When will you graduate?

On my graduation, scores keep asking 'when will you graduate?' Photo credit @abdu

When will you graduate?

Even as universities warm to the last round of graduation ceremonies this calendar year, scores will keep their fingers on the list of graduands. 

Those who know that I am a Moi University alumnae will certainly be interested to see me graduate. Unfortunately, their anticipation will fade in askance, fertilizing the question ‘when will you graduate?’

To me, this question has become creepier than Utahama lini?, an adage on a popular real estate advert on Kenyan media. 

But then what other question, in my case, would have been more apt? None.

 I have been in college for the last 10 years. How could I just own up that I dropped out of college somewhere in between? I have been lying about it, albeit skimpily.

Currently, I am enrolled for a Masters program. Next year, I will be graduating with a second bachelor’s degree. I was among the handful of the University of Nairobi Bsc. Physics and Mathematics graduates who bagged a Second Class Upper Division. And all.

This would obviously attract congratulatory messages, and scorn, in equal measures.  “You are strong, man,” someone would go, parting on my shoulders, to a non-reciprocating self.

Prospective employers, in accord, have been instrumental in reminding me that I need to graduate ASAP. 


And friends, relatives who could not bear it all. Lets blame the ignominious embarrassment that comes with hanging around liars, losers. What else could explain the falling by the way side of at least 10 Twitter followers following the going live of this campaign?.  

But the concerns of this growing constituency, doubting my anomalous stay at the university, are understandable. They effectively magnify the despair in the air. 

When will you graduate?

Sandal recall move by Woolworths is worth emulating

Woolworths recalled one of its sandals. Product recalls shows a firm's commitment to trading sustainably. Photo credit: gurdian.com

Not so long ago, something very interesting has happened. Woolworths Holdings Limited recalled one of its products in the market. Through an advert on the dailies, the South African retail store with stakes in the Kenyan market, reached out to its customers who could have brought a particular brand of sandals from its stores to return the same, and get their money back.

Woolworths’ move epitomizes the multinational's commitment to trading ethically. 

Product recalls are a common feature in First World economies. Firms that are conscious of their social responsibility do not hesitate to recall products they suspect could compromise on this consciousness.  In January 2013, General Motors recalled over 13000 of its Chevrolet brands to rework on their airbag suspension systems. In 2010, Toyota recalled over 2.3 million cars, including RAV-4s and Lexus HS-250hs, after it discovered that they had faulty acceleration systems. 

But why do firms take all this route?

Organizations use product recalls to endear themselves to their current and potential customers. To redeem favorable brand image, these organizations recall the flawed products and rework them. A bold move, product recalling goes a notch higher than apologizing and reiterates the firm’s commitment to ensuring their responsibility. 

Sometimes, consumer protection organizations enforce products recalls. In worst case scenarios, product recalls in such cases end up in withdrawals. By responding to genuine concerns by customers and stakeholders, firms safeguard themselves from potential liabilities that could result from negligence. 

Importantly, product recalls reaffirm the commitment that organizations have to the needs of their customers. In the Woolworths recall, the retailer purposed to ensure that customers do not suffer injuries and discomfort inflicted on protruding metal parts on the sandals. Genuine customer care. Perhaps this is what organizations running on strategies of yonder do not value. 

What else could explain the dissonance in the complaints and product recall rates in the Kenyan market, for instance?

Cognizant of the need to perform well, indigenous Kenyan organizations should emulate the recent move by Woolworths Holdings Limited. By developing the culture of recalling faulty products, these firms will benefit from customer loyalty and become highly competitive.

Pros and cons of living on campus

When Stephen Kimei landed at Kisii University, the first indication that he was home was a Facebook update in which he bemoaned his experience with a lousy room acquisition system. This only lasted for day one.

 Thanks to the TV room at Manotti Hall, he could now watch his favorite Chelsea Football Club trounce other EPL minnows. 

College and university students often recount their experiences in campus. One such experience is the excitation that comes with owning keys to the hostel room. Finally, I am on my own in deciding when and how to sleep, students would say, albeit intuitively. There are more benefits of residing on campus. 

