Burning Lens: Moses Otieno Ngi’ala, a Sony Sugar tractor driver delivering cane

Moses Otieno Ngi’ala, a tractor driver in Sony Sugar Company waits to deliver his canes to the factory.Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

Burning Lens: Jermaine Oyando, a Sony Sugar tractor driver delivering sugarcane

Jermaine Oyando, a tractor driver waits to deliver sugarcane to Sony Sugar from farms in the region. Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint.

Jermaine Oyando, a tractor driver waits to deliver sugarcane to Sony Sugar from farms in the region. Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint.

Burning Lens: A flower, zoom tight, focus and click.....

Close up shot of a  flower of Awuor Awuor plant. Manuel Odeny/  The Burning Splint

Close up shot of a  flower of Awuor Awuor plant. Manuel Odeny/  The Burning Splint

Burning Lens: Photos of Sony Sugar signboards while on assingmentManuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

Burning Lens: A lonely Toyota Corolla under a withering tree

A car packed under a withering tree as dry spell sweeps across Nyanza. I just took the picture for the lonely way the car looked in the midday sun. Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

A car packed under a withering tree as dry spell sweeps across Nyanza. I just took the picture for the lonely way the car looked in the midday sun. Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

Burning Lens: Father and son crossing a bridge over River Migori

A father encouraging his son as they cross a bridge over Migori river. Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

A father encourage his son as they cross a foot bridge over Migori River in Migori County. Manuel Odeny/The Burning Splint

Do not polarize nation against Kikuyus by By Mwangi Wilson Murimi

Wilson Murimi

The raging debate over the amicability of a third kikuyu president and the legitimacy of a kikuyu inspector-general of police is eminent but being indecently conducted.

This crucial debate has surpassed purviews of decency, not only in the mainstream media but also in the social media, to the extent that GEMA candidates for top posts are being viewed with cynical criticism.

The debate is gratuitously charging the country towards a Kikuyu-phobic attitude, which is unhealthy considering that the country is healing from the 2008 post-poll chaos.

Whereas it is true that domination of a country’s government bureaucracy and armed forces by a single community in a heterogeneous society is dangerous, it is more perilous to create a tribal rift in a nation healing from post-poll chaos.

The danger of tendering an anti-kikuyu attitude is that a repeat of 2008 chaos in 2012 will lame the country’s ailing economy owing to the fact that very many businesses in the country side are owned by Kikuyus.

I am shocked that even Omar Hassan, one of the expected panelists in the selection of the next police boss, could so imprudently display his anti-Kikuyu viewpoint yet he will be expected to be impartial during the candidates grilling exercise.

In his viewpoint that a Kikuyu should not lead the police force, Hassan created an impression that a Kikuyu’s candidature is illegitimate. It creates an impression that the grilling exercise should be veered towards eliminating Kikuyus from the police boss race! What law segregates a community from producing a police boss?

Into the bargain, this Kikuyu-phobic attitude seems to be brewing a ‘Kenyan Spring’ against the election of a Kikuyu president even if he/she captures the seat in a democratic and a constitutionally justifiable election.

Democracy might blossom in a society where the citizens are free to engage in debate on key issues, but this discourse must be done in an admissible manner without infringing into the rights of any section of the society, or messing up national unity. The way out is empowerment of the recently created electoral body so that the 2012 elections are democratic.

The writer is a communications and media student at Maseno University and a sub-editor of Equator Weekly.

Kirinyaga: Jombi ataka kujitoa uhai baada ya kunyimwa chakula na Mwangi Wilson Murimi

Picha kutoka kwa tovuti

Kalameni mmoja katika eneo la Kirinyaga ya kati aliwashangaza wengi, pale alipotishia kujitoa uhai baada ya mzozo na bibi yake kuhusu chakula kugeukia mweleka wa kifamilia.

Mzozo huo ulianza pale jombi huyo aliporejea nyumbani nyakati za  asubuhi akiwa mlevi chakari, na kudai apewe chakula na mkewe. Hata hivyo bibi yake aliyekuwa amechoshwa na ulevi wa bwanake wa kila siku alimwambia peupe akatafute chakula kwa mama pima. “Nenda ukatafuate chakula huko unakolewa kila siku”, alisema bibi yake.

 Tamshi hilo lilimkera jombi hiyo, aliyemkaba koo mkewe alitumai kuwa hili lingempelekea kuubadili msismamo wako wa awali, lakini kinyume na matarajio yake, mkewe akinyakua ukuni na kumgonga.

Na huku jombi huyo akiachilia shingo yake, mkewe naye alimvamia kwa chochote kilichokuwa pale jikoni, zikiwemo sufuria na vikombe, jambo lililowavutia wanakijiji wengi kujitamazia mweleka wa bure.

Hakuna aliyefanya juhudi zozote kuwatengamisha wawili hao, labda kwa hofu kuwa kufanya hivyo kungeukatisha mweleka huo wa bure ambao ulikuwa ukijiri.

Katikati mwa vurumai hilo, mkewe alisikika akinung’una kuwa mmewe alizoea kutoka ulevini na kulala bila kutekeleza wajibu wake kama bwana. “Mwaname wa saa ngapi huyu, anayejilaza kama mfu?” alisema mwanamke huyo.

Mambo yalizidi unga pale, mwalimu mmjoa wa shule ya msingi kuoka eneo hilo anayedaiwa kuhusika mapenzi kisiri  na mwanamke huyo alipofika pale na kujaribu kuwatenganisha.

Mawazoni pa jombi huyo, wawili hao wakinuia kummaliza ili kupata nafasi kuendeleza uhusiano wao, ndipo akadai kuwa angejitoa uhai. “Kumbe mwatataka kuniua ndio niwaondokee na kumpa nafasi sivyo?” alisema Jombi huyo, “Afadhali nijitoe uhai mwenyewe”

Kicheko cha waliokusanyaika kilikatizwa na mshangao pale bibi yake alipodai kuwa angemhakikishia kuwa amelala pema peponi akijitia kitanzi, jambo ambalo lilimfadhaisha jombi huyo, aliyetoka na kwenda zake akidai kuwa angerejea akiwa mfu.

Mwandishi ni Mwanafunzi katika taaluma ya utangazaji na uanahabari chuoni Maseno na mhariri wa jarida la Equator Weekly

Poem: The age of innocence by Kuchio Asonga

Her mother never loved her
she kept wishing she never had her
A love child, in truth a bastard
From whence she could remember
Life was always hard
She rarely ever smiled
She was often sad
They treated her harshly
They said she was bad
Her mother loathed her
Because she resembled her dad
So she runaway, as soon
as she could find away
She packed her bags
and fled to the city
Hoping to find a prince charming
Who thought she was pretty
But all the men she met
Wanted to use her body
To tell her lies to confuse her
then misuse and abuse her
Quickly she learned their game
And began to make them pay for her charms
To be held for a moment
In the warmth of her arms

Still she dreams of settling down
and starting her own home
But that is hard
When selling yourself, for your,
Daily bread is the norm
Gone is her age of innocence
Lost to life's experience

James Kuchio Asonga/ Superb Wun 2011©

To read more of the poet log onto http://www.infinitevision.blog.com/  or http://www.chrismukasa.blogspot.com/