By Wanderi wa Kamau
FALLACIOUS ATTACKS TO MIGUNA BOOK AN INDICATION OF ITS IMPACT TO KENYA'S
POLITICAL SCENARIO
Reading Miguna Miguna's reply to what he calls 'Raila's groupies and KANU orphans'(The Star 31st July),I was left with a lot of questions as well as innumerable makings of this man.Firstly,Miguna is a jurisprudence pundit who argues factually.His arguments revolves around sound ,concrete and substantiated evidences;not fallacious theories,as his critics would like us to believe.
Ngunjiri Wambugu was the first one to hurl a salvo at demonizing Miguna's personality,terming him as 'narcisstic'.In almost his entire colunm,Wambugu tried to present validities that would have driven us to believe that Miguna is indeed a man who suffers from a psychological incapacitation.To Wambugu and his ilk I present this question:If Miguna was then psychotic,as he proposed,would his intelligently written book be a subject of national discussion?Would he be a responsible man,handling a family as a father?Many other questions and doubts would follow,but real opinion writing calls for rhetorical modicum as well as sense of decorum.
Miguna's seething fury is primarily driven by what he found at the OPM.He has constantly emphasized that he never thought a man he thought one of Kenya's best sons and political heroes was sorrounded by masters and kingpins of corrupt deals,scandals and mega-scandals.True to his argument,isn't is true that the PM was reluctant to sack Water and Irrigation Minioster Charity Ngilu and recently Medical Services minister Anyang' Nyong'o over the NHIF scam?Why did the premier hury to demote and eventually sack Eldoret North MP William Ruto from his Agriculture Ministry docket?Isn't this a clear sdemonstration of double standards? Does posing such a question qualify one as a mental attendee?
On the other hand,Prof Makau Mutua termed Miguna's book as a 'cheap piece' which scores a mere 'D' to the reader(Sunday Nation,29th July).Mutua went on to state that 'people should not write cheap books' to settle their scores.Miguna responded by correcting Mutua that his was not an 'academic' book but mere political memoirs.Its true that any type of memoirs do not have any academic referencing.As a person who found his way to the corridors of Kenya's mainstream politics,Miguna incorporated his observations in his stint as the PM's seniormost political advisor,and a member of his political think tank(s).A participation of such critical strategies involves reliance on other strategies that were used elsewhere in various political systems in the world.This calls for the adoption of use of detailed political ideologies and applying them in the Kenyan context.
Having an interaction of such knowledge,Miguna developed his principles, which he believed would best suit the cleansing of our polar and volatile political system.At our disposal,we have some renown works that suit Miguna's Peeling Back The Mask such as Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's Not Yet Uhuru,JM Kariuki's A Mau Mau Detainee,Wanyiri Kihoro's Never Say Die:The Chronicles of A Political Prisoner among others.These works recapture the respective author's presonal life and struggles as well as highlighting their believes in ideologies which they thought that were best suited to redeem our country from the manacles of one-party rule totalitariasnism as well as perpetual economic stagnation,as highlighted in Oginga's Not Yet Uhuru,who championed for the adoption of communism,as Julius Nyerere had done in Tanzania.Kariuki's work demonstrates the suffreings of Mau Mau freedom fighters in colonial camps and their eventual betrayal by the Kenyatta regime,as powerful political figureheads ganged up to grab large tracts of land meant for these poor freedom fighters.Up to now,they are still fighting for their rights,courtesy of the ongoing case at London.Thousands of others are squattres in various parts of the country.
Other frivolous and half-baked attack says that Miguna wrote the book in a hurry.I wish to state that not only did he delay the production of the book,but also could have added more contents.During its launch,Miguna non-hesitantly asserted that he could be writting two more books.Having the facts at his disposal,did he have to consult other publications to authenticate his message which he already had?The publishing of the book was timely,in ordrer to put to weigh,the effectiveness of our predidential aspirants.Peeling Back the Mask gives an untold accuracy of exact dates,days and the time that events happened.What else could have been 'researched' as the critics poses?
Summarily,I do not wish to underscore the popularity of Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a doyen of Kenya's multiparty politics.Budalangi legislator,Ababu Namwamba,once wrote that Kenya's politics are driven by two waves:Railamania and Railaphobia.This is very true,for a critical observer.For instance,in 2002 the PM's slogan of Kibaki Tosha is the one that changed the whole course of the presidential polls.In 2005's referundum,the PM was the central figure in determining the vote outcome-his NO side won by a landslide.In 2007's poll,Railamania was one of the two competing factions.And now,its all about the two manias.The PM will remain a legend of Kenyan politics,just as his late father.
Conclusively,lets uphold sobriety when debating national issues.