Students residing on campus access a plethora of facilities. “In campus, there is relative security against outsiders, free electricity and water,” opined Williams Magunga, 22, a law student at the University of Nairobi. Kimei, 20, a Bachelor of Education sophomore, echoes similar sentiments:  “When you stay within, you enjoy access to library services, entertainment opportunities, and subsidized food.” 

Cost incentives motivate students to reside on campus. “A plate of ugali and kale goes for 10 shillings at the mess,” offered Kimei, extolling the pricing regime for food on campus as friendly to students of diverse economic backgrounds. 

According to Magunga, residing on campus benefits students socially. “You see, you live together and interact on a daily basis. The closeness is a recipe for socialization- boys amongst themselves, boys and girls, and girls amongst themselves too.” 

However, not every student resides on campus. The nature of the program and the availability of boarding facilities sometime influence this fate. Some students detest residing in campus. 

“To me, residing on campus is never ever! This is a classic immortalization of the distasteful high school boarding culture. Freedom denied. Period,” opines Valary Ochieng, a Moi University journalism student.

Ochieng believes that new comers pick bad habits while residing on campus, something that Kimei counters. “Our hostels accommodate students in the same year of study, ruling out any possibilities of bad influence.”

KDF should revise its recruitment policy

Ms. Gladys Jepkechei Tarus displays a medical report confirming that she was not pregnant. KDF should revise its recruitment policy

While the Kenya Defense Forces, KDF, received scathing attacks over its Westgate performance, something else passed unnoticed. Ms. Gladys Jepkechei Tarus attempted to join the military in vain, for the third time. Combined, these recent developments justify the need for KDF to revise its recruitment policy. 

Gladys Tarus has been attempting to join KDF since 2010. She did. Only to be ejected from the Recruit Training School RTS and sent to her parent’s Baringo Central home. Scores rubbished as unfounded claims by KDF that Gladys, failed a pregnancy test. Legislators faulted this move by KDF to terminate the dreams of Ms. Tarus. 

Undeterred, Gladys went ahead and attempted her luck with the military in 2011. She was not picked. In 2012, she tried her luck with Kenya Wildlife Service, and failed. KDF claimed that the 23-year-old Gladys did not meet the academic requirement to join the army when they dismissed her attempt on Monday, 14 October 2013. 

It does not take a pundit to wonder how in 2010, Ms. Tarus sailed all through to the RTS. Besides, the contradiction on the medical report that KDF claimed that Tarus was pregnant and several independent tests ordered by legislators was suspicious. Then in 2013, the same academic results that earned Ms. Tarus admission at the RTS soon became inadequate. 

Scores of young Kenyans go through these ordeals every time KDF runs recruitment drives. Youths who are passionate about defending their country by enlisting in the army end up disillusioned when they mysteriously miss these opportunities. Stories are told in hushed tones of how relatives of senior government and military officials easily acquire positions in KDF. 

Sons and daughters of influential people, the stories go, do not even participate in tedious field events during the recruitment drive. Instead, they appear during the final phase of the recruitment drive where selected candidates are certified to join RTS. Once there, this caliber of recruits, according to stories, is very lazy and uncooperative. Oftentimes, they sneak out of RTS, KDF. For good. 

Perhaps this hints on the lacklustre performance of KDF. After Al-Shabaab attacked Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Mall, KDF has been fighting intense imbroglio. KDF’s lack of strategy for combating the terrorists, looting, and possible killing of elite General Service Unit official, fly in the face of basic expectations on the military. 

The case of Gladys Tarus and KDF’s inertia explains this complacency. 

With all honesty, I am ignorant on military science. I learnt about FIBUA, military jargon for indoor fighting, not so long ago when Roy Gachuhi interviewed Lieutenant-General (rtd) Humphrey Njoroge. Nevertheless, I know everything about organizational behavior.

Passionate employees are highly productive. Having passionate employees on board requires fewer resources in management. When employers call for job seekers who can work under minimum supervision, they have in mind passionate employees. Importantly, passionate employees are innovative. 

