Palaver

Palaver

Ati last Wednesday, Israel and Hamas announced an unofficial ceasefire in Gaza after violence escalated on both sides of the border. Funny because these two regularly trade bombs like all good neighbours at war should, and even funnier since successive Israeli leaders declare they don’t negotiate with terrorist groups such as Hamas! But that is the forte of politicians. Reminds us when Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, had mediated a four-day ceasefire that began last Friday. But Syria President Bashar Al-Assad’s jets took the interval to pound several residential neighbourhoods into rubble! Please say a prayer for Syria’s 23 million citizens to see sense and listen to Bertrand Russell: “War does not determine who is right — only who is left.”

 

Explain this to me like I am a four-year-old. Why do Kenyans name their children after the cities they win races in and personalities who take Kenya by storm. However, despite all the obsession with the English Premier League, you don’t find many newborns named Liverpool Chomba, Manu Akinyi, Arsenal Orengo, or Tottenham Ali. Why?

 

As Kenyans remain engrossed in determining who Kibaki’s successor shall be, please remember other folks have been watching the world’s Doomsday countdown. Remember the Mayans? Their time-mathicians calculated that the world, as we know it, ends on December 21st! Remember how we partied in 1999 when the Y2K computer shutdown was forecast? Or the prophesy of 90-year-old Harold Camping who missed the date on May 21, and revised it to October 21, last year and made a lot of cash when devotees sold everything to give him their money for “safekeeping”? Methinks, Kenyans are a very focused people. Let’s just stick to campaigning. At least we are sure of the next elections date. Or are we?

 

And finally…

Obama has been less than honest with us. While we hoped the US would be the first to buy some of our Ngamia Oil, Americans have been quietly exploring for oil and natural gas in their vast country. Last week, the number of oil rigs hit the 1,839 mark. Now the US is poised to become one of the biggest oil producers. Granted the latest estimated federal deficit is $1.1 trillion, we really need that cash for devolution and celebrations in Kogelo next month.

 

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