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Let us pray for peace to return in Northern Kenya. Only then can we sleep soundly.

That's all.

Marsabit Killings Call for Improved Security

The death toll from the attacks on a village in Turbi, Marsabit district by armed raiders now stands at 79. A major security operation is underway but for the grieving families it is too little too late. There is no gainsaying the need for troop reinforcements in an area where tension between the Borana and Gabra communities has reached unprecendented levels. Death and destruction is winding its way through Marsabit and Moyale and heavily armed raiders have even prevented police from accessing some of the affected areas.

The situation remains volatile and the locals are understandably apprehensive. They believe that more raids might take place in the next few days as the two clans try to avenge this week's deaths and others reported in the last few months. It is hard to get to know what is exactly going on there as the area has poor roads and communications facilities.

The government has sent the elite General Service Unit to restore order. The crack paramilitary outfit is known for its efficiency in tackling bandits. While the government is trying its level best to tackle the new internecine strife menace, there are lessons it can take from the sad events at Turbi. One is that border security has to be improved. It is a clear thing that the porous borders we have with Ethiopia and Somalia pose a serious threat to our own internal security. Armed groups are known to cross the border before unleashing death and destruction after which they go back to the safety of their bases.

We need to have more military bases and GSU camps in these border areas. That way rapid deployment of security forces can be done the moment armed groups attack civilians. Flexing military and police muscle is needed if we are to send a strong signal to our neighbours that this is not a playing field for armed groups. Kenyan lives have to be protected.

Then there are the leaders from the affected areas who have themselves failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they have not been fanning tribal hatred. They need to be reined in and if found to be behind the clashes, then they should be locked up. Many of them are known to encourage tribal clashes and even fund suspect activities like cattle raids. It has to be said though that some are mature leaders but a little perusal should weed out the bad from the good.

These are not times to let peace slip through our hands. Kenya is known to be an island of peace. We cannot let a few individuals threaten our stability and progress. Just a few months ago, lives were lost in Mandera when the Garre and Murule clans battled. The loss of life and destruction of property is still being felt and the locals there have the unenviable task of picking up the pieces after such unnecessary bloodshed and destruction.

The government must set an example with the Marsabit clashes. What happened in Turbi must never be repeated in independent Kenya. Long live the peace, love and unity we continue to espouse.

Land grabbers: The Message Is Clear; Return What Is Not Yours

There was a time when Nairobi was blessed with countless playing fields. They came in different sizes from modest palygrounds within residential areas to sprawling fields for different sports within schools. So good was the situation that those who went through primary schools those days remember the wide grounds as a marked feature of their childhood. I am talking about the early 80s when large green spaces dotted Nairobi. Nowadays, the reverse is happening. From the late 90s land meant for public utilities in most parts of Kenya ended in the hands of greedy developers. The land had been acquired illegally.

Most of the land meant for playgrounds has been grabbed and a number of famous playgrounds serving communities in urban areas in the country have virtually disappeared in the last few years. All that remains in urban areas like Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru is a huge concrete jungle that sticks out like some sore thumb. The kids of today are missing what their fathers and mothers took for granted.

There have been all manner of investigations into alleged irregularities in land deals. Grabbing may have reduced in the past three or so years but the situation is already critical. Schools barely have space to take care of their needs let alone expand. You name any institution and you'll most likely hear some heart rending story of how some greedy developer took ownership of a parcel of land meant for expansion or development. Hospitals and prisons have not been spared the heat.

The government has decided to act on one sector of land grabbing. Invoking the need to protect the Mau Forest water catchment area, it has forced thousands of villagers to leave their homes in the area. The government says the country's future is at stake and if the water catchment dies then the entire nation will suffer. It is clear that the people were wrong to be there in the first place.

Some politicians from the Rift Valley are rightly angered that their constituents are being kicked out of the land without an alternative site for their relocation. But where were the same MPs when the people broke all the laws of the land to move into a sensitive water catchment area? What we need are sober discussions to sort out this problem. It is heartening to note that the Minister in charge of Internal Security John Michuki is addressing the problem. He met 24 legislators from the affected Rift Valley province but told them there was no going back on the order. They agreed to work together to ensure the process goes on smoothly.