In the military, innovation is critical. Although lower cadre soldiers are not involved in making strategic decisions, they need to be innovative. An innovative soldier stands high chances of enabling the success of the larger unit for instance during phalanx formation. Tarus exudes determination that yields and sustains this passion.  

Concentrating on endurance alone may not provide KDF with dedicated employees. Instead, going for candidates like Gladys Tarus who has towered high in temerity even when rejected thrice, can. Potential candidates chicken out when they learn that they are supposed to part with 150 000 Shillings payable to the District Officer, to secure a chance in the forces.  

Perhaps KDF recruitment policy does not give room for a candidate who does not oil the recruitment system. And threatens to embarrass the military top brass by earning the sympathy of the media, politicians and human rights defenders.  Perhaps for these reasons, Gladys Tarus will never get a chance to pursue her dream career in the military.

Nigeria’s Obasanjo urges leaders to publish books

Raila Odinga. Olusegun Obasanjo urged African leaders to emulate Odinga and publish books. Photo credit: Niaje.com

Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo today urged African leaders to consider publishing books on their experiences in power.  

 

Speaking during the launch of Flames of Freedom, Raila Odinga’s autobiography in Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Obasanjo said that by chronicling their experiences while in power, leaders contribute a lot to the betterment of humanity.

“You deprive the future generation a lot when you refuse to write a book,” he said, before urging Charles Njonjo in particular to rescind his hardliner stance on writing an autobiography. 

Njonjo, Kenya’s first Attorney General, had earlier said that he had toyed with the idea of writing a book for some time, before deciding to abandon the idea altogether. 

Obasanjo, whose full names are Oluṣẹgun Mathew Okikiọla Arẹmu Ọbasanjọ, is a cherished scholar and a democracy enthusiast. A career soldier, Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military ruler between 1976 and 1979 before he became a democratically elected president between 1999 and 2007. An avid reader, Obasanjo has seven books to his name. 

He told of a story of a Nigerian Attorney General he tried persuading to write an autobiography, and how this leader kept avoiding his persuasion. One day, the government official owned that he was afraid of writing a book, for the establishment would jail him for betrayal, Obasanjo explained. 

Not even the promise by Obasanjo that the manuscript was to wait until the first African Attorney General was out of office before going to bed convinced the official to write a book, he added. At this point, the exemplary orator offered that leadership and sacrifice are inseparable. 

Obasanjo described his host as good father and husband, attributes that he said lack in most African leaders. Raila sacrificed his own life for the wellbeing of Kenya, Obasanjo said, and mentioned the promulgation of a new constitution in 2010 as the fruit of this struggle. 

Flames of Freedom, a publication of Mountain Top Publishers, is Odinga’s memoir that captures his growing up, family life, as well as business and political careers. It peaks at his political career as Kenya’s Prime Minister under President Mwai Kibaki’s helm. 

“Writing a book requires discipline, courage and integrity,” said Obasanjo, as if preempting Odinga’s experiences in writing. In 2006, through Babafemi Badejo, Odinga published Enigma in Kenyan Politics.

 

“While in prison, I used to write on exercise books,” said Odinga. “They confiscated all the exercise books when I was set free, promising to send them to me. I haven’t gotten them back up to this day,” he explained.

Speaking during the event, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, Kenya’s Vice President during Kibaki's reign, intimated that Flames of Freedom had reinvigorated his desire to write an autobiography.

Work closely with local communities, LAPPSET leadership told

Lamu Eat MP, Ms. Shakila Abdalla. LAPPSET leaders should work with local communities

Two legislators yesterday urged the leadership of the Lamu Port and Lamu Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor project to consider working with local communities.Ms. Shakila Abdalla, M.P Lamu East, and Mr. Abdikadir Omar, M.P. Balambala, were speaking at a forum organized by the Rift Valley Institute to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the LAPPSET project.

