While strictly speaking not an M File, I feel that this time and place in history resonates well with our Founding Era.

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It is extremely disappointing that the people sworn to protect us as Kenyans now work to deny us our rights and freedoms; that on the day that we celebrate our freedom, the government blatantly works to strip us of these rights that make us Kenyan. It is disappointing that the government only recognises these rights and freedoms in so far as they do not interfere with the will of the government. That in fact the only freedom truly recognised by the government is their self-proclaimed freedom to contravene the rule of law.

The police force can regularly be counted on to obstruct peaceful attempts by Kenyans to express their desire to enjoy their rights and freedoms; the rights and freedoms that Kenyan heroes secured for every Kenyan forty five years ago. What is scary is that these officers do not seem to understand that they are abusing everyone’s rights including their own. They don’t seem to understand that they are pawns of an unjust government that will use them and then spit them out, back into the society; back with the people who they now abjure. If they do realise this, then they just do not care. They live for the moment. A brief moment when their uniforms and arms give them false power to disregard their country’s constitution, to assault and kill protected by politicians who have no consideration for the rule of law. A brief moment during which they contravene values of integrity and courtesy set out by them themselves.

Where have all the politicians gone, who called us out to match in the streets to demonstrate against unjust governments? Where are all the politicians who went up in arms following the media ban during the 2007 post election violence? What Would Raila Do… about MPs and taxes were he not our Prime Minister today? What infectious rot is it in government, that erases the memories of those leaders chosen by the people;that makes them dead to the anguish of the people who created their path into government?

And what exactly do our leaders intend to do to get themselves re-elected come 2012? What lies will blind us as we re-elect the very people who make the rights and freedoms we were promised, so elusive? Come elections, who among us will remember 12th December, 2008 and call these leaders to account and who among us will once again be a stepping stone for these arrogant, devious, power-hungry liars to get back into government?

So what now? We celebrate our freedom but we are not yet free. Like Oginga Odinga wrote, “Not Yet Uhuru”. Kenyans must continue to fight for the opportunity to truly enjoy their rights and freedoms. We must continue to fight for true leadership. We must continue to fight for equality and justice. And when the day comes that we can truly enjoy our rights and freedoms as Kenyans, then let that day be called Jamhuri Day.

In Kenya the Rugby Super Series, brings together top players from the premier rugby clubs in the country and places them in different franchises. For the duration of the five-week long tournament, players from different clubs must learn to put differences aside and play as a team. For five weeks, players must submit to the leadership of someone else other than their own club captain and coach. They learn to respect each other and appreciate each other’s unique contributions to the team because at the end of the day, they need each other to emerge as winners of the tournament. These positive attitudes are then transferred by players to their individual clubs for the remainder of the rugby season, which I venture to suggest, has a lot to do with the genteel nature of your average rugby player.

This is not to say that the Rugby Super Series has been the redeeming feature of Kenyan rugby and its players. Rugby and sports generally does however have the incredible power to transcend borders, ethnicity, and generations. Sport makes it necessary to structure teams and bonding and interaction become inevitable. Sports inspire communication, friendship, healthy living, and good sportsmanship and with it, respect for each other. Sports provide an opportunity for everyone to experience inclusion in a society often marginalised by social, cultural or religious barriers.

Consider football and it enormous following in Kenya. Masses from every corner of Nairobi congregated at the stadium to watch Harambee Stars, the national football team, play a World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe’s “Warriors”. When it was over, chants of “Oliech! Odinga! Obama!” filled the air celebrating a Kenyan win. People of all ages, and tribes joined in. People from all ranks in society leaped in the air celebrating and for that moment, oblivious of the diversity that ordinarily beleaguered our society.

When Jason Dunford came back home, a seven-minute Olympic 100 metres butterfly record holder, no one, despite the racial inferiority complex that many possess , cared about the colour of his skin. What mattered for that moment was that he was an athlete representing his country; Kenya.

Sports create a euphoria that can be channelled towards meeting several goals. Most of the people who attend the Safari Sevens do not understand the game but will diligently attend all three days of the tournament, spending countless hours on their feet for lack of sitting space, to cheer the “Virgin Boys” to victory. Astute executives use such opportunities’ to promote their brands. Never will I forget Excloosive Loos, or the X Account, or Africaonline or Haiya. I went for rugby and left with these brands and several others embedded in my mind.

What better opportunity to sensitize, mobilise, activate a cause than in a gathering engulfed by cohesiveness? What better setting to drive messages of peace, social justice and community development?

