There is a great deal of emphasis in the workplace to earn more and more money. However, money never seems to be enough. But if you learned the secret of how to multiply that money for yourself, you could end up creating enough wealth for your family from whatever you earn on the job. That is the secret of A HOUSE, A SPOUSE and A COW. listen in to this video and you will hear what I mean.
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Many employees, “work for
money to pay the rent” and then end up broke or poor. But who teaches
employees to create wealth from the income they earn in employment- well
nobody! This wisdom is perhaps the best kept secret of all time. Why is it that
such important knowledge is left to chance? Many organizations run expensive employee
induction programs to train new employees to make a profit for the company. But,
nobody runs programs to challenge employee to create wealth for themselves. Yet,
350 million employees across Africa generate 2.7 trillion US dollars (GDP) a year and
own less than 5% of that wealth! Click here to Join Isabella and Allan for a series of transforming conversations on how employees can learn to create wealth for themselves on the job today!
Lets have a conversation about "Employment in Africa"
Ethical
questions do not have correct or incorrect answers, but all ethical questions communicate a message and have
immediate consequences. Ethical questions have a short term impact on decision
making and long term impact on the advancement of a society. While ethical
choices may appear harmless, they are always driven by values. In other words, it
is possible to shout ethical principles and yet act in line with your values. For
example, everyone volubly condemns corruption without a question, yet when
faced with a choice of whether to bribe a policeman and get home to a peaceful
evening or drive away with an inconvenient court summons, it is not a difficult
choice to make. We all face ethical questions on a personal level and how we
resolve them is within our power. However, making ethical choices assumes that we
are all able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad as well as
determine between better and the best action in a situation for the future
wellbeing of society.
Nonetheless, the
circumstances surrounding the Kenya General elections have thrown up several
ethical questions which have a long term bearing on the development of our
society. Voting patterns present us with the first ethical question. Did you
vote for the most qualified candidate or did you vote for your tribesman? If
you voted for the most qualified candidate, you expect services in line with the
candidate qualifications. Your messaging is that development is important and
should be pursued as a priority. If you voted for your tribesman to keep
leadership in the community, your messaging implies that increasing numbers
through reproduction is a priority to keep leadership within the community. Nevertheless,
if you did not vote, what message were you communicating to society?
In the
on-again-off-again case of the impeached Nairobi governor, the flip-flop drama
suggests that the law does not matter, it is the interpretation of the law that
counts. The message to society is that you don’t have to live by the rules so
long as you can convince the law that it is your right to do so. In the on-again-off-again
case of the Nairobi governor candidate whose education certificate was
approved-rejected-and-accepted, the message to school students suggests that education
may be good, but cannot be verified by a certificate thereof. Society does not value
education - engage in it at your own risk.
When a political
grouping decamps from Azimio to UDA or vice versa, what message are they
sending voters? They show a pathetic disdain for the voters whom they used to
get into office using a manifesto they never really believed in. They suggest that
voting was just a game which the winner takes all using taxpayer’s money.
Many have
heralded the lack of violence in these election as a sign of peace and national
maturity. Indeed, the call for peace and justice is a delicate matter. But, we
must ask whether peace is to be pursued beyond the rule of law or at the
expense of righteousness? The ethical question here is, should a criminal be
allowed to get away peacefully because the victim remains silent?
Perhaps the most challenging ethical question touted
by all political parties is the perennial lack of the nation to deal with
corruption. Corruption uses the law to extract payments from its victims. The
ethical message here suggests to society is that the law is powerless to
protect the people. The result is the peoples’ loss of faith in national institutions.
Why do these
questions matter? These unresolved ethical
questions leave society uncertain and groping about for clarity and direction.
These unresolved questions damage the social fabric to the extent that society
is unable to galvanize the momentum it needs to heal and propel itself to a
better future. These questions leave many feeling deluded, helpless victims of
fraud, apathetic to the cause of citizenship. They leave people disinterest
in governance and the collective responsibility of nationhood. These questions need to be pragmatically resolved to lay the foundations of an aspirational and prosperous nation.
Three ways to get things done
Many people
struggle with the combined concepts of empowerment, personal development and
leadership. They are certainly related, but different. Empowerment is to acquire the right frame of mind, attitude and inspiration
to pursue your dreams. Personal
development is the initiative you take to equip yourself with hands-on-skills
to remain relevant in a dynamic environment. Leadership is the character you need to undertake and accomplish the
noble goals you set for yourself for the benefit of others.
Empowerment
Do you find
yourself in a position where you are capable of doing something you need to do,
but won’t do it? Like saving money for a project you would love to undertake.
You believe it is a good idea. You even have an available source of funds (Income,
salary or wages) to enact this dream project. But is just doesn’t get off the
ground. May be it is the desire to go back to school, build a house or mentor
kids in the local market, it remains a dream. If you are here, then you need
empowerment. How do you get into the right frame of mind to do what you need to
do? The short answer is to start. The long answer is to find some inspiration.
Go spend some time at the local school. Have coffee with a 90-year-old who went
back to school, research the benefits and blessings of undertaking the venture,
then make your own decisions.
Personal development
Perhaps you are operating
in what I call the “plateau-zone”. Everything is comfortable, you know everything
about what you do, but not everything about everything and don’t care to know
anything else or explore any other options of what you could possibly do. I’d
say the reason you need personal development is the fact that the world is
moving on without you. Everyday there is a micro advancement in your
environment. Everyday there is a better way of doing things which, needs you to
learn something new and develop yourself. Every day, much as it may appear
stable, the plateau-zone is depreciating. If you have read the book Who Moved My Cheese, then you know what
I am talking about. Personal development is not really an option. It is a means
of staying relevant in your apparently comfortable circumstances.
