Oburu and the dose of indifference ordinary folk get as ‘service to all’

My heart goes out to nominated MP Oburu Odinga, who is experiencing first-hand what ordinary folks do on a regular basis: dealing with an indifferent police service.

Last week, Oburu claimed his younger brother Tinga’s life is in danger, and he submitted that he was ready and willing to record a statement with the police. Ordinarily, it is the police who should have initiated the statement recording, but they were simply not interested, even though their mantra is utumishi kwa wote (service to all).

But since Oburu is his brother’s keeper, he took it upon himself to seek audience with Criminal Investigations Department (CID) boss Ndegwa Muhoro.

The name Muhoro means cool, and the top cop took things very calmly. He invited Oburu to go back to Bondo where he first made the claims, and record his statement there.

Effectively, Muhoro was telling Oburu: take your village gossip back where it belongs. Oburu insists it is the Nairobi office that should handle the claim, particularly because the matter goes beyond our borders.

East African leaders, he claims, are hatching the threat against his brother. I don’t know if other powers are involved, especially Americans, given that Tinga is cooling off somewhere in Boston.