. Yes, and they did tendering, remember? MU-84 SACCO is extremely happy with him, the touts at stage call him “mtumishi” the hard working one. One of the new    buses registration number KBL 737 Q was set for launching two weeks ago but hardworking “mtumishi” still has to be invited. How cosy! The opposition, all these hurdles notwithstanding, is determined to forge ahead. Hail the revolution. The writer is the former 3rd  Eye managing Editor.