Month: April 2019

I have been accused of being an Idealist whose views at times are divorced from the reality of living in the village. Whether that is true or not, this time karma has come to my rescue. Human activities have significantly affected the environment and The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) must take expedient measures to curb this catastrophe. First, it started with an obvious observation when I was in my home village in Nandi county, wetlands have been completely drained to the bottom rock.  It is April and there is no significant difference between The North Eastern part of Kenya and Nandi county- the rivers, the wells, and the springs have or are drying up. There is an all-season swamp between Tulon and Kilibwoni, 15 years ago it was a no-go zone for unaccompanied children under the age of thirteen. Today, even with prolonged rains, the swamps cannot hold any water because of human activities which include farming and the planting of exotic trees that have altered the ecosystem.

The people are in a state of amnesia complaining of problems they have inflicted upon themselves for the love of money. When you say there is no water and you are cutting down all the ‘Lamaonik’ and replacing with the Eucalyptus, what do you expect? That is like sticking a knife on your toe and running around asking why you’re bleeding. I have argued before that nativity is key in conserving the environment- what is native to a place plays a key role in balancing that ecosystem. People are becoming so myopic and several species are disappearing without any worry. We used to share the swamps with the hare, Dik dik and ‘Mengitab bek’, and most of these species have been pushed to unknown places. The mosquitos are at your kitchen looking for water. Who is next?

Last year, NEMA issued an ultimatum (I fully supported) that all Eucalyptus trees in wetlands and other water catchment areas must be cut down before January 2019. It was a bitter pill to swallow; people were up in arms to defend their nefarious acts.  My attempts to persuade them to see the big picture failed. I was told that I did not understand Kenya well to give any advice concerning the matter. People defend their acts in terms of ‘why wait’ until we have planted trees and then come and ask us to cut them. There were many court cases brought against NEMA by mostly the rich people, yet the same organization is currently being blamed for prolonged drought.  It seems that in their own sense, they have heeded the former member of Parliament from the South rift that rain comes from the sky and not from trees. Other arguments in defense of this ignorant endeavor are that it is my land and I have a right to do what I want. Others choose to take the political approach: that the economy has left them with no choices other than to hug the slow death of environmental degradation. No one can point to specific marginal returns that have been accrued from choosing these alternatives.

Environment justice is urgent, and 2022 politics can wait or else all will be lost at once. Immediate measures must be put in place now and be enforced with the full force of the law or else hell will break loose.  It won’t be the famine of Cherengendet or Mog’eek or Kimeut Sigiriet, but an Armageddon.

Is there a possibility that President Uhuru Kenyatta was putting out one of his new tactics. Perhaps he was or that he may not have been: I am not a futurist and therefore I will not claim that this time he will spice his word with some action. What I can only argue is that from previous experience he has been employing some sort of an emperor style of governance in Kenya. It is not an Emperor style in the traditional sense but in its application and the intended outcomes.  What does an emperor do? Exactly as Uhuru Kenyatta is doing, come out strong on some idea and let the media spin it and sooner the people will be busy arguing and tearing themselves apart with speculations. Milton Cooper known American Conspiracy theorist in a TV interview argued that the Emperor doesn’t like to be questioned instead, he pre-occupies the people with some activity- so that they lose the ability to think and question. Keep the idiots pre-occupied, with some meaningless activity or conversation as they enriched themselves. Uhuru doesn’t want to admit Corruption in his Government nor his new political outfit with NASA nor pre-dynastic alignment or the starvation instead he feeds the masses with a dogma that we can debate for a few months.

Unlike the Roman Circus, where the emperor created some meaningless activities, for instance, sports to pre-occupy the masses, Uhuru is engaged in the creation of meaningless Ideologies that have put the society in Silos that do not communicate. First, it started with the BIG FOUR agenda, a few people within the circle understood this as campaign rhetoric. Ironically, health and Food security, the key elements in the BIG FOUR, have been massively affected by Government policies. Some of the major scandals revolve around Maize farmers, water and Milk production. In the inner cycle, the rumor is out that there are policy changes that are being debated and are aimed at monopolizing the milk industry leaving the farmers at the mercy of the giant corporations.

Secondly, the War on Corruption is one of the magical creations of the president with no meaningful outcome. It is pretty in its outfit, but toothless in its functional mode. Scrutiny indicates that this is another of Uhuru’s tactics, it is just there to occupy space in speeches and to give the masses an illusion that something is going to be done. However, it has become a good political tool, especially when it affects a political opponent.  Corruption in Kenya as I have stated before in my writings is not the biggest problem. The enemy of Development in Kenya is pre-campaign or pre-employment fraternities- political parties or campaigns are launches with illegal agreements that renders members untouchable when they attain power. These agreements guarantee individual contributions to parties with the assurance of a better return in the future. These agreements cross the borders and multinational corporations buy political parties so that they become insulated from national scrutiny. Take for instance the SGR, the process had to happen seemingly because it was in the Jubilee internal memo.