Sports is a means of social growth, which greatly benefits individuals. Self-esteem is raised by the inspiration of being an integral part of a group; being a cog necessary for the successful realisation of an objective. No one wants to exist in isolation. We all get a sense of pride and fulfilment from being part of a team representative of a bigger group. The thought that a community or a country has charged us with representing them instils us with a sense of pride in ourselves and in our community and gives us encouragement to work harder for ourselves and for our communities, and in so doing making us better individuals.

Whether it is a village or a slum with one television powered by a car battery or a family watching sports on cable in the comfort of their home, we are watching the same game, cheering the same team and celebrating the same win, sharing the same experience together albeit apart. What simpler way could there possibly be to effortlessly unite?

We must capitalise on the potential of sports in Kenya. It is the heartbeat of our society so it must be our priority to keep society alive.

Recently, a spokesperson for “Honorable” Wanjala’s family said that the former minister had been a victim of a plan by his business partners to portray him in a negative way. I sympathise with the family. Not because scrupulous businesspersons conspired to get “mheshimiwa” incarcerated, but because whether or not they realise it, “mheshimiwa” has portrayed them and himself in a negative way. “Mheshimiwa” portrayed himself and his family in a negative way long before his business partners did him in. Moreover, the fact that he chose the said businesspersons does not help his character at all.

What does it say about us as Kenyans when we choose people to lead us, who seemingly have no sense of decency or morality; who spare no thought for the consequences of their actions. Our “waheshimiwas” show no respect for the public office that we have given them.

What standards have we set for our leaders? What do we look for and what criteria have been met by candidates when we go into the polling booths on Election Day and choose leaders? Is it enough that they have promised to build roads, which coincidentally pass right outside their own gates? Is it enough that they have the “right pedigree”?

If we claim the right to call Obama one of us, is it then not possible to find leaders like him amongst here in Kenya? Or is he one of a kind (which would then explain “Obama Day”)? Is it not possible that we could find another Obama right here? Or has Kenya with her values, or lack of them, killed the possibility of having a Kenyan-bred Obama?

Do we have Kenyan leaders who generate hope, pride, courage and confidence to succeed among the minions? Do we have leaders we can trust or have we resigned ourselves to the everyday political jargon, which usually amounts to nothing?

Are we not yet tired of constant disillusionment? Do we not have enough respect for ourselves to want a leadership that benefits us? Do we not care enough for our children to have a leadership that will benefit them?

If we must claim Obama, let us claim the ability to choose worthwhile and accountable leaders, the ability to have pride in our heritage and respect for our families, the ability to accommodate positive change. Let us claim our right to have leaders who work for us and with us. Let us fill the leadership vacuum we now have with national leaders and leave tribalism and discrimination in the forgotten past. Let us talk about how proud we are to be Kenyan, and mean it. Let us be brave enough to claim Kenya as our own.

Kenya were the only team to score against South Africa, who outplayed all opposition to emerge the champions for the African region.

Find more photos:

here

and here

and here

and here

and finally, here.

Photos by mentalacrobatics

Seven’s is a variant of the game of rugby in which only seven players play per side as opposed to the full fifteen. While a normal fifteens match lasts at least eighty minutes, normal rugby sevens matches last fourteen minutes, except the final which lasts twenty minutes. This allows sevens rugby tournaments to be completed in a day or a weekend. Scoring occurs with much greater regularity in sevens, since the defenders are more spaced out than in the fifteens. The game thus demands high levels of skill, speed and fitness. Sevens is a game of continuous action; there are fewer rucks, fewer mauls and fewer scrums and this arguably translates to more rugby over a short span of time. Sevens is uniquely suited to hone all basic rugby skills of an individual athlete. It has been argued that sevens is capable of producing a tremendous international competition throughout a far wider range of nations than fifteens.

It is these attributes that make the sevens version of the game popular. One does not really need to understand the intricacies of the sport to enjoy the game. With a major sponsor on board, the sevens version of the game is able to market itself through international appearances. The Safari Sevens also gives the sevens game mileage. The Kenya sevens team are of course the darlings of the local crowd cheering them on at home as they play against a host of teams from around the world. Beyond this, a sevens rugby crowd is akin to a crowd at a concert where most people came because that was the place to be that weekend and not necessarily because of the artists performing. Simply put, majority of the crowd turns out for booze and the carnival atmosphere and not necessary the action of the pitch. Sevens rugby provides a ‘romantic’ environment that people want to be associated with. Still although slowly, the game is attracting a following that appreciates the game and perhaps in this instance selling the game as more than just on the pitch action is a winning formula.

