AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL KENYANS

UHURU KENYATTA, WILLIAM RUTO, RAILA ODINGA, MUSALIA MUDAVADI,
KALONZO MUSYOKA, MOSES WETANGULA, ADEN DUALE,KITHURE KINDIKI,KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN,JAMES ORENGO, ANYANG NYONGO,HASSAN JOHO,OMAR HASSAN,STEPHEN SANG, JAKOYO MIDIWO, and other prominent politicians have the following in common as follows:

1. They are millionaires.

2. They are famous

3. Have no IDPs among their family members

4. They are on a fat pay cheque list

5. Their security is guaranteed.

6. Their health is highly insured.

7. They drive big cars

8. They live in posh neighborhoods

9. Never get affected by arbitrary matatu hikes when it rains.

10. Never queue at KNH for near nil medical services.

11. Their kids go to the best schools abroad.

12. When they call for a public demo, their wives and kids never participate but are well secured behind a cricket oval.

13. They don't wait for Kambi or Atwoli to announce to a 13% salary

increment once a year whereas inflation is at all times more than 15%

theirs is automatic will.

14. They all hold diplomatic passports in case things in Kenya become

hot.

15. They have a special human right called political right.

16. Their families never sleep hungry.

17. They never get affected by floods. They have an option of many

homesteads or can even fly.

18. They are never affected by demolitions.

19. Then in trouble, their tribe comes to their rescue.

The list is endless...The only common thing we have with them is our

National ID's and skin colour. Now, before you think of fighting your neighbor in the

name of defending them, take a look at your ID. That is who YOU are,

and that is where you came from unless you lied about it. Only God

knows where you are headed next. LUO'S the only connection you have with Raila's family is maybe you

walked along Oginga Odinga Street today hustling for a job or ate at a

restaurant along that road.

KIKUYU'S the only connection you have with Kenyatta's family is

maybe you walked along Kenyatta Avenue, Mama Ngina street, you

were admitted or born at KNH, you trespassed via KICC, or JKIA, went

to Kenyatta High School, JKUAT or K.U, or maybe you were broke

couldn't afford lunch and opted for 200 ml Brookside milk for

lunch. You are financially close to them by making them richer.

For Kalenjins, Meru's, Embu's, Luhya's, Masai's and the rest ,the only

connection you have with your so called with 'my choice' is you

watch them on TV making strategies on how to cash your hard earned cash

or their helicopters may disturb your lunch break-hunger-slumber

under a tree.

 

Youth protesting on streets of Nairobi

Going to streets has never helped bring solution in any country in the world. Let me take you through some of the failed street demonstration in the world.

  "In TUNISIA,it started on 18th December 2010. A hawker,Mohammed Boauzizi,doused himself in petrol and ignited the Revolution. TUNISIA flared up! Riots filled the streets! There was death in the streets,blood shed,rape and violence. There were screams ,fire and gunshots for a whole Month. On January,2011,their President,BEN ALI,fled the country to exile. They appointed Mohammed Ghannouchi and,within a month,they started rioting and protesting in the streets again. Against Mohammed. It destroyed TUNISIA totally. Their national stock market fell for 3 days...they suffered from High unemployment,prison overflow,poor living conditions,internal refugees and a humanitarian crisis. And,UNTIL TODAY,Tunisians ARE still protesting in the streets! So,DO STREETS HELP SOLVE ISSUES? NO.

