yeah realpolitik! ideology is for fools! This is a world where cheetahs (the fastest land animal on the planet) are almost extinct and vultures and hyenas thrive! it doesn't have to be pretty... it just needs to work! working is keeping you alive! long live turncoats! long live opportunists!

Alma1 it just starts with the head of the snake .that's all. In kenya if the head of the snake shows serious commitments then there will be change. But should the head be quite then the vice will go on.that's just me

Argument from ignorance. Even this 'realpolitik' you're talking about is ideology.

I don't know where you were when Kibaki sent the KDF after the killers ama ni statement from statehouse ndio ulikua unataka tuu, ndio hii? But anyway as always Kibaki will always be the best president and none shall get close to him (can that be categorized as worshiping?),

Back to the theme of the thread, like i pointed out earlier justice should prevail for victims of police brutality here in Kenya and everywhere else. People learn from the actions of other people so saying that its none of your business you could not be more wrong.

It's sad that so many of us here are so limited in thought that even in a serious issue as this one critical thought will fail, and the most that can be done is arguing from ignorance, making hasty generalizations and making caricatures. Surely I must be in such wrong company here!

What @masukuma and his fellow slaves are not aware of is that this matter isn't restricted either to servile obedience or reckless and negligent action.

Worse still, in the romp of their pseudo-history they have failed to recognize and honor the efforts of those who've suffered discomfort in the past for the sake of many of us here and now who think they enjoy goodies because they are not only solely responsible for what they have, but are more intelligent than those who suffered before.

Yet in all this these foolish slaves, are consistently contradicting themselves and stumbling in their myopia. Why?

1. By claiming that by being 'polite' and 'docile' to law breakers so that they can go home to their wives; they seem not to realize that they are in fact, making sacrifices for these wives and their children. That is, they recognize the effectiveness and need for sacrifice for others, but limit their options to passive servility. Why? Aren't there other alternatives to this like civil suits, petitions, lobbying and the like?

2. By hurrying to satisfy their selfish ends they forget that even if one avoids death by the gun, one is still mortal and quick to achieve frailty. So who, or what would ensure the happiness and safety of their wives and children if not sure and firm social institutions? Yet they neglect the duty of ensuring that they support and leave behind social institutions that are strong enough for others, and even themselves.

3. Our dear but foolish slaves conveniently forget that 'wife', 'property', 'children' are legal entities, and that by subverting the law or abetting such subversions they are in fact subverting all that is legal and hence what they think is theirs.

Once again I blame the 'mass man' mentality that is diletante in study and uncritical in reflection for the apparent arrogance and poverty of action. Even when one should realize in a country like America things aren't so anarchical that there's even a black president in white house and that institutions have a tendency to work despite the set backs seen, our slaves hurry to quote Che or Kimathi as if they are the only ones who know them, and out of context at that!

Any serious student of law, or any lawyer would realize that though for example, a police officer would make unlawful arrest or behave contrary to law, one would be better off playing calm and use all legal knowledge and power to find redress later!

The issue of resisting arrest isn't an option to the wise, but neither is the failure to recognize duty and power to be forgotten or neglected!

I've waited for these slaves to show that they know this but they have failed.

Finally, Matiba, Dedan Kimathi, or even Che Guevara, are not the failures these fools appear to depict them to be. Even if Matiba has no money as he used to have and is ill because of his political agitation, the mere fact that he widened perspectives for our politicians and all citizens is good enough. There's no law that if one is wise and noble and self sacrificing then he should also be rich and famous!

Dedan dared to dream of self government, and courtesy of this Kibaki became. Kibaki stands on Dedan's blood and effort, ditto masukuma and his slave cohort.

Guevara died a poor man, yet at least one achievement he bestowed on future generations was the knowledge and conviction and praxis that excludes servility to a single global power and hence avoid even if for a breath, abuse of power. Even Kenya of today can't compete with Cuba in simple things as health care.

These people that our impetuous slaves foolishly denigrate didn't toil for naught!

When laws are broken, when laws prove insufficient, all responsible and thinking individuals can do something proactive and intelligent, not necessarily by violence, but wit and technique. 'Realpolitik' is about building coalitions through shared solutions, through inspiring others to shun fear and creating mutual benefit and security for all involved. Not selfish and blind and foolish action.

If there's to be any intelligent discussion on such relevant issues let us refrain from simplistic and caricatured arguments. We don't even have to take sides, we may only need to explore, probe, think critically about our experiences.

But woe unto us if we only have slaves and fools for leaders even here in wazua!