Having said that, the local sevens circuit is not nearly as popular as the Safari Sevens, which brings to question many things including the brand of rugby played. Crowds flock to the Prinsloo and Driftwood sevens tournaments but it has more to do with the change of scenery. Who does not want to spend a weekend at the coast; sun and sand etcetera etcetera? It does not take much effort to go to Nakuru. Crowds for the Christie and Kabeberi Sevens have been the same bunch of people over the years even with a lot more money being infused into the local circuit this year through sponsorship.

In Kenya, fifteens rugby runs throughout the season from the Impala Floodlights tournament to the Kenya Cup and Eric Shirley Shield leagues to the Rugby Super Series and the Chairman’s Cup tournament. Impala Floodlights attracts a huge crowd probably because it is the first tournament in the year after a few months break in the off-season. Rugby enthusiasts therefore flock over in numbers to scratch that rugby itch. Also, the ambience that night time brings with it serves to attract creatures of the night looking for something to do in the cover of darkness.

The Kenya Cup and Eric Shirley leagues hardly draw an audience. There is a handful of die-hard club fans and perhaps some of the players who did not make the team that weekend. There is also a negligible number of people, not aligned to any club who are just out to watch a good game of rugby. Beyond that, rugby clubs in Kenya do not seem to have any programmes in place to attract crowds. They seem to rely on nostalgia of past players to want to watch them play and perhaps drag a few people along with them. One might liken clubs to tribes that do not go out of their way to welcome strangers but rather tolerate them. There is hardly any conscious effort from the clubs to increase their fan bases. (‘A’ for effort for the clubs that have active Face Book profiles). Often, rugby enthusiasts must make the lone effort to align themselves with clubs of their choice.

The Rugby Super Series 15 aside tournament attracts a sizeable crowd. All the clubs are playing at one venue in their various franchises, which means that their fans all congregate in one area. It is also interesting to see how members of franchises gel. Inclusion of Uganda and Tanzania seems set to catapult this tournament into undoubtedly, Africa’s premier fifteen a side tournament. The Rugby Super Series provides five weekends of East Africa’s top players battling to claim supremacy. The guarantee of top-notch rugby attracts rugby enthusiasts.

It appears then that it really has nothing to do with which version of the game is more popular, but rather, what entertainment value that particular fixture offers. Now, the “Virgin Boys” and the funfair that surrounds them, provide a lot of entertainment. The National Fifteens team provides a considerable amount of entertainment especially with their ongoing rivalry against Uganda.
Again, the length of the games means that sevens provides a display of more rugby over a shorter span of time so sevens will likely be more popular for a long time to come, or until the national fifteens team makes it to the Rugby World Cup. Ideally, sevens should be used as a training ground for players to prove themselves before moving on to fifteens; develop an individual skill and then learn to use it so that it complements the skills of the fourteen other people on the pitch. The trick is in transforming these one-man operations into different parts of a team; learning how to share the ball and rely on your teammates. However, the situation in Kenya suggests that making it to the sevens team is the epitome of any players rugby career ambitions; and why not? The sevens team get a lot of media coverage and have a worldwide following not to mention a major sponsor.

The issue that must be addressed by rugby administration is how to market the game in the country. How do we make Kenyan’s appreciate rugby as much or even more than they appreciate football? How do we get to where we do not have to entice people with the promises of lots of alcohol and entertainment to get them to come and watch a game? How do we fill the RFUEA grounds during the National Sevens Circuit, the Supremacy Cup, or the Enterprise Cup?

We must realise that fifteens rugby is a harder game to sell. For the 15’s national team to attract a sponsor there must be seen to be interest in the game at club level, then at a national level. How do we expect to attract a sponsor to a national team if we cannot attract a modest crowd to a league game. Once we discover the formula to selling the game to rugby fans who would rather watch football at home than come to a league game, then we will have discovered the formula to winning over sponsors and giving the “Virgin Boys” a run for their money; literally. The Union and its constituent clubs must work to promote the fifteens game as a viable investment for sponsors and rugby enthusiasts.

Kenya will host the Junior World Rugby Trophy in 2009. This will be the biggest fifteen a side tournament ever held in Kenya. It will be interesting to see how the Union sells this event to Kenyans and what crowds it attracts. Will it be the usual suspects who attend local fifteens fixtures, will it be schools out to watch their school mates on an international stage, or will an entire country rally behind the Kenyan Under 20 team in a show of support for fifteens rugby at whatever level? This could very likely be the launching pad that fifteens rugby has been waiting for. An international tournament like this one is bound to catch the eye of corporate bodies looking to use sports for marketing purposes. Can this interest be diverted to the local fifteens rugby scene?

After a lot soul searching, I finally found the guts to cut my long dark, bone straight, relaxed hair in the front to give me movie-star-like bangs. My hair fell over my eyes giving me just enough room to see my way and I felt so sexy and mysterious.