Leadership
Now everyone
knows almost everything about leadership. And perhaps that is the problem.
Leadership has more than 2000 known views, perspectives and definitions. So how
do I know you are applying the “proper” leadership principles in your life to
ensure you are better than the rest. Desiderata
tells me that is a futile engagement, “There will always be those greater and
lesser than yourself”. So what then should be your pinnacle leadership
achievement in your circumstances? Hmm… I have already given you the answer. In
other words, realize your full potential. Strive to be all you could ever be in
your reality. Do your best to be the God-gift you are to this world and I will
ask no more of your leadership.
The day I reported for my new job at the factory, the CEO was fired. After waiting at the reception for several hours, I learned that the shareholding in the company had changed. As such my appointment was in limbo as my letter was to be signed by the CEO. None of the staff would give my letter to him. The executives at the factory were in a nail-biting state of suspense but, they were also responsible to keep the factory operational. The people, the buildings and the factory procedures were not about to change anytime soon. In my view the only change a new CEO could possibly bring was a new philosophy.
At the demise of the Pharaoh in old Egypt the fate of his servants was sealed the day they took office. However, in the philosophical democratic of empires of Rome and Greece, the king’s courts were staffed with counsellors representing various interests. When a new King was appointed, counsellors had an intricate choice of allegiance to make. To continue serving in the court, they had three options; to protect the people from the king, to protect the king from the people or protect the people and the king.
As Kenya awaits a new president, the nation sits in the waiting room, a little perplexed. Who is the new president and what changes will he bring? The tension in the public is palpable, with a great desire among the populace to have the whole matter over and done with. Nonetheless, officers in the administration are in a delicate state. A transition brings fresh perspectives and inspires new energy and allocation of resources in areas the president deems to be of priority. While the people may anticipate a new leadership philosophy, officers in the administration are faced with the same choices counsellors had to make in the king’s court in Rome and Greece.
While the emotional
aftermath of winning and losing in the 2022 political season is likely to go on for a period of
time, Kenya is teaching the world four major lessons from the unfolding events
of the General Elections. With a final voter turnout of 65% it is clear that
every third registered voter did not cast their ballot. The result of the presidential
elections was determined by two out of three eligible voters. The choice of two
thirds of the voting block determined the destiny of the nation. Politicians around
the world are usually blamed for many things, but the people of Kenya can only
blame themselves for not coming out to vote. While the margin of victory between
the winner and the loser of the presidential vote stands at less than 2%, if
the third man, or woman, had cast their vote for one or other of the candidates, that
candidate would have garnered a whopping, uncontestable 62% of the vote.
Unfortunately, we will never know the veracity of that claim, because every third
voter in Kenya did not turn up at the ballot box. Kenya is now a international case-study in Voter Apathy that has cost the country a decisive electoral victory. The results
are bound to be disputed.
Secondly, politics and leadership are not the same thing. Politics is about the will of the people. Leadership is about good governance. The will of the people has been known to obtain great victory in politics like electing Abraham Lincoln to the Oval office. But, it also petulantly ejected Britain’s war time hero, Winston Churchill from prime minister. But the will of the people is also credited with incorrigible instances such as voting for the release from prison of "Barabbas", a murderer, instead of a person with no criminal record in ancient Israel. When people yearn for leadership they aspire for socio-economic well-being and personal security. However, general elections do not always deliver that outcome. Where leadership and politics converge we get Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Ellen Sirleaf Johnson. Where the two diverge we get Hitler, Taylor, Apartheid and other forms of dictatorship. In the later circumstances there is an immediate call for a savior.
Third, tribalism
leads to isolation. The use of the tribal card during elections is clearly
reflected in voting patterns. Unfortunately, the election outcome has been directed
by vested “tribal strongholds” touted by the political class long before
election day. Whether this is good or bad for the country is a matter of debate,
However, what is not in debate is the clear division and emergence of pockets
of disenfranchised strongholds rather than the establishment of a broad based
national consensus of winning candidates. The problem with the “tribalism of
the vote” is that no one can change “parties”. In other words, a person from one
community, by natures endowment, cannot change their perceived membership to
another community party even if they so wished. This leads to imputed and
assumed voter profiling based on ethnicity rather than an individuals political
leaning. This automatically leads to ostracism, distrust among communities, sustained
disenfranchisement among losers and exclusion from governance no matter what
platitudes or word combinations are used to convince the people otherwise.
Fourth, civic responsibility
is more than casting a vote. That vote needs to count for good governance, the conscientious
wellbeing of the nation and its civilian work ethic. In other words, civic
education needs to empower voters to consider what is good for the nation
beyond what is gratifying to self. A citizens’ civic responsibility goes beyond
self. Boy scouts and the disciplined forces have the right
attitude with “service beyond self”. Civil responsibility, in the face of political
leaning, can deal with the demise of corruption. But, this attitude need not be
confined to the disciplined forces, it is an attitude that can transform the
tunes of patriotic songs and dances into lived experiences of hope. Kenyans
have a choice to make, but the world is certainly learning from us. As a nation
under the fear of God, we could do well to learn from ourselves.
Leadership consultant, lecturer & author
His
training has impacted thousands of employees from hundreds of organizations
around Africa. His empowering books on leadership and personal development
have transformed many lives across the continent.
