THE TOP SIX FOR THE TOP SEAT IN 2012;

With the media having hyped anxiety over 2012 (now March 2013) as the most important political year for Kenyans, several guys have already made their intentions clear that they will be seeking the top job. One of them will indeed become president but we all have our fears on what kind of presidency these peeps can demonstrate.

I am aware of Peter Keneth, Charity Ngilu, Raphael Tuju and Ole Kiyiapi's ambitions but there are all indications that they will not make it to the top six.

Mr. Wamalwa has always looked and sounded like a man who can make a very effective president. He is a good orator and a hard working member of parliament. He may not have political hair on his chest but who knows, he could pull a surprise as the next Obama for Kenya. He however needs to separate himself from his ethnic ill advised friends calling for Luhya unity and reach out to the  rest of Kenyans.

If elected in March, Mr. Kenyatta will be the first youthful president for Kenya. He could be the second professional president after Mr. Kibaki who will likely  expedite Kenya's economic growth ( I wonder if he still believes in his 2002 dream).

However, this man could turn out to be the bourgeois president who will create a man eat man society and possibly widen the gap between the poor and the rich like never seen before. In the past he has shown some character of arrogance and pugnacity and to this extent, he may turn out to be the most reactionary president just like his former boss in Kanu.

Mr.Odinga is perhaps the new president in waiting if what happened in 2007 and current opinion polls are anything to go by. Being a man who has lived half his life claiming for democracy and state house, he could be the most celebrated president just like Jomo in 1963. He could however turn out to be a “hands on” paranoid president who will succumb to any little pressure from the civil society and the international community.

If he doesn’t change his way of addressing crowds, he may turn out to be the most undignified head of state that everybody will want to ridicule and to this extent, the business community may not take him seriously. His overzealous attitude of wanting to lead the pack all the time may also put him in trouble with his experienced African counterparts.He is a loggerhead anyway.

If she ever makes it as president in March 2013, Ms. Karua will be the third lady president in Africa. Commonly known as the iron lady, she will certainly make women proud not only in Kenya but in Africa as a continent.

This lady could be the one to bring true change in Kenya owing to her no nonsense oomph towards issues of governance. She could however struggle to keep the economy on track since she has little skills and no experience on economic affairs.

Mr. Musyoka is well known for his miraculous declarations. It will indeed be a miracle if he ever becomes president for this country. If his declarations ever come true, the self declared clean diplomat and son of a poor man will be one of the most handsome presidents in the world. He could as well be given it on a silver platter by those who made him what he is today ( Kalonzo's political character and fate are more or less the same like Musalia Mudavadi's).   

Kalonzo will be an ordinary boring African president with no sense of humor just like his role model Mr. Kikwete of Tanzania. He could also turn out to be as arrogant as his former boss Mr. Moi. His dismissive attitude and hypocritical face of Mr. know it all will not do anybody any good.

Mr. Arap Samoei is also said to have ambitions of occupying the house on the hill come March. His popularity is purely built on controversy and chest thumping. If he ever becomes president, he will be a copy-cat of Mr. Moi who economically suffocated this country during his twenty four years reign. This man could turn out to be a viper and a political sadist who will scare friend and foe alike. Following his record in public life, he could be the most corrupt president who may not even be allowed to finish his first term in office.

You may therefore forgive me for believing that we may not have a president of Mr. Kibaki’s caliber any time soon. His maturity and composure are too much for any of the aforementioned presidential hopefuls to mantain. 

By Duke Kosprin

COMING FROM THE FUTURE;

My mother and I have always lived in our little suburb down the valley. I have lived without a farther for almost two and a half decades ever since my father deserted us. In our little house, there are only three portraits on the walls; my mother’s, mine and one for my mother’s little bulldog Gilberto who has been around since I was an infant. Gilberto never leaves the house except when he accompanies me for swimming at our neighbor’s house just across the fence.

I wouldn’t be swimming if it wasn’t for Miss Makena who encourages me. The pool belongs to her family and it was the last gift her father left them before leaving for Germany two and a half decades ago. Makena and never attended the same schools during our school days but she always played and did her homework with me at our house.

Even though our mothers rarely meet or even talk, the two of us hang around together most of the time. We swim together, read together and watch movies together. We often stroll down the valley together as she trains me how to play guitar. We later come back to my mother’s house and play piano. She likes my mother’s bulldog but she doesn’t quite like the idea that his name is Gilberto. She says her father is Gilberto too!-Gilberto Makena.

Just recently on the 15th October 2010, she had some good news to tell me; and so I went to meet her by the swimming pool accompanied by Gilberto. Minutes earlier, my mother had reminded me to take good care of Gilberto. We sat for a while by the pool as we reminisced our childhood. She then asked me to close my eyes for she had a gift she wanted to surprise me with. I obliged.

While I had my eyes closed, her gift accidentally fell into the deep waters of the pool. I then saw Gilberto diving into the waters for the gift. I knew he was not a good swimmer and that got me worried and confused. I thought about my mother’s advice earlier and immediately jumped into water to save him. I struggled in water but finally pushed Gilberto to the deep end. As Makena pulled him out, I was overwhelmed with excitement as a crawled back to the deep end.

In my excitement, I suddenly felt weak and my vision got blurred. I began sinking as I swallowed several gulps of water. I tried to call for help but I had no energy left. I finally lost my self completely and in my unconscious state, I saw what one can never see in any ordinary dream; I saw the future.

I saw myself in a holly cathedral in the city. On the wall clocks, it was exactly 9.00 am on Saturday the 15th day of October 2016. I was about 5.8 feet tall smartly dressed in a tight grayish French wedding suit. It was finally my wedding day with Miss Makena after having proposed to her six months earlier.

At the corridors, I grabbed my cell phone and ringed her just to psyche her up because we were only thirty minutes away from the hour. She expressed to me how she was excited that her father had traveled all the way from Germany for the wedding. I was happy for her.

I then made my short prayer and headed back to sit next to my mother at the left front bench which was set aside for us. My mother was extremely excited as she kept whispering to me how she was proud of me. Soon, we got an alert that the bride had arrived in the premises.

My best man, my mother and I stood at the front the basilica ready to receive the bride with her folks. I anxiously peeped through the windows and saw my beautiful princes in her white gown heading her way towards the main entrance.

When they approached the isle, the congregation was asked to arise as the bride jingle was played. She walked by her well groomed mother and father with her best lady right behind them. She focused her eyes on me brightened by her usual sweet smile. My mother who then had a firm grip of my right hand looked at me as if she was shocked. She embraced me as though she was collapsing. "Oh my God, Gilberto is her father?" That was all I heard from her before I found myself being resuscitated by Miss Makena who had just saved me from the pool.

By Duke Kosprin