Comments on: Someone Lied To You, Mwananchi

By: brian

brian — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:28:24 +0000

Nice stuff. Gradually things will change. I would rather gradual change than a revolution which is usually bloody.

By: Miriam M.

Miriam M. — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:28:19 +0000

Sorry to join this discussion trail so late, but there’s one trait about Kenyans that we tend to forget, ignore and downplay- and that is our patience and elasticity.
It amuses me, sometimes, how much bull Kenyans can take without raising a finger in protest or anger.
We know we are being lied to, robbed, mistreated and swindled and yet, we hold back our rage and simply watch. The liars, robbers, thieves and swindlers that are our leaders, equally amazed at our propensity for forgiveness and patience, try harder to annoy us – by doing the most outrageous, stupenduos and malicous acts of madness.
And still, we watch.

That unending tolerance and patience of Kenyans is what interests me the most. I cannot help but wonder when it shall run out – or what madness we shall unleash when it does.

By: sahara

sahara — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:08:25 +0000

Yawn! Yawnn!! Yawnnn!!!…. Kenyans are the perfect observers and complainers. Seriously, who do we expect to change the status quo if not us? We have been complaining for as long as we have been ‘suffering’. What I would love right now is to be invited to join a progressive movement that actually has an actionable reform agenda. I am in the process of organizing one and I hope that all the ‘fed up of status quo’ Kenyans will be falling all over themselves asking “how may I serve Kenya?”, “How do I make Kenya a better place?” or simply saying “I am truly effing tired of this sh*t and I am ready to die for a better Kenya”.

I totally agree with Andrew.

BTW, love the article. Same stuff, new author.

By: mbusii

mbusii — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:04:00 +0000

its babylon system,, firebwon dem,, booboclot…………..

By: in4paulo

in4paulo — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

This piece is as depressing as it is poignant (in every sense of the word!). I went through the system in the early 1980s and by the mid-late 1980s my generation had the same complaints!! Can you believe we “had it good”! But it sucked just as much then! Why are we seemingly unable to improve stuff? Is it a lack of courage of convictions? Neuroscience informs us about the plasticity of the brain; it adapts t circumstances and can continually change. The danger is poor habits learned, vices indulged, can eventually become “addictive” or “hardwired” into us – thus can get trapped in vicious cycle of thoughts-beliefs-actions-results-reinforcing thoughts! The good news is that good habits, virtues indulged, have similar reinforcing tendencies. The challenge is to have the courage to break the cycle from poor habits to good habits and having the perseverance to await the results.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:51:55 +0000

Sorry the above is well written but as usual fails to hit the mark. It’s easy to blame ‘the system’ which usually is somebody/something else but somehow the blame never lies with you (and me). I am tired of hearing/reading diatribes on how unfair things are! our education system has serious problems but at secondary level and primary level is still better than an american school (and no that is not a cause for celebration because american education at primary/secondary level is mediocre at best). yes healthcare is terrible, MPs are fake but whose fault is it? yours (mine) for demanding/being satisfied with mediocre service. you (me) for tolerating/accepting/permeating corruption as the status quo. change begins with you. if i see a different person in the matatu next to me, i might be impacted to be different as well

By: Joliea

Joliea — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:00:08 +0000

Heavy stuff. Nuff Said! We sure need some serious head bashing to get angry and do sumthn!

By: Wangũi

Wangũi — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:12:48 +0000

well said, Well Said, WELL SAID!

By: CK

CK — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:29:27 +0000

OK. The system sucks. We get it. So what are you going to do about it?

By: Mwistar

Mwistar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:28:08 +0000

It is true, we are constantly dealt an ugly hand. It is even more difficult to bear when good ideas on improving our situation end up as dead rhetoric. This beautiful piece that Njoki has shared should be a source of inspiration, as opposed to another reason to lament. We can be successful, or we can make excuses; never both.