In EGYPT,It started on 25th January 2011. Egyptians hit the streets. There was blood,death,tears and gunshots daily. Property was destroyed,women raped,churches burnt and the economy collapsed. And on 11th February,HOSNI MUBARAK,quit the presidency. They celebrated. And appointed MOHAMMED MORSI as President. But MORSI changed the constitution,gave himself great powers,insulted the people,made himself a Pharaoh and a dictator. The Protests began again. In the streets. Nothing changed. And,they chased Morsi to prison n r wt AL SISI still TODAY,EGYPTIANS are in the streets protesting. Two years down the line. So,DO STREETS SOLVE PROBLEMS? NO. In LIBYA,It started on 15th February 2011. The streets of Tripoli and Benghazi were on fire. People died. Women were raped. Blood was shed. There was total madness,ethnic cleansing and trouble. And on,23rd October,with the help of NATO,they killed MUAMMAR GADDAFI. They celebrated. BUT just a month later,they hit the streets again. Protesting the new government. More deaths.More trouble. LIBYA was totaly destroyed. 50,000 people were killed. Yet NOTHING changed. And,UNTIL TODAY,LIBYANS are in the streets fighting. Rebels are blowing up buildings and killing children. So,DO THE STREETS HELP IN SOLVING ISSUES?? NO.

In SYRIA,It started on 15th March 2011. Inspired by Egypt,the Syrians hit the streets. There were gunshots,rocket bombs,grenade attacks,tears,death,rape and destruction. Until today,SYRIANS are still in the streets,fighting,protesting. The cities of Damascus,Homs and Allepo were totally destroyed. They were turned into Ghost Towns. President BASHAR AL-ASSAD refused to quit. SYRIA has NOW been destroyed FOREVER. Almost Everyone is DEAD. Cities are gone. Children are gone. The country is almost totally destroyed. And,UNTIL TODAY,weak SYRIANS are in the streets fighting. BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED. Nothing! So,DO STREETS HELP IN SOLVING POLITICAL ISSUES?? NO. NEVER! Kenyans, I urge You in the Name of God/ Allah/Mungu/Nyasaye/Ngai/ Mulungu/Enkai....DO NOT HIT THE STREET ON 07/07/2014.Lets go to work or be with our families instead. 

NOTE THIS!

Before you go to rallies think twice!

Before you threaten your neighbor think twice!

Before arguing about this merciless politicians think twice!

Before saying "sisi" try and say "mimi"

 

MIMI NDIO MWENYE-NCHI AND I SHOULD PROTECT MY FELLOW MWENYE-NCHI

WHOM I SHARE SO MUCH IN COMMON WITH!

PEACE IS TO ALL KENYANS WHEREVER THEY ARE!

LET US REMAIN UNITED AS KENYANS!!!

TELL A FRIEND TO SHARE WITH A FRIEND!

WORLD REFUGEE DAY

                                                             Dada ab Refugee camp

World Refugee Day(June 20) was established by the United Nations to honor the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence.Others flee their home in fear of a serious natural disasters such as famine and floods.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Department of Refugees Affairs (DRA) are in the front line in organizing occasion which takes place annually. They  mainly focused on the current state of refugees in Kenya with deliberations on how best refugees can be diplomatically persuaded to go back to their countries.

 

The refugees are living in a difficulty. Kenya tops the list for refugee population, in Africa and has since been ranked the fifth in the world. In as much as refugees seek help from the government of Kenya, it has posted a great threat to the security of the country. Stakeholders are called on to find solutions to the plight of refugees in the country and that there is need for cooperation between government and other stakeholders and awareness creation so as not to criminalize every asylum seeker.

According to UNHCR the population of refugees in Kenya per country is 482,390 from Somalia, 32720 from Ethiopia, 43290 from South Sudan, 8920 from Congo, Stateless are 20,550 and 20,070 from others. UNHCR will continue to count on the hospitality and support extended to asylum-seekers and refugees by the Government and people of Kenya. This includes: the preservation of and access to asylum and international protection; effective reception, registration, documentation and refugee status determination (RSD); land for approximately 530,000 refugees and asylum-seekers across six camps located in Alinjugur, Dadaab, and Kakuma, with the hope of securing additional space in Kakuma; strengthened police presence in camps; access to public health services for over 50,000 urban refugees and medical referrals from the camps; and integration of some 8,000 urban-based refugee children and adolescents into local learning institutions.