Ms. Abdalla decried the apparent disinterest by the project leadership to address concerns of the host communities.  She cited lack of compensation of displaced families, and disengaging the local leadership in running the project as some of indicators of this ill-advised move by LAPPSET leadership.  

“Construction of the Lamu Port is depriving the people of their fishing livelihoods,” she said, and continued, “The project does not provide an access route for Lamu East people to reach Lamu West.”

While acknowledging the project’s potential for developing Northern Kenya, Mr. Omar underscored the need for the management to ensure that the project does not stall. Failure to address the emergent issues and work closely with the host communities jeopardizes the project’s success, he cautioned. 

Dr. Ekuro Aukot, a legal practitioner, echoed similar sentiments. Terming the move by the project leaders as defeatist, Aukot said that disengaging communities is against the Kenyan law. He singled out leadership and land tenure system as the greatest challenges bedeviling the LAPPSET project. 

LAPPSET project, Dr. Aukot said, could succeed in creating poverty amongst the people.  By failing to address land ownership, LAPPSET leadership is setting a precedent for conflicts and endangering of the asset, he explained. 

LAPPSET is among the projects touted to advance Kenya's social economic status by 2030. The project aims at opening up the hitherto virgin Northern Kenya and linking the country to the land locked Sudan and Ethiopia. According to Dr. Jonathan Lodompui, Assistant Director, Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat, LAPPSET is the most ambitious of the 124 Vision 2030 flagship projects.

“This project offers solutions to marginalized communities,” said Lodompui, before enlisting the components of the project to include Lamu Port, oil refinery, petro-chemical industries, a 1700-kilometer road stretch, standard gauge railway line, water and crude oil pipeline, and resort cities. “With its completion, it will take three days on a road trip from Lamu to Duala,” he offered, referring to a port town in West Africa.

Lodompui owned that it is natural for a project of the LAPPSET magnitude to face challenges, and stir emotions, before clarifying that the leadership is committed to solving any emergent concerns. But it was this lack of proactivity that concerned those in attendance. 

Calling upon LAPPSET management to rethink its strategy, Mr. Omar said that dialogue and consultations with the host communities help the team in planning. Mr. Laban Omolo, Director of Natural Resources at National Lands Commission cautioned that sidelining the host communities could cost LAPPSET the much-needed funding. 

Speaking in the same forum, LAPPSET CEO, Mr. Sylvester Kasuku dismissed claims that the project is detached from the host communities. LAPPSET is designed with a human face, he said. To underline its commitment to the community, LAPPSET has an ambitious capacity development aspect that benefits farmers, traders and the youth where the projects snakes through, Kasuku added. 

Kasuku urged for patience, saying that plans are underway to compensate those affected by the 200-metre wide LAPPSET corridor.  According to Kasuku, the LAPPSET project team is careful on preserving the historical appeal of Lamu islands, something that he said is informing the development of an organized system for people to access the islands. He reiterated that LAPPSET’s development potential goes beyond the project’s corridor.  

“Upon its completion, LAPPSET will have a 3% impact on the GDP,” he explained, pointing to a PowerPoint screen indicating that the Lamu Port alone is projected to handle 1780,000 containers annually. Asked whether the LAPPSET project could be a white elephant, cliché for a costly and useless project, Kasuku said lightly that Kenya is not home to that breed of elephants.

Unconvinced that enough ground work is in place to enable LAPPSET progress smoothly, Omar urged the secretariat to identify with the peculiar needs of the various places in the project's corridor. While the people of Lamu would be comfortable with relocation, pastoralists have different needs altogether, he added.

“I would rather you address the emerging issues now than when a bulldozer and a camel are in front of each other.”

“Terrorism is a global problem” is defeatist rhetoric

Abdul Hajj reaches out for Portia Walton, 4, in the besieged Westgate Shopping Mall. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

When terrorists stormed Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Mall on September 21, 2013, it took the agility and bravity of civilians to evacuate would be hostages. The courage and dedication of Abdul Hajj and company, selfless civilians who braved grenades and gun shots and facilitated the evacuation of women, men and children from the besieged mall, will remain etched in the minds of many. This was commendable. Instead, the government chose to credit the performance of its security machinery, and ice it up with a defeatist “terrorism is a global problem” narrative. How unfortunate.