St Mary’s; The Legend of ‘91
In
late 1990, I joined my primary school math teacher on the staff of St. Mary’s
School in Nairobi. I was teaching high school, but I never forgot the mathematical genius Mr. Peter Mwangura instilled in me and my
class mates in those early days. His rule was simple,
“Never stay down and never get comfortable with your last success”. Joining St
Mary’s was not in my strategic plan, but needless to say I was jobless. I had
to make a quick turnaround before I was kicked out for defaulting on my rent. I
had smugly quit my previous job several months ago and now my finances were
going south. I was to teach physics, math, computer basics. I also taught something
called theory of knowledge (TOK). During one of these classes Eric brought the house down when he declared, " I want to be rich and famous". I later learned that the appearance of the
word “rugby” on my resume gave me an edge for the job against two other candidates. It was not
until the middle of the first school term in 1991 that I was persuaded to go
down to the furthest field on the vast school grounds to see a sorry picture of
about eight or so fresh faced, portly, roughly dressed, long, wide and short cast
members rolling about the arena. They were all cackling loudly and having a whale of a
time. They were practicing for a stage comedy of sorts. As I sat down for the
pre-Broadway edition of "who can catch the ball", I realized I was watching
the school rugby team.
I
don't know why I went back the next week, but it was probably because Father Caffrey asked me what I thought
of the team. I mumbled something, but I knew he was not going to let me forget
why I was hired. So I went back to the circus and the boys thought I was the
joke. We all discovered, together, that the team had never won a match in memory
and that we were the whipping boys of the National Schools’ rugby league. In
other words, every other school counted three points before match day with the
Saints. I looked over the boys on the set and I saw two things we could
work with. The boys had heart and they had spirit. They also had boots, but they hardly knew
anything about rugby, the ball or teamwork. They had a natural leader, Koech, aka
“captain” or " coach". His last title was a corruption of his ability
to run like a train on tracks - dead center at full speed! Nonetheless, this unnerving habit ended up with a
ton of bodies on top of him while he barked orders from beneath the pile. He
just never knew when to give up! This medium sized lad always
played with a bandage on his left hand. He took everything that came at him.
So
we got to work. We peeled off the fat. Coach was brilliant at that. The players preferred me to the captains’ suicide workouts. Koech did his own workouts
before and after practice. Everyone had to learn to run for 90 minutes’ non-
stop. After that we got them to run in the right direction. What could be
simpler...you would think!?! Then we worked on catching, not juggling, the ball
and running with it towards our opponents and not away from them. After a while we even managed to move around together like a Roman tank. Amazingly,
our numbers began to grow and we began to play for the girls in the gallery.
Class teachers complained about the player’s poor grades and truancy.
Parents came to watch practice sessions after school. We were so popular we had
a following!! Evidently we become a standard feature on a weekly comic strip . Every player
discovered they had a talent and needed to show it off! Teamwork went from mediocre
one day to disaster the next. So, we got all the players to the center of the
pitch and agreed if we wanted to be winners, we would need to do two things fast.
First, we individually needed to decide why we wanted to be on this team and whether
we wanted to work together or not. Next, we needed to focus on character,
teamwork and tactics-on the pitch and not in the stands. We also agreed
that good grades would not hurt our reputation. It took us several weeks to
learn those lines by heart, but we did. With that we said our prayers and
walked into the league at the beginning of the mid-year school term.
The Friday Nation Newspaper reported that “Saint Mary's school Rugby team 1st
XV won their first match 4:3” in the sports pages . That result was
such a shocker it drew the attention of the national sports editor. It was a win
by the narrowest margin possible from the least fancied side in the country. That
was NEWS! That is when everyone else started to believe. But, from then on there was no looking back. That win anchored the school’s
first ever championship success in the Prescott
Cup. It laid the foundation for a winning streak that lasted more than a decade.
By the middle of the season we could hook, ruck, maul and steal the ball at
will. And boy could those boys run! We used everything to our advantage; weight,
height and wings! We could counter attack from our own twenty-five-yard line and
drive all the way back to the opponents try line. The blitz of blue and white
uniforms on the field was like a swarm of migrating wild geese in “V” formation. We could dictate and switch pace of a game and fling the ball across half the field. We had a battery of coded play. The Saints were no longer an afterthought, they became the team
to beat. Half of the team of ’91 would tryout and turnout for the Kenya
National team, registering sterling performances and outstanding accolades at
the international level.
I
slipped out of the St Mary’s School set at the end of ’91 for my next assignment. It was a privilege
to have been part of Gods orchestrated greatness. The memories of the team
stay with me. They may not have looked the part in the beginning, but the boys were
always champions at heart. The boys became men and then gentlemen! Every one of those who turned
out for us on that team had their own story. Each one showed up, because only
champions show up. I should write a book about this someday or better still
make a movie. I am not sure anyone would believe me. You see this story is the
stuff of legends. The greatest team on earth taught me a
champion needs three things; heart, spirit and most important character! ... By the way, Eric did become both rich and famous. Only he had the faith to believe it.
Alolo
Your decisions
create your future!
Thinking is the most
powerful human competence - Your thoughts influence your decisions and your
decisions change your life. Indeed, there are season of stress and respite,
times of illness and indisposition, times when you are certain the devil is working
on your casebook. But there are also seasons of success and celebration.
However, the thoughts you have and decisions you make at any time during these times
determine the future. Your decision to lose weight determines your action to
exercise. Your choice to study enables you pass your exams. Your thoughts about
obtaining financial freedom equip you to take action to save money for the
wellbeing of your family. It takes ten seconds to win a hundred-meter race, nonetheless,
it takes ten years to qualify for Olympics. Winning is a decision you make and
follow through with blood, sweat and tears! But, this is not some people’s
duty, it is everyone’s responsibility. So stop whining and take up the space
you wish to occupy. There are no big decisions and there are no small decisions,
they are just decisions. Every decision matters and ALL decisions create your
future.