The campaign for World Refugee Day will continue to emphasize the impact of war on families and place individual refugee family stories at the centre of our work. The 2014 World Refugee Day concept will allow individuals to tell stories about refugee courage and survival - as well as success stories of refugees re-starting their lives in a new country. It will allow the public to view the refugee experience through different experiences from people close to home. These efforts aim to remind the public of the strength and courage of refugees by inviting everyone to share refugee stories and tell us if they have one of their own. Through these individual testimonials we can highlight the universal emotions each of us would share if faced with the prospect of losing everything, starting from scratch, or safeguarding our family from violence.

WIDE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR

Many scholars have argued that the rich control the world- the poor are speechless before the rich. Taking a closer look at the various religious books, it is always advocated that God created human being at equal level; no man should consider himself richer or superior than the other. Being financially poor does not mean that you are not clever, either it does not mean you have no influence in the society. People worldwide should borrow an example from José Mujica- the president of Uruguay who has since been termed as the world’s poorest president, but in the mind of the wise, he is the 'humble' leader with grand ideas. Mujica donates over 90% of his $12,000/month salary to charity so he makes the same as the average citizen in Uruguay.

From his words;

"A poor person is not someone who has little but one who needs infinitely more, and more and more. I don’t live in poverty, I live in simplicity. There’s very little that I need to live."

The poor continue to face oppression all over the world for the reason that they are pulling down the economy of the world. I am concerned that too many people are focused too much on money and not on their greatest wealth, which is their education. If people are prepared to be flexible, keep an open mind and learn, they will grow richer and richer through the changes. If they think money will solve the problems, I am afraid those people will have a rough ride. Intelligence solves problems and produces money. Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone.

In Islamic teachings, Allah (S.W.T.) says in surat Al-Hujurat, (verse 13), what be translated as,

"O Mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is he who has most taqwa among of you. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware."

With this verse, Islam declares equality among people, that is because Islam respect a human for being a human not for any other reason; Islam dose not distinguish between two races, or two groups of people, or between two colors, and the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) addressed the people signifying that concept during the last pilgrimage, saying:

Also, another practical application of equality in Islam is the equality among people in front of the law and regulations. What is allowed is for all people and what is forbidden as well upon all people. The obligations are upon everyone, and whoever deserved punishment gets it, regardless.

With Christianity, the Holy Bible says in the book of Mark 12:31

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

While the rich continue to enjoy life the poor are always very emotional about their live, some cursing why they were born and others complaining to Supreme being for not making them look like others. Emotions are what make us human. Make us real. The word 'emotion' stands for energy in motion. Be truthful about your emotions, and use your mind and emotions in your favor, not against yourself.

Money is not everything and the love of money is the root of all evil. The lack of money is the root of all evil.

Who will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor?

I WILL PUNISH YOU!

I know most of you were raised by their parents or if not,it is your uncle or aunties. We are all human beings and we sometimes we misbehave which sometimes can attract punishment or discipline.

Effective discipline helps children learn to control their behavior so that they act according to their ideas of what is right and wrong, not because they fear punishment. For example, they are honest because they think it is wrong to be dishonest, not because they are afraid of getting caught.

The purpose of punishment is to stop a child from doing what you don't want - and using a painful or unpleasant method to stop him.

There are basically four kinds of punishment:

• physical punishment - slapping, spanking, switching, paddling, and using a belt or hair brush.
• verbal punishment - shaming, ridiculing, using cruel words, saying "I don't love you."
• withholding rewards - "You can't watch TV if you don't do your homework."
• penalties - "You broke the window so you will have to pay for it with money from your allowance."

The first two kinds of punishment, physical and verbal, are not considered to be effective discipline methods. The other two, withholding rewards and giving penalties, can be used either as effective discipline methods or as punishment - depending on how parents administer them.

Why Punishment Doesn't Work

Physical punishment usually doesn't work for several reasons. First, it makes the child hate himself and others. Physical punishment makes the child think that there must be something awfully wrong with him to be treated so badly. If children think they are "bad," then they will act "bad." A vicious cycle is formed. The child who has been treated harshly has no reason to be good. Or he may be good just to keep from being punished and not learn to be good because he thinks it is the right thing to do.