My long hair framed my face so well that it covered my dark sports from all the pimples I have burst throughout my years. It felt like a mask that shielded my trueidentity and allowed me to be anyone else I wished to be. It shielded me from my insecurities; my uneven skin, my huge forehead, my not so clear eyes.

My long, dark relaxed hair got me compliments every single day. Who does not like to be the envy of everyone around them? My hairdresser was always excited to see me since it meant at least two hours of playing around with new ideas he had been formulating since the last time I saw him. My nieces wanted their hair to be just like mine. My hair was often a topic of conversation during bonding sessions with women in the loo when I went out to clubs.

I soon began to feel overwhelmed though. It was like the proverbial tail wagging the dog. My hair determined my weekend schedule since I needed at least two hours with the hairdresser on Saturdays. It determine whether I felt like I could take on the world.

So that was that. I braided my hair long enough to get a sizable amount of growth. Then I went to my hairdresser and ordered him to chop off all my processed hair. I texturised it just so I would not spend too much money replacing broken combs daily.  Now I wake up in the morning, give it a quick wash, pat it dry, run some moisturizing gel through it and I am good to go.

It felt great. It was like chasing away years of self-deception. I literally felt like I was finally unearthing the real me and putting myself out there for everyone to see, to love, to hate, to ridicule, to judge. But it felt great.

It’s been around three months now and I still enjoy being able to wash my hair every morning. My afro is now about three inches long and wouldn’t you know it, all the grease I had in my long hair before was what irritated my skin and gave me all the rashes I had been trying to hide for so long. My skin feels much better now. Some friends think I look weird. My nieces think that I look like a boy. Old women look at me and wonder what the world is coming to when young women no longer comb their hair. But I feel good about myself. I’m now used to my large forehead it’s not that bad after all!! I feel beautiful and confident and now, every day is a good hair day.

(This post by Akin took me back to good old days)

Respect for the fundamental rights of all people is an essential feature of any democracy. But many women and girls in Kenya are born into war; a war in which they are subjected to physical as well as psychological abuse. As the paper says, the fact that abuse is generally condoned as social custom rather than crime is in itself a grim indication of its high incidence.

Women are at war against inhuman treatment. Many times, social customs are social injustices against women and girls. Female genital mutilation for example is a social custom which although declared illegal in Kenya is still rampant in some parts of the country. The physical deformation that females are subjected to following female genital mutilation and the psychological torture that they endure where they refuse to undergo the cut is a manifestation of the hostility of a society against women and girls. Similarly, societal practice to disregard the needs of women and girls in inheritance cases amounts to blatant discrimination against us.

Constant abuse means that we are constantly looking over our backs, spending countless hours trying to succeed in a world that seems intent on watching us fail. It does not seem to help that human rights bodies have created awareness and challenged impunity for women’s human rights violations.

A woman is raped in Kenya every half hour. Rape is an end result of other crimes. Where women are in public vehicles that get hijacked, women get raped. Where communities fight, women get raped. Where houses are burgled, women get raped. And so women bear the brunt of insecurity in Kenya. Sometimes they are raped and killed. Other times they survive death but are left with psychological scars; long term side effects of their ordeals- social withdrawal, anger, hostility, loss of self esteem as well as physical scars. Women are also at war with a society that discriminates against rape victims. Why were we dressed in a certain manner, what did we do to encourage the rapist, what diseases have we caught from the deal and more importantly, are they contagious?

For years women have been at war with a justice system that is lax in its enforcement of the law. Rape suspects are freed on technicalities. Inheritance cases drag on for years as do maintenance cases. Women have on some occasions allegedly been assaulted by the very people charged with their protection. Incidences of groping during arrests have been alleged.

Women in parts of Kenya still fight to have their household contributions recognised as productive activities of the society. Baring and caring for children, cleaning and cooking are all part of the great economic role women contribute. It is as though the fact that women do not derive a salary from these activities creates a screen of invisibility that shields society from appreciating the role that women play so that even where women bring as much as men or sometimes even more to the table at the end of the day, no monetary value is attached to it and therefore no value at all.

Entry of women into the paid labour force has resulted in new found respect for us and our capabilities but with it has come a challenge; to constantly prove our worth. As the old cliché goes, a woman must work twice as hard to be considered half as good.

So every day we put together our fighting gear, we never forget our body armour because our society can be dangerous and heart wrenching. You never know when a ‘stray bullet’ will hit you or whether your country will be there to protect you. We shuffle along, some of us complacent and others at the front lines because Kenya’s ratification of the human rights conventions appears to have had little practical or even formal significance. Only time will tell if we finally fall in step with the free and peaceful world before it’s too late.