Is Leadership in Simplicity shaping the outcome of Kenyan
Politics?
It is extremely unlikely
that the election of a boys high school football team will be chosen from among
the members of the girl’s hockey team. No matter how talented the girls team is
there is merit in having the captain of the boys team being elected from among
the boys and the selection or election of the girl’s captain coming from the girls hockey team. In this matter the question of leadership is a closed shop. It is not
open to debate or question so long as the boys football team plays football in school.
However, should the school games teams face off with the neighboring school
teams in various sports, it is just as likely that the school games captain may
be chosen from the Chess club. I have used this example to illustrate that the
context of leadership determines the selection of a suitable leader in a
situation. There is positional leadership which is assigned for administrative
purposes, but is more importantly, leadership in simplicity, leadership in
complexity and leadership in diversity shape that the success of a team’s performance in different contexts.
While leadership
in simplicity can be quickly assigned to a tribal chief charged with pursuing
community interests, such a leader will find it difficult if not impossible to
impose the will of his own community over the will of others. Leadership in
simplicity sees the role of the leaders as a competition for resources. However,
resources as we all know, are limited and thus leadership in simplicity leads
to conflict in wider society. Leadership in complexity however, recognizes that
there are different sports and different teams each with its own administration
organization and order. The responsibility of the leader in this context is to
maximize collaboration and harness the value of each team for the highest performance
of the school. Such a leader, rather than begin by pushing their own interest,
seeks to evaluate the strengths and compliment the short coming of each of
their teams to ensure an overall victory for the school. A school attending international competition must step up its leadership to a whole new level. Leadership in
diversity demands that a leader mobilizes the performance of the team within global
standards fully appreciating that success of the team is only sustainable in the
context of global coexistence. Leadership in the minor leagues is no match for the leadership required in international competition.
The leadership
drama playing itself out in the Kenyan political arena, ahead of the 2022 general
elections, clearly indicates that many political leaders see themselves as
leaders in simplicity, charged with the responsibility to achieve maximum
returns for their community without due regards for the need for leadership in
complexity nor understanding the value of appreciating their role as leaders in diversity charged with ensuring the success of the leadership of enterprise Kenya. Voters
would be well advised to elect leaders who embrace leadership in diversity as
the key to ensuring a successful, sustainable and united Team Kenya rather than
a balkanized federation of competing tribes. In this regard, political leaders
need to step up their game from leadership in simplicity to leadership in
diversity. It may not be practical or even necessary to wish away ethnicity, however, leadership in diversity requires statesmanship.
ISUKUTI MUSICIAN
Khayo, the great ancestor for whom
Bukhayo is named led the founding clans to occupy the geographical region of
Bukhayo circa 1700s
While
individual clans and family lineages have their own histories, Bukhayo is made up of a
coalition of clans who established themselves in the nation via intermarriage and absorption.
The ancestry of Bukhayo may therefore be classed as a migrant
community. This is evidenced by the abundant acquisition of names and words from surrounding
Nilotic and Bantu nations such as Olele, Oluoch, Nganga and Etyang in family and
clan lineages. Nyasaye, a name used in reference to God, is sourced among the Luo and Gusii. However, in border-less Africa, economic activity was engaged through the occupation of land. Migration was prompted by overpopulation and search for
cattle pasture. War was engaged in competition for resources and fertile
territory among clans and bordering nations. The Bakhayo were farmers,
fishermen, craftsmen, musicians, hunters, pastoralists and warriors. They would
move into an area, occupy the land, till the ground until the land became too
small for the population and their legendary large herd of cattle. Among the Bakhayo,
as in other nations, migration took place for reasons of pestilence, famine,
disease infestation and differences among neighbors. Migration also
took place at dispersion points by mutual agreement to expand the kingdom in
different ways. Such departure points include Nambuku and Nasira among others.
Nonetheless, the land was open and wealth creation depended on the hard work and strength of a man and his family to occupy the land. There was space to migrate to new lands and found new
clans to extend the kingdom.
The society was made up of a deeply entrenched clan structure that allowed for the emergence of further sub clans as family groups grew larger over time. The social organization and governance of the community was weaved into the patrilineal leadership and relational family structure. This was not a superficial hierarchy of filial respect; it was one that was accompanied by authority, rank and responsibility to maintain good order at every level of society. This meant that a man (Husband) was the head and leader of his family i.e. wives (organized in houses "Inzu" in order of seniority) and children. The role of a wife was well constituted around managing the enterprise of family. It was carried with dignity as a societal office. A man was also accountable to the brotherhood in his family of birth. If he was the first born in his family of origin, he assumed leadership among his brothers. The same ranking relationship was reflected in the clan membership structure (eRika) until an overall clan leader and council was identified from the senior most members of the clan. There were variations to this rule and a council of elders could select or elect a king apart from the one designated by the patrilineal hierarchy. However, the general respect for the core authority and seniority structures ensured a self-regulating society that did not need police. Domestic, administrative, judicial, societal and matters of war were handled from the household level and escalated depending on their gravity. Issues were only escalated, if need be, to upper level mediation and finally to the council of clan elders as the supreme court. The people were bound to collective social responsibility and followed protocol to resolve and regulate matters of social intercourse.
