I heard him talk of coal mining in the celebrations ...yes TALK...

Tsekuru residents walk long distances to get water ....are perennial food relief recipients....http://www.soqko.com/forum/society/society-and-culture/kalonzo-musyoka-25-years-success-or-fail
They have large tracts of land in which dams can be constructed for water harvesting ..for irrigation....

http://www.youtube.com/w...p;feature=youtube_gdata

In terms of development ...Charity Ngilu ....has perfomed better than Kalonzo .....

The upside of Kalonzo is that he has kept his name away from the mega-scandals that have hit this country ...to 'Mr Clean'.... this could be a reason for his n celebration...

@Sage
Kalonzo didn’t defect, it's Raila and Co who defected and organized to buy off one Imanyara's interest in ODM, which he had registered immediately after the referendum for speculative purposes – paid off handsomely.

It pains me to endure supposedly well informed people, reading from the same script as the hoi polloi.

The sense of having an MP is - representation in parliament (legislature),– read legislation.
The duty of developing the country (all constituencies) is bestowed on the Govt. which collects tax from the citizens and other residents within its boundaries.

A non corrupt MP has very limited legitimate way of sponsoring development in his/her constituency.
From this wisdom, which I find warped, Ngilu, who is not reputed for her abhorrence of corruption, would be thought to be a better MP!
I compare that line of thought, to a careless parent who unquestioningly enjoys his/her sons fruits gotten from Ngeta and/or car-jacking escapades.

I would understant if we were calling upon an MP to mobilize the people to work for themselves to better their lot, or beg from some international benefactors, that they give some grants of sorts to help constituents.

Mwingi north is a semi arid area, and very vast as a constituency. An MP, however “development conscious” can only bring about some very little tangible impact in effecting any significant change, in the infrasctural and economic status of such an area.

Surely, blaming someone over climate and its effects can only be attributed to hatred and contempt.
Using that line of thought, then all the MPs of North Eastern Kenya, Coast and Turkana- pokot areas are very bad.

While at it, show me one Mp who has developed his/her vast constituency, without using undue influence (corruption). Don’t cite independent govt effort, or other NGO efforts like the Mathare 4A, and Kibera slum upgrading exercise.

Demanding of our MPs to delve in corruption to bring us “development”, on the one hand, while perennially whining over the harm corruption is doing to the greater good of the country, is not only contradictory, but also hypocritical.

Kalonzo has his short-comings as a person, but failing to develop a constituency is not one of them.

Celebrating 25years on the job is a natural thing just like people celebrate their birthdays, marriage etc.

Come on people

railaholics have never forgiven kalonzo for not giving them a landslide victory.

The argument that elected leaders should not be expected to spearhead development is a fallacy. Indeed they are expected to lobby within government and other agencies for resources as well as provide leadership to their people, in matters of development.

Tuju and Peter Keneth are good examples of legislators who have provided positive leadership to harness local resources for development.

In the 6 years or so that Kiraitu Murungi has been minister in govt, his constituency and the larger Meru has become the national epitome of good roads and electrical infrastructure. He lobbied (blackmailed) to get it!

Musyoka has been a powerful minister for more than 20 yrs during which the only constant has been perennial hunger of his constituents and the greater Kamba areas.....shindwe. Bure Kabisa...

Ngilu has managed to build some dam in the few years she has presided over the water ministry(Musyoka would love us to believe otherwise)

again Kalonzo bure kabisa

To belabour the point!

My post above is comprehensive;
That an MP can variously try
1)Begging from wellwishers, 2)Mobilize the constituents, 3)try legitimate lobbying within govt, etc amongst other small time efforts.

That is hardly enough to bring about change in a vast and semo arid constituency.

Talk of drop in the ocean.

Tuju's and Keneth's constituencies are mere villages (in size -land area) compared to Mwingi north.
Neither are they Arid with the attendant challenges.
Again Tuju used his international contacts to achieve most of the projects medical camps et al.
In such a case one doesnt have to be an MP to assist the down trodden.
I dare repeat the principle duty of an MP is to represent constituents in the legislature.


Invoking the development status of Israel vis a vis Mwingi north is... - something else.
And by the way it took the govt in Israel to so develop the country not an MP.

When you elect somebody to parliament you need to elect a leader who understands the problems of the mashinani people and can come up with tangible solutions, this is the area that Kalonzo fails in. For him to coin the phrase of servant leadership is wrong, it doesnt show in his character towards assisting the down trodden. He needs to fold his sleeves and get down to work.

@Intelligentsia
Thanks for tapping onto your rational side, and breaking ranks with mob/populist thinking, a virtue that seems to be in short supply here.

Lest we blur the line, I am no Kalonzo die hard nor am I sensitive to his reasoned criticism. In fact I quite often find fault in his deeds and utterances and find myself cursing him.

What riles me is when people here, motivated by other consideration, or too lazy to look at issues objectively, heap all manner of blame on the fellow most of it devoid of any substance.
You are quite on mark that, - one would need to quite scratch their head to come up with 5 Mps who have turned their constituencies’ fortunes around.

In any case a valid question here would be - using whose funds to achieve the development?

-Own funds!
-Grants from philanthropy!
-Skewing Govt kitty to favour ones constituency!!!!!!

Most people don’t seem to have a problem the latter! - That perplexes me!


Come to think of it, MPs are human like all of us, - suppose you, I mean you are elected to represent Laisamis in Marsabit, give us a rough blue print of how you would move to turn it around.
Budget estimates, time frame, source of funds etc.
Let’s stop pontificating from the comfort of our arm chairs in big cities.

Someone...

I often wonder, in UK or US would they gauge an MP by our standards or by the quality of debate in the legislature?

Do we ever check how our MPs vote in various issues in Parliament?

The 210 MPs are there coz all 40million Kenyans cannot be entrusted with the task of legislating and have to choose 1 among them to trepresent them in the decision making