Thoughts out of season 2


Friends, my countrymen and women are a really a peculiar group of people. I don’t mean to take lightly the ongoing siege that has been on since Saturday at one of our shopping malls, that is not the aim of this post. In this post I want to make a few observations that make us a very peculiar lot. My sincere sympathies and condolence goes out to those who lost their lives, those whose lives have been forever shattered and all those who still find themselves holed up in this mess. I hope that it ends quickly and well for those still held hostage. These are not in any hierarchy:-

1. The belief that their god is somehow in control

There have been enough prayers said on twitter on the last two days than have been said since we went to elections early in the year. What I find really worrying is there are people have heard thanking their god they were not in the mall while we have so many who were either injured or lost their lives, who should they petition? Is it not time they fired their god for allowing this mess to go on for so long. From where I sit, I ask myself a simple question, if these people believe their god is in control, what the fuck is it waiting for and where the hell was s/h/it when these people were planning this attack? Wouldn’t have been prudent to scatter their plans at the planning stage as he seems to have done in Genesis when he scuttled the plans of those who building a bridge to heaven by confounding their language so they couldn’t communicate with one another?

2. Patriotism and unity

Am not a patriot. But my countrymen, who ordinarily would go for each other’s jugular now show a solidarity that is unprecedented. The last time they were this close was 15 years ago when an Al Qaeda cell bombed Nairobi. In fact I think the only thing that unites us is a national tragedy or athletics. And since I abhor war, maybe there should be enough sporting events in the year where Kenyans win gold, that way they may just forget they are a patchwork of tribes. The show of unity is amazing to say the least, I hope they keep it this way when we have to deal with corrupt and inefficient legislature, executive and judiciary. I look forward to a day when they can say it is enough and send all the thieves we have in government home. That will be a great day and I hope I will be alive when that day comes.

3. Kenyans and risk

Whereas in most places people would run away from gun fire and allow security personnel and medics to access the scene, the reverse is true here. Kenyans will run closer to the scene just to be able to have a story to tell. The police have had quite a difficult trying to manage the crowds around the shopping mall. I understand you want to help or help yourselves to something, but please, what is the point in making an already dangerous situation even worse still?

4. Our useless fourth estate

These are a bunch of some not so bright people. While people are trying to hide for their lives, they were busy with footage showing where people are hiding, showing us gory images, whether to scare us to numbness or to get viewership, the jury is still out. Maybe it is how or the duration of their training, but I hope someday, the media will be populated with more brains than they currently have.

5. Our borders and the situation in Somali

We have had porous borders, as porous as a damaged sieve, for so long that one could sneak an elephant through. There has been filtration of small arms, the domestic situation hasn’t been any better. Unemployment is on the rise, the cost of living getting ever high and the gap between the rich[ the thieves] and the poor getting ever larger that there is not a shortage of youth to be recruited, with the promise a few of a few shillings, to such cells. The country should recall our soldiers in Somali and let them continue to butcher each other as they have done in the last over two decades. Maybe someday an intelligent lot will rise out of that piece of rock and stop the senseless killing. As long as we have men and women in that vast country, we will be sport for Al Shabaab and anyone with the wherewith to acquire a grenade or plan a similar attack.

End of observations, I will continue to populate the list when and if I feel like it.

The world will not be a safe place as long as their will be someone ready to kill another in defense of their god or because of an idea. Let us be reasonable. Let us, as a race, for once, rise up to the challenge of acting with intelligence that every man prides himself to have above other brutes and have all the stockpile of weapons destroyed. Guns, bombs, grenades, missiles, chemical weapons and other arsenal were made with only one thing in mind, to kill or to make killing many people easy. It is time we stopped the merchants of death from making profits by helping us kill each other quickly, violently and easily. Let us all work together towards a world where there is equity. We must act with courage. We must act with resolve to ensure resources are equitably distributed, that no one group of people are exploited. Let the hate and bigotry, that is fueled by religion come to an end. Let us be reasonable. If the religious people can’t do this on their own, then dear atheists, naturalists, agnostics and other non believers out-birth them. There is not enough love to spare some for gods that don’t exist. Let us love each other and forget about the gods.