The Bakhayo are exogamous, which means that they encourage marriage outside the clan and freely give and accept in marriage among other nations. Among the Bakhayo, it is not uncommon to find a second generation or once removed cousin from another Luhya nation, bordering community or distant nationality altogether. The Bakhayo have great respect for their in-laws. A fact that may have contributed to their generally peaceful and respectful nature in the treatment of others and the manner in which they approach issues amongst themselves and their neighbors. Anecdotal evidence suggests that “all Luhya are related”. This has high validity among the Bakhayo as well as the greater Abaluhyia federation or “Mulembe Nation” (people of peace). One needs to be careful, because if you quarrel with someone you don't know, you may later find out that he or she is in fact your in-law. You will have nowhere to take your shame. Diplomacy, integrity and faithfulness are necessary principles of a self-governing society. Through the principle of exogamy, the Bakhayo are well integrated and intermarried with their neighbors. The Bakhayo living along the nations' boundary speak both or several languages that may be in the area. They are able to communicate mutual respect and good neighborliness being careful to create and maintain understanding within the coexisting communities. The practice of exogamy has led to the establishment of Bakhayo sub clans among bordering nations and the nations among whom the Bakhayo have passed through in their migratory journey such as the Kalenjin and Maasai.
Over
the last two centuries (from the 1800s), the Bakhayo social, spirituality and economic
welfare has been significantly influenced by Christianity, Colonialism and
Globalization. The Bukhayo nation engagement with the White man goes back to beyond James
Grant in search of the source of the Nile (Circa 1860). However, records indicate that some citizens of Bukhayo were captured and sold into Slavery up until as late as the 1900s (Were, 1967). The motor car made its entry into the region in 1915. Nabongo Mumia got his copy in 1920. While the Bakhayo ancestors held to spiritual
beliefs in the fear of Were (God),
they also believed in the existence of spirits and life after death. The people sacrificially
entreated Were to favour the people and land with their needs such as
rain, good health and victory in war. Nonetheless, they also called on rainmakers, medicine-men and seers to safeguard the welfare of the community. The Abakhayo have been influenced by Christian
Missionary agencies including the Church Missionary Society CMS and the Church of
Scotland CS. In 1895 Bishop James Hannington (Mumias) passed through Bukhayo on his
way to Buganda and visited the home of Awori Khamatoga. On arrival in Uganda, seeking audience with the Kabaka, he was killed and his body hurriedly buried.
There ensued four years of great plague in the land. On the advice of local
diviners, Hanningtons body was exhumed and sent back to Mumias to avert further suffering
in the land. The body of the Bishop was once again rested in the Khamatoga
home on the night in which the late Cannon Jeremiah Musungu Awori, son of
khamatoga, was born. Cannon Awori would grow up and found Nambale Anglican Church
in 1946. Thus spread the impact of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches throughout the Bukhayo nation. Their teachings strongly influenced the reduction of polygamy and ancestral divination and have
introduced new customs of worshipping God aligned to the Christian tradition.
These Christian Missions set up schools, churches and hospitals that can be found in Mabunge, Kisoko and all over Bukhayo. However, the world was opening up and the Bakhayo would
soon find themselves on the global stage in World War I (1914-1919) and again in
World War II (1939-1945) fighting in wars that were not their own. They were recruited
to fight thousands of miles away in Burma, North Africa, Malaysia, Tanzania,
Israel. Ibrahim, Jason Asaba and many others who have never been acknowledged or rewarded sacrificed their lives on these international missions. Many never returned. However, those who returned brought back a new
disdain for the White man who relied on Africans to fight for him in his
battles. This previously unknown vulnerability of the White man fueled rebellion
in the Bukhayo nation as well as the MAU MAU in Kenya and independence movements
across the African continent
While
the missionaries occupied themselves with spiritual and redemptive practices
among the people, the engagement with the White man in the early 1800s changed
the course of the Bakhayo ancestral way of life. The Europeans ostensibly came
to explore the land, but shrewdly studied the people’s way of life, government
and administration. After the 1885 Belgium conference dividing up Africa amongst
European nations
The
principle of containment left the growing population of Bukhayo without the
option of “migration” and “war” to feed and satisfy their population. This has subjected
the people to abject poverty as the land became forcibly limited and economic
activity restricted. Repetitive tilling and occupation of land with a growing
population led to depreciating returns and rising poverty. Those who could, migrated to towns
while others turned from the land to unfamiliar commerce dependent
on the local consumption of foreign goods. The principle of containment forced
the people to grow crops for cash to secure the wealth of Bukhayo for European industries. In addition, the people had to support the colonial administration while servicing their own livelihoods without the option of migration and the independence of free trade. Ambitious enterprise like the first Cotton Ginnery in East Africa, set up by British investor CE Fox, in Nambale in 1922 (Kunwar, 1988), soon collapsed and with it the livelihoods of three generations of Bakhayo. The backlash of these kind of grandiose initiatives
have set back the nations development many years. They have left many people
living in abject poverty as the land is exhausted of its natural nutrients growing
“cash” corps for export that coul not be sold locally nor eaten by the grower, nor consumed by the domicile market. The people of Africa may need to think about
how to strategically bring down their borders to release economic prosperity
across nations.
The
principle of containment sought to contain the tribes for administrative
purposes and since it was cleverly woven into the Bukhayo nations own (accepted)
self-regulating governance systems of respect for authority, the people were
easily subdued by the colonialist without much of a fight. Even though there
were incidences of attacks on the White man, respect for authority carried the
day. However, the traditional clan and sub clan dynamics that enabled national growth
and governance in the past have now devolved into political and administrative competition
between clans during democratic elections. Smaller clans question the
right of the larger clans to perpetually rule over the community. However, the Bakhayo may need to carefully study and strategically leverage their intellectual, social and political capital to empower the people and secure their success in a highly competitive globalized world where everyone looks out for their own interests.