Thirdly, is the Handshake- what is it all about this handshake? It comes when real questions are being asked for instance Maize scandal. What does the handshake do? It divides the country and re-ignites the political fire and the society are again destructed from facing the real problems and asking timely questions. The list is endless, the latest is the Huduma number which is a mere distraction from the real problems that are affecting Kenyans. Rampant starvation and woes of the farmers in the North Rift are real and timely, however, the media is spinning around the idea of Huduma numbers and slowly pushing people to engage in this meaningless activities they do not understand.

This trend in Kenyan politics is new and it is quite a scary twist, every meaningful activity must undergo a political test. Take for instance hunger and starvation, before any measure is taken politicians must ask themselves if it does pay or is it good for my PR or the PR of my opponents.

N/B: My opinions subject to debate.

 

 

Some hypothesis has been postulated concerning Kenyan athletes and their competitiveness in distance running. Some conclusion suggests genetic predispositions, others have pointed to anatomical advantage, others have adduced the talent to Climate and terrain. There also those who have correlated their success to certain push factors for instance poverty. In this writing, I wish not to refute or counter these assumptions, but to secure another area of possibility. There is a body of knowledge that has been tested over the years and passed from generation to generation concerning running and training. I presume it didn’t begin in the 1960s, but it is in this time frame that most African nations gain independence and were accepted to squarely compete with the world. Over this period, they have invested in the evidence-based running- what works best is passed to the next generation.
This body of knowledge – the derivatives of the term ‘master Tactician’ often used to refer to Kipchoge is vital in any training platoon. It is the understanding that training and competition have esoteric characteristics and most of the times they are not fungible- the input doesn’t always translate to the outcome. First, I will comment on training and secondly, I discuss the parts of a race as understood by the athletes. I was one of them and therefore I deserve a page to share my understanding. In every organized training camp or group, there are four different types of runners: Spoiler, Novice, experienced and Expert. The spoiler is the ‘mad’ man in every market, everyone knows he is there, and he doesn’t follow any rules and never gets anywhere. In any competition, he tries out in any event and always takes the first lead at the start for camera purposes.
Secondly, is the novice athlete who is very serious about his or her career and has some talent but does not have any experience in training. He is the most obedient athlete who follows every rule and adheres to the schedule and timelines. He never leads until he is commanded by the experienced to take the lead. The experienced group is the majority and they have a duty to emphasize the coaching plan. The experts are part of the experience group; however, they have engaged in the highest level of competition for instance Olympics or city Marathons and they have posted remarkable times. They are the resource pool to the group and are often in the middle of the pact, and strictly follow the workout.
The rules of the game are to stick to the plan, the clock and never to engage meaningless talk. Over time, they train themselves to be able to connect running to the soul, the mind and spirit. They will be able to understand the pace and distance without looking at the watch or being told. They will run 400 M repeats- twenty times at 68 seconds without necessarily looking at their watches. They also emphasize certain behaviors common among competitors and the appropriate response i.e. should anyone dashing out be chased? They must learn to deal with some kind of “Prisoners Dilemma” as it pertains to running. Should we trust each other and assist one another for the Gold, or should I go for the gold personally?
Thirdly, in any serious training group, the purpose is always geared towards the prize in any given race. To get the prize, it implies an understanding of race dynamics. First, is to peruse through the media for information on all the upcoming races in the world and to prepare in accordance. What is important is the attendance and who is the competitor in a race. Once they have that in place, they begin to work on the three parts of the race: take off, altitude and landing. Take off involves putting yourself in the proper place in the race, it is often very fast and in some rare cases slower. The key here is to be able to see your competitors and to avoid being locked behind the herd or at worst chasing after the spoilers. Secondly, is the altitude-the race settles at a certain pace for a longer period. Many at this stage succumb to natural selection if you cannot endure the pace or you have used a lot of energy unnecessarily you pay the price. Suspicion is so high that any simple ejection triggers a response, one must be careful about the remaining distance and the pace and whether it is sustainable.
Finally, is to land- it isn’t about slowing down- it is running for your money. At this time there is no winner, whoever is left with anything goes for the prize. Careless moves often lead to misery and subsequent falls and the water is spilled at the doorstep.

In summary, Kenyan athletes have certain evidence-based practices that they have incorporated into their training ethics. Most of these practices have not been captured in the big screen and I have taken the initiative to point out other key areas worth investigating.
N/B: I had not much to offer to the Kenyan Athletics, Even though I graduated with a distinction from Chemai-Sewage Academy of Running.