Children who have been spanked feel that they have paid for their misbehavior and are free to misbehave again. In other words, spanking frees the child from feelings of remorse which are needed to prevent future misbehavior.

Parents who use physical punishment are setting an example of using violence to settle problems or solve conflicts, Children imitate their parents' behavior. When parents use physical punishment, children are more likely to use violent acts to settle their conflicts with others.

Another disadvantage of using physical punishment is that parents have to find other discipline methods when the child becomes as tall and as strong as the parent! Why not start using effective discipline methods when the child is young?

 Where reward and punishment focus on the child, encouragement and reality discipline target the act. Reward and punishment teaches the child to be "good" as long as we are looking. When rewards are our chief way of motivating children we run the risk of creating "carrot seekers": children who are always looking for and expecting a reward every time they do something good or right. If we give a child money for making his bed this week, he'll wonder where his money is next week. Instead of being self-motivated by a desire to cooperate or help other family members, we have taught the child to look to us for his source of motivation.

Effective Discipline . . .

• Helps the child learn self-control
• Can be used with teenagers
• Builds the child's self-esteem
• Sets a good example of effective ways to solve problems.

Harsh Punishment . . .

• Teaches the child to deceive parents
• Won't work with teenagers
• Tears down self-esteem
• Teaches the child that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems.

Discipline vs. Punishment

To discipline effectively, think about these ideas:

1. Effective discipline methods work better than punishment in teaching children how to behave.

2. The more parents use effective discipline methods, the less children need punishment.

3. There is no excuse for using physical or verbal punishment to discipline a child.

4. Using consequences as a discipline method helps children learn to take responsibility for their behavior.

5. Consequences must be logically related to the misbehavior.

6. The child must see the relationship between his misbehavior and the consequences or it will not work.

7. The child must know he has a choice when consequences are used.

8. Use consequences in a firm, kind, friendly manner.

VISITING THE DEAD

Generally, visiting graves is mustahab (recommended) for men and permissible for women. Visiting the graves of saintly people, parents and close relatives is considered mandoob (desirable). It is permissible and possible for women to visit graves as long as they do not cry out, wail, behave hysterically and respect graves too much, which can cause mischief.

The Prophet prohibited visiting graves during a period of time when belief in fate was not yet settled and traditions of the era of ignorance were still being practiced. However, later he permitted it. The following is stated in a hadith:
According to the sound view of Hanafis, it is permissible for women to visit graves as long as they do not display extreme behaviors such as wailing and behaving hysterically. This is because the permission mentioned in hadiths applies to women too.
It has been observed in the stream of history that graves were also visited to ask for help from the dead and even to worship them.

As a matter of fact, there are benefits in visiting graves both for the living and the dead. When the Messenger of Allah was on the expedition to Makkah, he visited his mother Amina’s grave and cried, and made the people around him cry too, and he permitted Muslims to visit graves.

Benefits of Visiting Graves
a) It reminds one of death and afterlife, and makes him draw a lesson from it for his afterlife.
b) It directs one to asceticism and taqwa (God-Consciousness). It prevents over-ambitiousness for worldly life and committing harams. It directs one to commit good deeds.
c) Visiting graves of saintly people - especially that of our Prophet’s - refreshes one’s soul and helps to evoke supreme feelings in them. It is mandoob to travel to the graves of our Prophet and Allah’s saintly slaves in order to visit them. The Prophet states in a hadith: “Whoever visits me after I die, it is as if he visited me whene str I was alive.”
d) Visiting graves helps thengthening of one’s relations with his past, religious culture and history.