FALLACIOUS ATTACKS TO MIGUNA BOOK AN INDICATION OF ITS IMPACT TO KENYA'S
POLITICAL SCENARIO
Reading Miguna Miguna's reply to what he calls 'Raila's groupies and KANU orphans'(The Star 31st July),I was left with a lot of questions as well as innumerable makings of this man.Firstly,Miguna is a jurisprudence pundit who argues factually.His arguments revolves around sound ,concrete and substantiated evidences;not fallacious theories,as his critics would like us to believe.
Ngunjiri Wambugu was the first one to hurl a salvo at demonizing Miguna's personality,terming him as 'narcisstic'.In almost his entire colunm,Wambugu tried to present validities that would have driven us to believe that Miguna is indeed a man who suffers from a psychological incapacitation.To Wambugu and his ilk I present this question:If Miguna was then psychotic,as he proposed,would his intelligently written book be a subject of national discussion?Would he be a responsible man,handling a family as a father?Many other questions and doubts would follow,but real opinion writing calls for rhetorical modicum as well as sense of decorum.
Miguna's seething fury is primarily driven by what he found at the OPM.He has constantly emphasized that he never thought a man he thought one of Kenya's best sons and political heroes was sorrounded by masters and kingpins of corrupt deals,scandals and mega-scandals.True to his argument,isn't is true that the PM was reluctant to sack Water and Irrigation Minioster Charity Ngilu and recently Medical Services minister Anyang' Nyong'o over the NHIF scam?Why did the premier hury to demote and eventually sack Eldoret North MP William Ruto from his Agriculture Ministry docket?Isn't this a clear sdemonstration of double standards? Does posing such a question qualify one as a mental attendee?
On the other hand,Prof Makau Mutua termed Miguna's book as a 'cheap piece' which scores a mere 'D' to the reader(Sunday Nation,29th July).Mutua went on to state that 'people should not write cheap books' to settle their scores.Miguna responded by correcting Mutua that his was not an 'academic' book but mere political memoirs.Its true that any type of memoirs do not have any academic referencing.As a person who found his way to the corridors of Kenya's mainstream politics,Miguna incorporated his observations in his stint as the PM's seniormost political advisor,and a member of his political think tank(s).A participation of such critical strategies involves reliance on other strategies that were used elsewhere in various political systems in the world.This calls for the adoption of use of detailed political ideologies and applying them in the Kenyan context.
Having an interaction of such knowledge,Miguna developed his principles, which he believed would best suit the cleansing of our polar and volatile political system.At our disposal,we have some renown works that suit Miguna's Peeling Back The Mask such as Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's Not Yet Uhuru,JM Kariuki's A Mau Mau Detainee,Wanyiri Kihoro's Never Say Die:The Chronicles of A Political Prisoner among others.These works recapture the respective author's presonal life and struggles as well as highlighting their believes in ideologies which they thought that were best suited to redeem our country from the manacles of one-party rule totalitariasnism as well as perpetual economic stagnation,as highlighted in Oginga's Not Yet Uhuru,who championed for the adoption of communism,as Julius Nyerere had done in Tanzania.Kariuki's work demonstrates the suffreings of Mau Mau freedom fighters in colonial camps and their eventual betrayal by the Kenyatta regime,as powerful political figureheads ganged up to grab large tracts of land meant for these poor freedom fighters.Up to now,they are still fighting for their rights,courtesy of the ongoing case at London.Thousands of others are squattres in various parts of the country.
Other frivolous and half-baked attack says that Miguna wrote the book in a hurry.I wish to state that not only did he delay the production of the book,but also could have added more contents.During its launch,Miguna non-hesitantly asserted that he could be writting two more books.Having the facts at his disposal,did he have to consult other publications to authenticate his message which he already had?The publishing of the book was timely,in ordrer to put to weigh,the effectiveness of our predidential aspirants.Peeling Back the Mask gives an untold accuracy of exact dates,days and the time that events happened.What else could have been 'researched' as the critics poses?
Summarily,I do not wish to underscore the popularity of Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a doyen of Kenya's multiparty politics.Budalangi legislator,Ababu Namwamba,once wrote that Kenya's politics are driven by two waves:Railamania and Railaphobia.This is very true,for a critical observer.For instance,in 2002 the PM's slogan of Kibaki Tosha is the one that changed the whole course of the presidential polls.In 2005's referundum,the PM was the central figure in determining the vote outcome-his NO side won by a landslide.In 2007's poll,Railamania was one of the two competing factions.And now,its all about the two manias.The PM will remain a legend of Kenyan politics,just as his late father.
Conclusively,lets uphold sobriety when debating national issues.
