Daily Nation ­ Wednesday
Date: 13.04.2016
Page 15
Article size: 281 cm2
ColumnCM: 62.44
AVE: 134880.0
The true state of the nation: It
is unclear where we are going
Given the high drama
that has been going on
throughout the country
in the past few weeks, one can­
not help wondering if we are
moving forward or backwards.
degenerated into mayhem and
the judges differed in opinion),
it would not have mattered if
the President had announced
precedented witness tampering
that Kenyans were going to
Mars the next morning; no one
and political interference. In
some jurisdictions, that in itself
which said that there was un­
would have heard him. Many ar­ would be more serious than
guments can be made about the the original crime, but here is a
For some weeks now, it
protesting opposition MPs and clueless, hapless court issuing
seems lions escaping from
what they hoped to accomplish, lamentations.
Speaking of courts, there is
however, what struck me is that
national parks has become a
weekly, if not daily, happening. those same MPs last year gave the Justice Philip Tunoi tribu­
nal. The fact of the matter is
And the response of the Kenya the head of State a standing
Wildlife Service? Feeble, uncon­ ovation. Doesn't anyone want to that it is immaterial whether
the good judge is guilty or inno­
vincing assurances that "all six find out what it is exactly that
cent. The important thing is the
lions have returned" only for a has caused this level of anger
effect his case has had on Ken­
and opposition in such a short
worker to step out of a matatu
time.
yans' faith in the Judiciary.
on Mombasa Road at 6.15am
and come face­to­face with one.
Two engineers doing main­
Then there was the University
Or are we are stuck in a rut?
This drama culminated
in what was to be the most
of Nairobi and the circus of the
students' union elections. For
tenance work on a mast in
shameful, tragic, and embar­
rassing event with the killing
of Mohawk the lion in Isinya
by a KWS warden whose job
about three days, Kenyans were
treated to running battles, traf­
fic disruptions, and stoning of
innocent motorists by students
protesting the "re­election" of a
carelessness, tolerance for low
it was to protect the lion. The
Washington Post's headline,
"Warden guns down lion for
lack of tranquillizer" captured
the absurdity of this drama that
is spiced up by rumours that
lions are being deliberately left
to wander around at the behest
of conspirators bent on grab­
bing the Nairobi National Park
for private development (read
big money).
Then there was the drama
that accompanied the Presi­
chairman who has been at the
helm since most students were
Nakuru got a taste of Kenyans'
standards, and appetite for
blunders when a pylon was
loaded with high voltage elec­
tricity. A most painful video
doing the rounds on social
media makes one want to ask
in primary school.
A disturbing video and testi­
monies mostly on social media
what the protocols and checks
and counter­checks are in place
for a power line under routine
surfaced, making me question
whether this was Kenya or
maintenance or repair.
Cambodia, since with the Con­
stitution of 2010, reforms and
nation of Kenya. So, are we
moving forward or backward?
Pray do tell.
police vetting, we presumed
that backward police brutality
was a thing of the past.
Never a dull moment in
dent's State of the Nation
Kenya. It was finally time for
address. What started as points
of order to the Speaker soon
the curtain to come down,
whichever way, on the ICC
This is the true state of the
The writer is the founder/
director of Organisation for
National Empowerment.
[email protected]. Twit­
ter: @benjindolo
case. Without issuing any ac­
quittal but finally letting all the
suspects off the hook, the court
discharged the accused. There
were celebrations in Eldoret
and greater confusion for the
victims of the violence that
rocked Kenya in 2007/2008
on why it took eight years to
determine that nobody did any­
thing wrong. What the yet­to­be
set up Kenyan special tribunal
could not do, an international
process could not do either.
Take note of the ruling (all
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya
Daily Nation ­ Wednesday
Date: 13.04.2016
Page 15
Article size: 281 cm2
ColumnCM: 62.44
AVE: 134880.0
Without issuing
any acquittal but
finally letting all the
suspects off the hook,
the court discharged the
accused to celebrations
in Eldoret and greater
confusion for the victims"
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya