We can at last write beautiful pages.
Kenyans have shown their resilience, their true faces as being people who can agree to disagree.President Kibaki and PM designate, Raila Odinga have shown some statemanship, albeit with the help of Koffi Annan, Former UN secretary General.
At Last, we have passed the National Truth and Reconciliation bills in the parliament and we can finally say, we are living in peace and not in pieces.Alfred Mutua's, I am proud to be a Kenyan makes sense such a time.
I have heard some "strange" conference coming up for discussion being named, Kenya's National Ethnic Conference where different Ethnic groups of Kenya will come together and discuss how to live with each other harmoniously, without resorting to Pangas and matchetes.
Kenya constitutes 42 main tribes which co-exist.Each tribe lives in a communal ancestral lands that dates to time-immemorial.The other day, I was reading an article from my freind, Kumekucha which didn't satisfy me, and as a Kenyan Somali, think needs some interpretation.
My freind mentioned, although from "unique" sources that Kenya somalis are 2% of the population while some others believe that we are less than 1%.
Facts are known that, Kenya somalis are nomadic people who like Masaais who wonder between Kenya and Tanzania.Somalis of Kenya share the same border with Somalia and thus nomadic people interact while moving from Kenya to Somalia.
Kenya's official census are carried after 10 years although they are "normally" rigged as someone just said, Some communities are made to appear more than others so that when the "National cake" is subdivided, they get more shares.Government resources tend to favour some regions more than others due to population figures the Government agencies "cook" just like the previous 2007 December elections.
A 2% margin is not justifiable to represent Kenyan Somalis unless your are working with a 1979 census which was also rigged.
From statistics on the ground, based on those who have ID cards, Passports and businesses, Kenya somalis are past 3 million persons, almost half of Gikuyus.How can a sane person then say 3 million people represent a 2% population margin.
You need to know that Somalis are Muslims and many rich Somalis are allowed to marry more than one wife.Suppose there are 100,000 Kenyan Somalis with 2/3 wives each, What is the probability that, they may not have 2/3 kids with each wife and for over 20-30 Years period, The figures to run into millions.
There are also perceived notions that Boranas and people from Marsabit/Moyale are Somalis, which is normally described in the media, as North Eastern Province.Although, Isiolo was previously regarded as the Centre of Kenyan Somalis, The town is now subdivided between Somalis, Boranas, Meru and Some Samburu/Turkanas after infiltration of the same some 10 years ago.
Some people don't know that Kenyan Somalis, Just like Kenya Massais wonder between two countries.The Massais of Kenya wonder between Kenya/Tanzania, While Kenya Somalis wonder betweeen Kenya/Somalia.
As the Kenya's Ethnic conference is being organized, Kenya Somalis are required to make sure, their rights to the national cake is not watered and demand to be considered for more cabinet posts than the normal 2 ministerial Posts( One from ODM, another from PNU). We need to be considered for other resources like Government Employment, infrastructure, Schools, Health faclities and so on.
For starters, There is a difference between Somali and Somalia.Somali is a tribe, Somalia is the country of Somali, Somalis. For example, to say The Current Kenya's Defence Minister, Yusuf Hajji, a kenyan from North Eastern as being from Somalia is out of context.He is a Kenyan Somali just like Gikuyus, Luhyas and Luos.
Let us see you in the Ethnic conference.
