TURKANA FUTURE; SAD AS ITS' PAST...

 In Francis Imbugas 1976 play, Betrayal in the City, the Kenyan playwright and literature scholar describes life in the fictitious, dystopian, post-colonial state of Kafira. One of the characters, a university don jailed for speaking his mind: "We have killed our past and are busy killing our future".

As I write this, Turkana community is descending into abyss of despair and despondency. The so-called schooled sons and daughters of its soil have worsened it's hopelessness. In some not distant past, I have had an opportunity to move into remote corners of Turkana County especially the pastoral kraals. Apart from the usual observations about lack of this and this, there was clear evidence  (at least from the actions, talks and thoughts of these people)  that they are wiser than those we traditionally consider to be learned, informed and with that golden chance of residing around towns  places believed to be sources of information, power and government largess.

This observation was a case in point about mischaracterization of people living in kraals, and with little or no formal education to brag about. However, as I travelled back to the county's urban, one poignant question kept revolving in my mind; who is responsible for the downfall of Turkana? This is why I write this article today.

It's well predictable that Turkana past and its present is littered with ugly marks of history and now inhumaneness of its elites towards its progress. A lot of wrong things have/are happening in its governance but the cowardice of the schooled elites to speak out has kept this vices recurring. Year in year out, you would hear cases of misappropriation of County funds, misrule, banditry, hunger, biting drought, locust among others but not even a single day you would see a Turkana elite saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH; WE NEED THIS BE RECTIFIED. 

This reminds me of the words of Prof Paulo Freire in his book; THE PEDAGOGY OF THE OPPRESSED; that those to be liberated should be the initiators of their own liberation. But in this case, my words would be as that of university don (Mosese) formerly Nicodemus in Imbuga's play. I'm shocked by the laxity and carelessness of Turkana elites towards its transformation. Most of the moments you would see them arguing in the social media platforms about who takes next after the current political leadership and everyone would stand tall to defend his/her choice; VERY BIG SHAME except for West and Europe football which not a day pass by without them saying something about. But not a single day would they speak about their societal progress and what it takes to achieve; SHAME.

Nevertheless, the existence and decision by the remote nomads is something that elites and the leadership won't give consideration vis-à-vis transformation. Those directly affected by this governance (Turkana nomadic pastoralist) are deprived of information and non-involvement in decision making. Their suffering have been used against them by the profiteers without their consent. Why? Simply because the schooled elites consider themselves smarter than the unschooled ones. For your information, I'm still flabbergasted by something; 

That a people can crisscross hot, barren terrains for eons and still survive to tell their stories says something incredible about their smartness. It is this smartness that must accompany any move to spread education and developmental transformation in their milieus. That their voices and ideas be given fresh air to gain life. Honoring their wit, imagination and concepts that will suit their model. This will model developments that would hinder culture extinction.

For instance, Lets first remind ourselves of some ignored facts. Turkana is poor yes, but its resource basket is NOT empty. It is full. The so called 'influential' sons and daughters of the soil are principally hollow and have no plan for the masses.

For your information, my encounters with members of these far-flung kraals have revealed to me that influence, according to them, is never about wealth. It is about being schooled. Though uneducated, they value education to the core. They know there is something juicy in this thing called school, and that is why they won't, and can't allow anyone to dilute it.

But therein lies the real problem. Their love for education has been used against them. Their absolute respect for the schooled has been turned against them. Their understanding of progress as having roots in education has been deployed not to further their collective interests but to bolster individual prospects.

This ‘cancer’ survives in different forms. The first and the most deadly one is based on the notion that 'development ideas' must always emanate from 'professionals'. In short, a collaborative framework that must link the masses and these professionals is of no use. The people are only but recipients of these 'development ideas', their voices notwithstanding.

Then there is this poisonous philosophy that is evident in almost all NGOs operating in Turkana. The local population has been led to believe that 'to be helped means not to question the helpers'. This is what I mean: my people in kraals tell me that the 'free health services, education, food, money et al' belongs not to them but to those who use their names to source for the aid. They tell me this is what they have been told, and that which they believe is true.

What is absent in these exchanges is the very undisputable fact that this 'aid' appears only because those to be helped exist somewhere.

Which takes us to another level: why are these aid recipients sidelined when it comes to questioning the inadequacies of those purporting to help them? I smell something fishy here. The few schooled guys over there have their own mission. They see a robust social mass as an enemy. And this is why they find it 'anti-development' to inform the people that those NGO billions are there because someone used their names to source for them.

So, why should I be optimistic that things will be positive when this same reasoning has found its way into the Turkana County Government?

Now, back to Turkana redemption. I still hold the view that schooled Turkanas have no 'inherent right' to be respected and to be praised by the unschooled majority out there. I reject this practice that villagers should salute me every morning just because I happened to have gone to school. Respect, like good health, must accrue from many years of sacrifice. I must prove that I deserve to be respected!

This is not to generally condemn all schooled folks in Turkana. I know there are those few who stick to what is right. But there is that huge crowd that must be redeemed first. Especially, the ones that are attached to politicians in order to secure their personal interest; those are the worst. They are the ones blocking Turkana redemption from materializing. 

Imbugas play has an ignominious character who uses his closeness to the supreme leader to secure corrupt advantages and to sell out his country mates. At the end of the play, Mulilis duplicity is laid bare and he is executed, signifying the passing of the oppressive order and the birth of new hope. Similarly, Turkana community elites needs to get out of Turkana way so they can get down to the business of saving Turkana future.