Due to the limitation of opportunity created by colonialists and the stifling regulations adopted by the post colonial administration, the Bakhayo have migrated to the city and indeed around the world in search of a livelihood and expansion of the Kingdom. Those who can afford it work hard to maintain two homes. One in the city, the other in the village. Nonetheless, this is unsustainable. In reality these Bakhayo have followed the migratory tradition of their ancestors to new lands in search of new pasture (opportunity) and joined in the global competition for resources (enterprise) far away from their land of origin. This has given rise to the Bakhayo in the diaspora whose numbers are not known, but are growing and may soon outstrip the numbers in their land of origin. Bukhayo is therefore the fatherland of the Bakhayo. Today, many Bakhayo are not born in Bukhayo. They are not citizens by birth, "ancestral land" or even language, but by traceable lineage to their roots in Bukhayo as an epicenter of their national identity. The Bukhayo nation now extends beyond the geographic borders for which the nations' great ancestor Khayo is named. Nonetheless, culture still influences the political, governance, administrative and economic prosperity of the people in the evolving story of the BUKHAYO Nation.
References
Kinyatti, M. (2008). History of Resistance in
Kenya: 1884-2002. Nairobi: Mau Mau Research Centre.
Kunwar, D. S. (1988). Ginneries and Cotton
Distribution in Kenya. Proceedings of the World Cotton Research Conference,
1062-1065.
Mukhule, C. (2018). The Abakhayo; Origins, Clans
and Traditions.
Ng'ang'a, W. (2006). Kenya's Ethnic Communities;
Foundations of the Nation . Gatundu Publishers.
Pakenham, T. (1991). The Scramble for Africa.
London: Abacus.
Were, G. (1967). A History of the Abaluyia of
Western Kenya. Nairobi: East African Publishing House.
WIkipedia. (2022). Khayo. Retrieved from
Khayo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khayo
Step down from the high of motivational speeches and inspirational quotes and get down to the reality of empowerment to address todays problems and learn to prepare for tomorrows' challenges. Knee-jerk responses to crisis using unresearched wisdom will not move us from the moment. What we are today is a sum of the past experience. Take counsel from history to rebuild the future.
by Ronald Bukusi
The book provides a scoped overview of global sporting as a context to understanding the competence of “winning”. Winning is a super-stride skill essential to survival, personal achievement and overcoming real life challenges. In his book Ronald presents Winning as a functional competence that can be developed, adopted and taught at all ages without gender, social or philosophical barriers. The book could be subtitled, “the Art of winning” aligning it with “the Art of war” and Robert Greene’s “mastery texts”. This will place the book into a larger readership space and allow it to be a comfortable reference away from its strong rugby title. Its principles are universal with sport simply providing a framework for discussion. The author takes the reader on a global tour from New Zealand to the heartland of Chicago Sirens. He travels with us on sports trips from the Home of Champions in Kenya to Malaysia, Wales and Argentina to traverse the Olympics, World Cups and enjoy dinners in corporate boardrooms of winning strategy formulation around the world. It is well worth the trip. If you are a player, coach, mentor or just sliding through life - get yourself a copy of this book!
Messaging
There
are five ideal places to quit; before the race, at the beginning of the
race, in the middle of the race, at the end of the race and after the race.
However, Winners never quit, they keep coming back - This statement summarizes the
books message. Its global referencing is used to bring home this point time and
again. The second message is “There are
no short cuts to winning… Being a winner takes time and by that I mean years!”.
The winning time frame in the book is called out in years, decades and in one case almost a century. Third, winning is about both
process and practice. The emphasis on technical process is not passed over,
but registers as core to the winning psyche. You’ve got to look at the numbers
(stats) to measure performance and progress in order to get better at what you
do and succeed. The only person who can write off a winner is the winner. Winning is a game of life. Paradoxical as it may seem, we
all determine how we want to turnout in life. Don’t worry. You will be broad-sided by economic down turn, COVID, sickness... you name it! It will come some day… The
way I see it, you have two choices; back off, back down and give up or back up, dust yourself off, retool
and reboot your engines! Simply put there are no guarantees for
anything you do. In life failure is an option and mistakes are part of the journey, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. Just keep doing what you need to do to get better and up your game.
The book provides a blueprint for organization, order, growth, development, change and challenge in
all spheres of life.
Critique
I would have
liked to hear a little bit more about professionalism and the sports ecosystem
as environmental support structures to managing success and winning. There are
also a few “repeat passages” that might have been competently dealt with in one
section. Some concepts like “fundamentals”, “functionality” and “does pay equal
performance?” probably deserved more acreage. The interviews are great and
inclusive, but we would have liked to hear more of the authors understanding,
trials and interpretations. Some passages need reference listing like Donald
Rumsfeld’s unknown unknowns. Nonetheless, with 100 pages to deliver the message
of winning, one may not have done better. The back cover needs some glinting. It
is too local for the books global appeal. The authors picture could be more
charismatic. The front cover should be about getting attention the first time
it is lifted off the shelf. The back cover should not let a reader put the book down.
Do you ever wonder
why so many popularly elected leaders turn out to be an outstanding disappointment
during their parliamentary term? Many serve their time in the august house
without contributing to any meaningful debate, leave alone speaking about the issues
that concern their people. These leaders represent a wasted five years of your
political life pursuing interests that have left you stunted and scandalized.