Now that the hoi polloi, the man and woman on the street, have been made to pay the price of land grabbing and lost possessions in the process, it is our hope that the government will crack down on even bigger land grabbers. These are the well to do businessmen, politicians and civil servants who with total disregard to the law grabbed land meant for public utilities. They have to return what is not rightfully theirs. Public land has to be returned to public ownership. That way the young will enjoy the fruits of justice and enjoy their youth in abundance.

Where our MPs Went Wrong

They can be seen driving the latest four wheel drive models and basking at the coast over most weekends. They live in opulence and have voted themselves some of the highest salaries and lavish benefits. Yet according to recent reports our MPs are some of the laziest in the continent. They have passed only one bill and have over a dozen pending. The situation is so bad that speaker Francis Ole Kaparo was forced to intercede on behalf of the public and urge the legislators to pull up their socks. At one point he cancelled one of their famous retreats at the coast where they were heading to discuss the forthcoming procurement bill.

Kaparo told the MPs that bills were only to be discussed in parliament. The MPs remonstrated against Kaparo's conduct and threatened the speaker with a vote of no confidence. Public support for Kaparo may have saved the veritable speaker popular for his 'Order, Order' command in parliament.

To cut the story short, Kaparo was forced to let the coast retreat go ahead after the intervention of the Ministry of Finance which was organising the event. And the MPs trooped to the palm fringed beaches at the coast to enjoy some of the finest beer and nyama choma on offer at the hotel. That is what it seems. A weekend is hardly enough for the MPs to thoroughly discuss the intricate details of a bill that serious in nature.

Now after all that money was pumped to get them seriously interested in the bill, the MPs have confirmed our worst fears. That they can't just sit down and work. They failed to attend to serious business in parliament on the same procurement bill !!! Only 32 of them voted for the bill after their all expenses paid luxury trip!! How on earth does a house of more than 200 members allow such an important bill to be passed by only 32 MPs?

Our parliament needs to wake up as the public is watching them in the run up to 2007. The MPs wrongly believe that public spats on petty politics, usually exercised in front of hapless mourners at funerals in rural Kenya, are the reason why they were elected. The MPs are very well paid and they'd better justify that. The voters are watching. Come 2007, some of the laziest MPs Kenya has ever seen will be sent to the dustbins of history.

KANU has a long way to go

The official opposition KANU has still a long way to go before it can start feeling comfortable in its new shoes. They are a wee bit uncomfortable and too small a size compared to the comfy ones it wore as the ruling party for forty years. This doesn't mean that KANU hasn't tried. It has attempted to make the best out of its sorry situation and that is good news for Kenyans. KANU held for the first time in decades what many observers saw as free and fair elections. Kasarani, once a battlefield associated with well-choreographed KANU elections meant to choose a certain elite into power, was transformed into a venue that witnessed perhaps KANU's first free elections.

Uhuru Kenyatta beat Nicholas Biwott and the one time 'total man' at one point threatened to walk off claiming the election was being rigged in favour of Uhuru. His claims were hard to prove as the delegates' list was agreed on before the polls and the election was going on smoothly before a packed Kasarani stadium in broad daylight. The election went on and Uhuru was elected chairman.

Today Uhuru is finding it very hard to steer the party in the direction he wants it to go. This is because Nicholas Biwott also claims to be the leader of the party. KANU is torn into two hapless halves, its potency further reduced and the public is clearly not amused. What happens to the country's political landscape? We are effectively left without an active opposition that can keep the government on its toes. Not that anyone misses KANU. It really messed up during its time in power. But a rejuvenated KANU is what Kenyans need to keep the popular NARC administration in check.

Democracy demands an active opposition. That just seems to be missing in Kenya. Ford People has already ensconsed itself in the warm leather seats of government and the opposition benches have also proved to be too cold for certain KANU bigwigs. They are serving cabinet ministers in the current administration despite being loud mouths who rudely told off NARC and its ideals during the 2002 campaigns.

Uhuru Kenyatta seems to be making headway in laying his claim to the leadership mantle in KANU. He and secretary general William Ruto (despite their recent alleged spats) look to have the steely resolve needed to punch the party's way through near oblivion and back into a powerful party capable of winning power.

To make any progress, the party will need to clean up its act and encourage dialogue with a view to resolving internal squabbles. The ruling party NARC has snuffed the life out of its own internal squabbles. LDP has toed the line and NAK has stopped the barking. There are lessons to be learnt from that. Kenyans, irrespective of their political affiliations, want a strong democracy with healthy parties. Only then can Kenyans decide on the best leaders they want.