About makagutu

As Onyango Makagutu I am Kenyan, as far as I am a man, I am a citizen of the world

22 thoughts on “Thoughts out of season 2

  1. Mordanicus says:

    Porous borders are the norm, only a large military/police force can effectively close any border, mere fences do not work. For instance, today I crossed the Dutch-Belgian border twice, with no trouble (it’s true that these countries has voluntarily abolished border controls, but this only shows that strict border control is just a waste of money and bad for transnational commerce).

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    • makagutu says:

      Fences wouldn’t and a heavy military presence is unwarranted. It is far much cheaper to ensure that everyone has access to means of production, that there is equity and lastly education. All other methods that employ aggression wouldn’t solve the problem even in 100 years

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  2. john zande says:

    I do so love that last paragraph. A champion of our species, you are.

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  3. CHope says:

    Makagutu, how many hostages remain alive at the shopping mall? What is going on with the security and the authorities around that area? I know you made mention of the locals crowding around that building.

    I am sorry about the financial and physical drama that surrounds you in your country. I would never even try to compare your constant state of violence and upheaval with anything we have going on in the States. The truth is, as bad as I’ve had it before, I doubt if it can compare to the poverty, need and desperation that many people experience where you live for their entire lives.

    Stay safe, my dear. I wish I knew more, it’s difficult to get accurate information from mainstream media sources. I always appreciate your observations and opinions of Kenya. Be careful and good luck.

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    • makagutu says:

      My dear, I honestly don’t know. I don’t think there has been any reliable information regarding the number of those still holed up, the number of the aggressors and so on.

      The people are a resilient lot. You’d be amazed if you visited to find people looking quite happy around here. Although encumbered by poverty and other social ills, they try to eke a living each person doing their best only to be fucked by greedy politicians.

      Main stream media is a useless source of accurate information.

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  4. CHope says:

    “Let us love each other and forget about the gods.”

    Amen!

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  5. […] is a piece of digital art I produced this evening, inspired by my friend Noel a.k.a Makagutu and his post this evening regarding the events in […]

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  6. aguywithoutboxers says:

    My Nairobi brother, very accurate and excellent assessment here. I am one with you entirely! But please believe me, the oddity you attribute to Kenyans is practically universal and can probably be found in every country of the globe.

    Which deity are they grateful to for not being at the shopping mall? Which deity are those who were shopping there thankful for escaping. Which deity are the relatives of those slaughtered angry with for their tragedy?

    Much love and naked hugs, my friend!

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  7. The cradle of humanity lays burning. “There is not enough love to spare some for gods that don’t exist. Let us love each other and forget about the gods.” Put out the fire, put out the gods. It is not the tools of war that kill people but the hatred of humans for other humans that kills them. Hatred, a flame burning bright in the minds of the blind, engulfing the world in pain that only hate can love. Fire consuming all just to watch it burn, evaporating all humanity in its choking grip. The gods are the only ideas untouched by the flames. Turn the weapons on the gods, set them alight with fire bright enough to see the error of our ways.

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    • makagutu says:

      The tools of war make it easy for those already filled with hate to lay others to waste at the same time it makes it easy to kill so many easily. As a way forward we must ensure they don’t have the means with which to execute such a plan. I agree the weapons need to be aimed at the gods and we should set them alight with fire bright enough to see the error of our ways.

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  8. mixedupmeme says:

    Another great bit of observation from you. The replies already written cover it all.
    I will be looking forward to the day when you no longer need to write these unseasonable thoughts. Until then…stay safe.

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  9. Real real me says:

    I’m glad you’re not a patriot. It’s kind of weird that people can be so proud. Some of them act like everything in the world comes from their country. As we have discussed earlier, some people don’t have courage to change their political party or religion. However in this case it’s good that people have stayed united, I agree with you.
    Other than that you have structured this post very well, my friend. 🙂

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