STAYING AWAKE IN THE TAIL-END OF THE STRUGGLE

The darkest moment of the night is the hour just before the dawn of the new day. During delivery of a newborn the most painful labor is when the baby is between the pelvis bones just a few inches before the emergence of the foetus. Before every calm is a very majestic storm. Before the salvation of all mankind Jesus wept and his sweat turned into blood. Before the rebirth of the nation of Israel, preceded the great Diaspora and Zion travailed. I therefore say that at the tail-end of anything is the hour and moment we can’t afford to squander by sleeping but to stay awake as we realize the fruits of the long walk of struggles. We can’t afford to put our hands on the wheel and as the engine runs then again look back, NO, not at all because we will cause accident. My friends today I want make this address from the topic; Staying Awake In The Tail-End Of The Struggle.

Look back my friends and praise Him (God) for we have won many a struggle. The will of the people have just prevailed at the County Council of Olkejuado during the controversial corruption meted against the re-election of the council’s chair Tarayia ole Kores. The usual forces of Kajiado North who has turned the courts into safehouses for perpetuating theft and defeating the peoples’ will suffered a rude shock when defeat was miraculously slammed on their faces. This is the same old idea-d politician who behave like a rocking chair to keep us busy but take us nowhere. But like a fallen king anything he does has almost naturally become designed not to work. In the beginning of this year we as a people stamped our foot on the ground to reject the engulfment of Kajiado into the Nairobi Metropolitan Region. Whereas this was a cabinet decision with the President’s own seal and signet we beat them both hands down because the will of the people was resolute. Today I can encourage you that in the Harmonized Draft Constitution the regions has been entrenched and Kajiado is now far from Nairobi, at least in law. Our struggle on the land rights front has gone a notch higher on the signing by the Minister for Lands Hon. James A. Orengo of the Kitengela/Isinya/Kipeto Land Use Master Plan (LUMP). Incase you don’t know what this means; subdivision of land is now capped at 60 acres in the near triangles and 80 acres in the far triangles. Friends this is historic because the mushrooming of unplanned settlements and the uneconomic subdivision of the rangelands will be stemmed and pressure on land checked at least for the next 20 years. Ekijo doi pee ebulu ilopeny enkop, neinepu sii ninche nkera ang inkulie ooloreren, nemeaku ilorook-kutukie eishoo Enkai endaa enye nabanji (it’s an affirmative action to allow our children to grow to be at par with the other children of Kenya and that they are not turned into paupers when God has endowed them with such a great sea of wealth and prosperity). We intent to roll out this LUMP in the entire Greater Kajiado district. Kudos to the Kajiado Community Task force ably chaired by David ole Nkedianye and I serving as its secretary for spearheading the LUMP formulation process.

My knowledge might be limited only to the happenings in Kajiado, but am sure our brothers & sisters from Kilgoris, Narok, Baringo, Laikipia, Samburu & Marsabit have very heartening stories to share. It’s in this year that we formed what I call a very robust internet movement where we have been sharing and debating on issues that are pertinent to us as a people. Guys can’t you see how this small, daring and creative initiative is snowballing into an indomitable force that will ultimately culminate into a full and final liberation of the Maa communities? Oh Lord open our eyes to see the things that are hid in your word!

At the tail-end is not the time to slacken but this is the time to up the struggle. And for our brothers and sisters in the diasporas we urge you to forge a stronger commitment and participation in what goes on here. Can we feel your support? This is not because we want to beg (we never do that, for we never lobby around peoples resources, neither do we owe any man dead or alive) but because we are counting on you as comrades in this struggle. We must match our desires with strong actions and commitments.

Martin Luther King Jr. put it more vividly in this text; “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy, now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to end the long and desolate night of slumism. Now is the time to have a confrontation between the forces resisting change and the forces demanding change. Now is the time to let justice roll down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.” (Quoted from I Have A Dream speech).

As we come to the close of this year and as we, with hope and optimism toasted with great faith launch into the year 2010, can we do it in style? This I mean, can we resolve and agree that the baby we have all along hoped to bear is at hand between the pelvis bones. Can we be more innovative, more committed, more in faith, seeing the risks that we expose ourselves to including the writing of this email, as just but small prices to pay. Can we pay many more of these prices! Can we unite the Maa people of Kenya for united we stand divided we fall! Can we refuse to be stopped mid-stream when our faith and effort points that we are just but a breath away to bring home the bacon. May God bless you, God bless the Maasai, and may God bless KENYA.

I love you, God loves you much more even as you Stay Awake In The Tail-End of This Struggle.

PHILLIP S. WUANTAI

CONVENOR/ASSOCIATION OF MAA ACADEMICS

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