Greetings from the son of your daughter bukhocha. I always
begin by thanking you for giving my father a wife and giving me a mother! Here
in Gusiiland, daughter has found plenty and we, the children of your daughter
will inherit the priceless Gusii culture. However, we must not forget where our
mother came from just because we stay in the land of the man who married your
daughter. I believe my uncles are capable. The best orator in Kenya’s rich
political history was my uncle-but do I say.
ImbolamsianiKijanaWamalwa. A
formidable fighter and invincible like the lion of Ford-Kenya which he wrestled
from RailaOdinga upon Jaramogi’s death. In 2002, my uncle founded a formidable
anti-Moi Alliance, National Alliance of Kenya together with Kibaki the husband
of Lucy and Ngilu. The alliance was too powerful that Raila had to join it to
form NARC. Wamalwa’s force was the force of my uncle’s. Who ever gave developed
a phrase against Moi so memorable than ‘The Nyayo era was a great Error’? Who
but my Khocha? I was proud of my uncles then as I want to be now. The
vice-presidency was just a breath away from leading the country and statistics
show that since 2002 three out of five of vice/deputy presidents have been
Luhyia-my uncles. 3 out of 5! Do you know why you dominated the
vice-presidency, you were the lions of Kenya who had the potential to take
anything political if organized. Look not at census my uncles, people will lie
that you are second or even third because they don’t want you to have the
knowledge of your numbers. Khocha, there have been post-election violence in
this country but pin-point to me one tribe that has ever been anti-Luhyia? Just
one! You will find none.
Whether you look in the direction of the lake or
mountain, you are always in harmony with the whole country-no wonder my mother
taught me to greet my uncles…’Mulembe or Mulembemwesi’ depending on the number.
Peace is our greetings. Thank you such a rich inheritance. Khocha, your
daughter gave my father and his people just four kids and the numbers of my
father’s people are still small though we are soon hitting 1million voters. I
know you are brave. August of every even year-…2008,2010,2012,2014, coward men
must run from your land. A knife scares them away when you face it without
pain-relievers when ‘Mulongo’ you sing. That is bravery. Only when I visit my
khochas do I beheld the miracle of bull-fighting, cock fighting and how we call
and catch the termites-khulangachiswa from the ground.
My uncles were
authorities and institutions to reckons. They said riswa, riswa and Musambwa
became a religion. They said Kanu is dead (Martin shikuku) they were supported
by a son from the land of my paternal great grandmother Kalenjin land (Jean M.
Seroney-‘you need not substantiate the obvious’) and later KANU died in 1992.
They said, the Nyayo era was a great era and Kanu was buried. Those are the
uncles I knew. Those were my uncles. This letter from the slopes of Gusii is to
remind you, my uncles, we miss the times you roared ‘SIMBA’ and defeated Raila.
When you roared Era and error and the power matrix shifted. Let your son be
proud of you again. Let him be proud of his roots. You gave me Heroes to look
up to. You gave us Masinde, Shikuku, Wamalwa just to mention a few. Now no one
sounds a hero to me. Some of your leaders are busy climbing the mountain and
others are busy swimming in the lake. Now am forced to climbe the mountain
because I do not know how to swim.
My mother told me my uncles are not mountain
climbers or swimmers. Let us go back to bull-fighting-no one will match us
around here; maybe in Spain, let us instill the bravery we have in our body
politick and sing Mulongo to State House with my uncle being the torch bearer
or at worst the deputy of the torch-bearer.
I have seen potential in Musa wefwe-Wetangula but after climbing the
mountain for years, he has a new hobby of swimming in the lake. Tell him we
want to bull-fight. Our bulls want to fight. Shichemero and Luvambo-the great
bulls want to fight. We want to live true to the clarion call of Mulongo. We
are tired of eating fish we want our own chiswa. We are tired of following the
cult of swimming, we have forgotten we had our own Msambwa. What divides us is
our loyalty to others than ourselves.
Bakhofubefwebalolambweeshinyweneshienywe
but while our leaders were swimming, we were told our ancestors lied.
Bakhochabange. If we unite, after Uhuru goes, we will sing the national Anthem
in state house followed by ‘Mulongo’. We will eat our chiswa along state house
road. If the people of the lake ask us why did we leave swimming, we will sing
for them..”mwanawamaiumborerasina’. We will sing to the mountain
climbers..’LubwereNasaeakhurinde’….Libalarinorinabaeriefwe. Eriefwe because I
am the son of your daughter. Finally, bakhocha,
sichienoshiaMasindeshiakendere-the spirit of Masinde visited. It whispered its
prophecy of ‘from the lake to Mulembe’ is long overdue and the fact that the
lake has failed to bring it home, may Masinde’s people sing Mulongo all the way
to state house then will I grow up, give it to the people of my father, we will
have had the numbers!
Ochengo Onguso is a Graduate of Political Science and Public Administration and Philosophy from The University of Nairobi. He is also a Law student from the same institution.
He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Intellectus Consultancy
melchym1@gmail.com
Ochengonguso@intellectusconsultancy.com