But, perhaps the problem is you, rather than them. You may have elected whom
you wanted, but did you get what you wanted? Before you renew your political vows
with your parliamentary representative for tribal, filial or other non-sense
reasons, it may be useful to reflect on whether your proposed political representative
or governor has the capacity to fulfill your expectations.
The answer to
the above distress is self-evident. Politics is not popularity. Popularity can
be used to herd cows out of town or attract people to a social gathering. It is
next to useless when it comes to skills required to make good laws or
introducing and implementing policy that makes the people’s lives better. Before
we describe the kind of political leader you may be looking for we need to
appreciate that politics is not leadership and leadership is not politics.
Politics is a discipline like football, engineering or military science. Each
of these disciplines needs effective leadership to succeed in their respective endeavors.
While all leaders draw from a general pool of leadership theory, military
leaders must have an understanding of the chain of command, security and the
art of war. Political leaders must have a minimum understanding of representation,
governance and the rule of law.
Human resource
experts tell us that in order to identify a suitable person for a job, you need
to examine the job to understand its demands and dimensions before looking for
the kind of person to match its tasks. Successful leaders not only have the
will to succeed, but also have the skills necessary to succeed in following
through with the requirements of political office. For example, the skill of
debate is essential. If you cannot debate, your points will not cross the floor
of the house. However, to debate is not shouting, it is crafting and
articulating a logical argument with an astute amount of emotional intelligence
to convincingly communicate your core message on the collective way forward.
There are two sets of skills a political leader needs - politics and governance.
A political
leader clearly articulates and interprets the national dream. Political leaders
are charged with moving the nation from one level of glory to the next. They
must therefore be familiar with the nations aspirations and articulate the
dreams and wishes of the people in that context. This calls for an aptitude for
public service and stewardship of resources. Being a political leader is not a
job in a private company where the benefits are paid to the individual. In
public service, the benefits must pass on to the electorate. The astute
political leader must understand the principles of representation. The politician
carries forward the aspirations of the people and presents them in the august
house for resolution on behalf of the people. Like an ambassador who holds
brief on behalf of his home government, the politician is accountable to the
electorate who will judge his performance based on their expectations.
Governance requires
a thorough understanding and continuous development of technical competencies
to manage the execution of the political process. Examples can be drawn from
governors who have achieved above average value for their constituents. In all
cases these governors have a superior competence and understanding of the process
of governance, policy design, law making and community empowerment. These
governors are well versed in the mechanics of wealth creation, resources
management, economics and the rule of law. Politicians find it a popular
gimmick to tell a crowd that they will reduce taxes. But the governors tell the
people what they will do with the money they take from the public. Government
cannot run without tax. Good governors understand finances and develop sound
economic plans to utilize resources for the benefit of the people. Clearly governors
require an ethical personality, have a heavy public calling on their lives and
need to be not just astute leaders, but readers of documents, interpreters and
implementers of policy as custodians of national strategy and the peoples
dreams. If you want effective representation, then political skills may suffice
for your choice of a leader. However, if you want to see a change in your
circumstance and environment, then look for a leader who understands
governance.
Allan Bukusi is an adjunct lecturer teaching leadership
at Ashesi University, Ghana
The period preceding, and after, general elections in African countries is accompanied by a heightened sense of political excitement, social tension, personal insecurity and depressed economic activity. During these times citizens anxiously wonder, “What will happen this time round?”. While the voting season presents an opportunity to register a vote for social change, many people would wish that the season passes quickly so that they can get back to “normal” life. The big concerns are for peace, security, civility and hopefully the emergence of competent leadership after the ordeal. Curiously, not many citizens anticipate or even look forward to any real change in their lifestyle, yet the power to determine these very outcomes is given to each registered voter. Some people become so disappointed with previous election experiences that they vow never to vote again. Nonetheless, global statistics show that up to 25% of all eligible voters fail to cast their vote at the ballot box in a general election. Unfortunately, voter apathy in Africa casts a long, dark shadow of political uncertainty, social insecurity, civil unrest, poor governance and corrupt resource management in the aftermath of election outcomes. This post, summarized from the journal article WHY YOU MUST VOTE IN AN AFRICAN DEMOCRACY, outlines eight reasons why every eligible voter in Africa must cast their ballot in a general election.
First, Your vote is not
your own. It does not belong to you. It is held in trust. It is your
ethical duty to vote for the wellbeing of your family, under age children, the
sick, dying, ill-treated, uneducated and the disenfranchised in society as well
as for those who, for one reason or another, will not vote. Those with
interests in the country, but cannot vote, depend on you to vote wisely. The
generations that established the nation before you prayed that you would
realize the dreams they had for you. Similarly, they hoped that you too would
help shape the dreams of the generations that come after you. It is your
ethical responsibility to honor the trust bestowed upon you and
pass on a blessing to the next generation.
Second, Democracy does not
work by itself, it needs your vote to direct it. In 1948 The National Party
of South Africa was voted into government by a slim 31 seat majority in a 150-member
house. Before the election, the National Party’s apartheid agenda was derided
in the press locally and around the world. Everyone knew it was a bad idea and
"could not possibly work" in government. But that year the electorate
did not come out to vote for the good idea. So the National Party took power
and apartheid took root for nearly fifty years until Nelson Mandela was
released from prison. Democracy does not work by itself. It can pass bad ideas
into law. It needs your vote to make sure that good choices are made. Democracy
is not perfect, it needs your vote to perfect it.