Benefits of Visiting Graves for the Dead

a) Graves of parents, other relatives and friends are visited especially in order to pray for the peace of their souls and for their salvation. The fact that thawabs gained from good deeds that are performed on behalf of the dead will reach to them is stated in hadiths and determined by the consensus of Islamic scholars. When visiting the dead, one prays for the peace of their souls, reads the Quran and thawabs gained from those good deeds are donated to them. It is thawab to plant a tree at one’s grave. There are hadiths stating that a tree planted at a grave will be a reason to ease the dead person’s agony. It is makrooh (abominable) to put a wreath on graves as Christians do.

b) The dead hear the living ones: It is stated in the hadiths that those in graves hear the ones who speak while visiting them and respond to their salutations. As narrated by Abdullah b. Umar, the Prophet addressed the corpses of Quraish people lying on the ground after the battle of Badr: “Have you comprehended that the punishment the Lord promised to you was true?” Upon this, Hazrat Umar said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, are you addressing those emotionless corpses?” And the Messenger of Allah said: “You do not hear more than those do. But they cannot answer.”

Appropriate Manners for Visiting Graves

When a visitor arrives in a graveyard, he turns his face towards graves and, as our Prophet said, he salutes them: “O inhabitants of the land of believers and Muslims! May peace be upon you. Insha’allah we are going to join you. I ask Allah for the salvation of both you and us.”

Although the meaning of the narration by Hazrat Aisha is the same, its expression is a little bit different. According to the narrations by Tirmidhi and Ibn Abbas, the Messenger of Allah visited Madinah graveyard once and turning to graves, he said:

“O the inhabitants of the graveyard, peace be upon you! May Allah forgive us and you. You went before us and we are going to come after you.”. If one salutes a dead person he knows while passing by his grave, the dead person responds to his salutation and recognizes him. If one salutes a dead person he does not know while passing by his grave, the dead person responds to his salutation.

During visit to graves, one cannot perform prayers (salat). Graveyards can never be used as masjids. It is makrooh to perform prayers facing a grave. It is not permissible to put candles and light them up on graves.

The Prophet prohibited lighting candles on graves because money is wasted for them and they are lit on graves for revering. It is makrooh to sit on and step on graves.

One must avoid uttering nasty and nonsense words which are unrelated to grave visits, walking in an arrogant manner and one must be in a modest state. One must avoid relieving nature in graveyards. . It is makrooh to cut down trees and plants in graveyards. It is makrooh to make sacrifice near a grave, even though it is performed for the sake of Allah. And it is definitely haram to make sacrifice in order to make the dead content and get help from them. 

TOMBS:

A tomb is a grave that is visited. It is a building with domes, built over the graves of eminent scholars, saintly people, dervishes, rulers, wives and children of rulers, emirs, viziers and commanders in Islam. The buildings built over non-Muslims’ graves are also called tombs. Graves of eminent Islamic scholars, over which a building is not built, are also called tombs as a respect for them.

She preferred to call the Honored Grave “Grave of Ahmad” in her speech. As a matter of fact, as an indication of respect to the Prophet, the Grave of Bliss (the Prophet’s grave) is not called “tomb” but “Rawda al-Mutahhara” and “Qubbatu’l-Khadra”.

The Prophet, in some of his hadiths, prohibited building buildings and masjids over graves.  The majority of Islamic scholars said: Building houses, tombs, domes, madrasas or masjids or arbors is makrooh, though it is not haram, on condition that they are not built to show arrogance or wealth. If they are built to show arrogance and wealth, it is haram. It is unlawful to build a tomb in a public graveyard. If the grave belonged to the property of the dead person, it is makrooh to build tomb over it. Nevertheless, some Islamic scholars said it was permissible to build tombs over the graves of sheikhs, scholars, rulers and wives and children of rulers. There have been scholars who found it permissible to build tombs and domes if there are many buildings and domes like that in places where tombs are built and if those tombs and domes will not result in any kind of prestige such as respect and revering to them, apart from making the dead people recognized and their names known.

It has been agreed by all except Wahhabis that it is necessary to put a gravestone so that the dead person’s name and where he lies will be known.

Except for gravestones which are necessary not to forget the dead person’s name and where he lied, unnecessary ornamentations and constructions must be avoided. The living people need the money spent on graves more than the dead. None of them will be of use to the dead except planting trees.