For fairness sake, it is important to understand the role of the Kenyan government in the Westgate rescue mission. Joining the operation hours later, Kenya Police Service, Police and the Kenya Defense Forces, KDF were unable to secure the lives of hostages. I am sure the Kenyans and foreigners who lost eyes, nails and nostrils at the hands of the terrorists must have doubted the existence of security apparatus in Kenya.


KDF, often oversold to the masses as competent,  trained its rocket propelled grenades on the jinxed up market shopping mall, triumphantly collapsing it and burying close to 70 people, an insignificant constituency, according to Joseph Ole Lenku, Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary, in the resulting debris. I developed goose bumps on hearing the technocrat term the victims of KDF’s incompetence as insignificant.


Does this shed light on the government’s resolve in hailing praises at its security machinery for its stellar performance?


“Terrorism is a global problem” is defeatist.  On the surface, it plays into the egos of the Mujahedeen, that they are unstoppable. This is exactly what the Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and Ku Kux Klan want to hear. Besides exciting terror gangs, this narrative trivializes any localized initiatives to contain terrorism.

 
In the Kenyan context, it is an “accept and move on” of sorts. It lulls Kenyans into overlooking the gaping complacency of the security apparatus in particular and the government by extension. “Global” here is euphemism for gargantuan, insurmountable.


It reminds me of a folklore popular where I come from in which a squirrel, unable to order its senses in the wake of exposed grain, is crashed under a boulder trap. Before it breathes its last from injuries inflicted on its spinal cord and head, the folklore goes, the squirrel ignorantly reassures itself that what had befallen it is OK, for it also befell the rest of the squirrel squad. Purposed to promote individual responsibility, this folklore lauds the reassurances by individuals when they suffer the consequences of their folly. Just like the folklore, the “terrorism is a global problem” narrative speaks volumes.

 
What the Presidency and Interior Cabinet Secretary are telling Kenyans is that Kenya cannot deal with terrorism. It would follow therefore that it is natural for the average Kenyan to realize that the government had stunned itself in its response to the terror attack. By the Police hurling teargas canisters in the direction of the clutch gun wielding Mujahedeen, repelling them into the rows of bread and hardware in Nakumatt, they deserved complements.


Importantly, the establishment is telling the populace to understand when the Police, for instance, are complacent. That a distraught citizen can call the Police and, if lucky, learn that he should fuel their Land Rover, should be understandable. Increasing road carnage in Kenyan roads, in this connection, should be understandable.


With this statement, the government is telling Kenyans to understand when it is unable to tame corruption, insecurity, high cost of living, and food insecurity. Together with environmental pollution, these too are global problems.  This way, Kenyans should not question when the government unabatedly levies VAT on essential commodities such as sanitary pads, maize flour and milk. Instead, they should accept and move on.


Begging from this is the question on what “local” problems the Kenyan security apparatus deserves praises for solving. Taming cattle rustling and banditry? Protecting politicians from their electorates? Shooting poor Kenyans in post election circumstances? Congratulating them on job well done in any other undertaking is suspicious.  It zombifies Kenyans.


Zombified Kenyans cannot think hard when it emerges that the Police were privy to information of the impending terror attack on that Saturday. That the security guards frisking the hundreds of patrons at Westgate Shopping Mall had frantically phoned in vain Parklands Police Station to report on suspicious persons roaming the premises hours before the attack, too, should be easy to understand. This will certainly soil the nation’s public image.


By peddling the “terrorism is a global problem” narrative, the Kenyan government is telling its people that they should understand when terrorists strike again and again killing, torturing, injuring and abducting Kenyans and foreigners in their wake. While Police and the National Intelligence Service trade accusations. While the KDF deploys inexperienced soldiers on the frontline and toys with careless strategies. While the government spews propaganda, supervises all these malfunctions, and pours undue praises, Kenyans should understand.


After all terrorism is a global problem.