Third, Voter apathy leads
to contested elections. The post-election violence in the 2007 general
election in Kenya resulted in the loss of over 1000 lives, the displacement of
thousands of others and the loss of property worth millions of dollars. The
contested vote was 0.16% of the ballots cast for the presidency. However, what
is not always fully appreciated is that 30% of the registered voters in that
election did not vote! The voice of the people would have been much
clearer if the apathetic 30% had cast their ballot and saved the country
immeasurable loss!
Fourth, The vote gives voice
to the minority and the marginalized. In 2006 the people of Liberia voted
in Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the first woman president in Africa in modern
times. Four years earlier, Leymah Gbowee and others, tired of years of civil
war in their country, mobilized the women vote in the markets, churches,
mosques and homes to put an end to the violence. They added their voice to the
national debate in the name of peace for their nation and prosperity for their
children. If you do not vote, your voice is irrelevant in national affairs.
Fifth, In a democracy, the people hold political leaders and government officials to account for their actions. This privilege is not offered in dictatorships, autocratic forms of government and military rule. A 100% voter turnout gives full voice to the mosaic expression of the will of the people, their needs, their representation and what they expect of government. If you don't vote, elected leaders are free to make assumptions about what you want and how you want to be ruled. If you don’t vote, you still come under the same rule, but do not really have anything to complain about.
Sixth, There is a lie that
is pedaled by well-meaning unschooled leaders and sly politicians alike that says, “politics
does not put food on your table”. The consumers of this lie see no need to
vote or engage in the democratic process of selecting suitable leadership for
society. However, politics determines whether 1) you have the opportunity to
look for food, 2) enjoy the security to eat it, and 3) have the freedom to own
a table. Ignorance of the power a vote places in the hands of voters to
determine their future has led to the loss of personal freedoms in weak democracies. It behooves
each of us to use our votes wisely to choose leaders who will guard our
democratic freedoms?
Seven, Religion in Africa is
big! There is a myth that religion and politics are separate. However, both have an
important role in the welfare and maintenance of the state and accountability
of government. While some might argue that religion is a personal and private affair,
members of religious communities have a critical role to play in the identification,
selection and election of values oriented leaders for society. Denying society the
vote of your virtuous wisdom, is to endure the trials of pedestrian deception.
Eight, If the world is
ruled by mankind, should not men and women determine who should rule? In
this matter there are only two options; the vote or violence. Much violence and
civil disorder addressed by the United Nations in African countries, has been
resolved by the restoration of the vote. There is no need to lose something to
know the pain of retrieving it. If that be so, then it is both urgent and
important that you vote to improve the state of your nation and shape the development of
democracy in Africa for the benefit of generations to come.
Allan Bukusi is an adjunct lecturer
teaching leadership at Ashesi University in Ghana.
Thank you, President Uhuru Kenyatta,
Mr. President, I know you have
your own ideas about your Big Five Agenda, but to evaluate your legacy we
must look beyond building projects. We must look at the anchors you have prioritized that
will aid the establishment of the nation for generations to come. Now that you
have been counted as one amongst the Shepherds of Africa, we must assess your
global accomplishments.
First, you have
held the nation together – Thank you. You took over following a period of more
than a decade of great division among the people of Kenya. Social scientists, in future, may consider that time to be an extended period of civil strife where the nation
seemed to be at war with itself. But you reached out and shook hands quickly with
other leaders. You have been keen to work with all patriots in the interest of
the people.
Second, you successfully
managed a difficult transition- Thank you. Many may have forgotten that the implementation
of the 2010 constitution (a journey that began in 2000) with all of its complexities took place under your watch.
Your delicate arithmetic of allocating national resources, sharing power and distributing
authority have been unprecedented in Africa. You have overseen the shift from
centralized authoritarian leadership to a formulation of a servant leader model
that demanded you listened to the will of the people. You have shared power and
responsibility accordingly with governors and other accounting officers.
Thankyou
Third, you have built
on the shoulders of giants and thus you too have become a giant. Vision 2030
was not your dream, but as a good steward you have accelerated the dreams of
the people, in spite of their political, tribal or geographic affiliation, with
huge foundation programs similar to the laying of the railway by the British across
the country more than 150 years ago. You have thus opened up the country to the massive
opportunity of unlocked potential hidden in remote corners of the country while
multiplying entrepreneurial zeal in urban areas. Thank you
Fourth Mr.
President, you have fought COVID-19 in a practical and pragmatic manner. Thank you. The
global scourge spared no nation and perhaps has robbed you three years of what
you had planned for your presidency. You were on the frontline shoring up human
losses, economic fallout and institutional collateral damage. I don’t know the full cost of the
vaccines or of the lockdowns to the economy, but it surely is a lot of money. If
the reports by the CBK on economic performance during this time are true, then you,
your government, army of doctors and economic generals have spared us much greater
suffering. As you have said repeatedly – one life lost is one life too many.
Fifth Mr.
President you have advanced the country to global middle income economic status.
Thank you. The face of taxation has advanced from a mean spirited antagonistic
approach collecting money from the citizens to a more humane face. While we are
not out of the woods in this area, you cannot make our country rich by taxing poor
people. However, if the government facilitates enterprise and wealth creation,
not only will the country become richer, but the country will receive more tax
to support the services that generate wealth.
In my estimation
Sir, this is your BIG FIVE legacy. You are handing over a nation in a more
advanced position than you found it. Finally, Mr. President, not all of us can
be president, you are far from perfect, but I challenge you to show me a
perfect human and perhaps we should replace you with him or her. However, the amazing
thing is that with the level of human imperfection that we all have, God has
granted that history record these things about your rule. It is an honor to say Thank you!
