Skip to main content

REMEMBERING DAVID MUNYANKEI


Down in the caves of Narok was born a child who was to be named Munyankei. He grew up to be a civil servant and a whistleblower and later the most hated person Kenya ever conceived. Munyankei was one horrible person in this country. The son of the soil that stinks to the chagrin of those trying to clean him. He was rescued from the annals of poverty and after a few strings had been pulled this nincompoop landed a job in the Central Bank of Kenya. As a clerk Munyankei rubbed shoulders with the high and mighty. He knew the secrets of the government and knew the nooks and cranny of the filth within the country. When he couldn’t take it in any more, he let out a loud fart that could make the country stink in the wake of a grand corruption that was slowly making the women of Mathioya reeling with itchy fingers because of jiggers, a problem we could easily solve. 
Munyankei saved Kenya at the hour of her need, or perhaps he thought so. By saving our poor country, this poor man literally killed his mother. He murdered his mother for, “there comes a time when a country is more important than an individual.” For his sincerity, David was thrown in the gallows and later released to the hungry jackals who wanted to chew him alive. He was awarded a sack by his employee and when he demanded far too much he was threatened which led him to exile in Mombasa.
Confused Munyankei took to Islam and name change to save his skin. The Goldenberg slowly faded and Munyankei now a Muslim was temporarily forgotten. A perfect way to continue wallowing in riches the Goldenberg lords nodded a sigh in relief.
Come 2002 Munyankei felt a new guy when finally the spirits of the dead stirred into life and the Goldenberg was re-opened. Fresh investigations were launched with Kibaki breathing fire on the Lords of impunity. Kenyans and especially Munyankei was going to feel the amazing treat that comes when a hero is honoured. That was a dream that would send poor Munyankei to the grave three years later. Thanks to Pneumonia that knew too well to save him of the agony of suffering the pain that this country putting him to torture.
Munyankei was gone; July 16, 2006 was the darkest day that Kenya saw. A story ran in the media of how Goldenberg had lost a vital witness and that also passed, the lords of Goldenberg breathed another sigh. “Phew! We did not have to fake an accident!”
My point is that as we go on mourning some of our falling heroes from the skies, why don’t we pay homage to young and irrelevant people in our life. If it were not for people like Munyankei, if he had chosen to bury his head in the sand, then this country would have rotten in jiggers, famine and obesity.  
It is time we played it safe if not by the book, its that time we re-invented ourselves and looked into what surrounds us in a fresh angle and move on to demand what hitherto is justice denied or rather downplayed, justice bended, justice withheld, justice cast out in plays and justice tampered with the dog that bites literally the masters of have tamed them.
All the mechanisms that are put forth are just barriers that be, that prevent the common mwanainchi to get to the bottom or at least halfway towards the bottom of the matter. It clearly inundates the characters in a play that ironises the true story of a Kenya sleeping.
Munyankei’s statue should be gracing our streets; it should be placed near the aging integrity house that has lost its integral role of being an integral part of shaping the country that slowly has the jackals for leaders.  
One thing that really makes me go mad is the fact that we as Kenyans have become warthogs. We already know that the current crop leaders are just but predators of the economy. We already know that these individuals are vultures that Boniface Mwangi painted as the vultures who pee on the patriotism of Kenya. We have clear judgement that these guys, some of them who own tonnes of land that could resettle the IDPS, squatters et al, have their greed unquenchable on the ‘half loaf’ of Kenya.
It beats me when state resources are misused and we ruefully nod our heads in agreement. It is like watching someone unzip his trousers and directs his penis in your direction and you encouragingly nod your head to permit them to go ahead and pee on you!
How then can a nation reward Lords of filth while we watch in silence? How then can we scorn at those who want the goodwill of this country? Are we really humane? Can’t we just accept the fact that, Kenya does not just need a new constitution but an overhaul of personal conscience, a new sense of perception and reason beyond the village of thought that has forever embalmed our thoughts into village hood?
My heart is torn apart when I learn that, the act Munyankei did sent his mother into shock. The shock terminated his mother’s life; the shock made David Munyankei an orphan. Yet the tears he shed for his mother, the life he lost in his mother, bore no fruits. He was ousted from work. He was hated. He was so alone. His funeral was a final blow for he died a poor man struggling to make ends meet. The strength he had while revealing the vices that were deteriorating Kenya’s economy had been usurped from him. He died and he was buried the dark clouds that had cleared in 2002 to usher in a ray of hope slowly caved in a soil was heaped on his coffin. Motionless the clouds thumped in darkness where the vultures would start hunting again, giving birth to Anglo-leasing. Another cloud cleared as John Githongo resisted being tempted. The cloud would soon be replaced.
The late David Munyankei, John Githongo and quite a number of us, represent just a fraction of the over 40,000, 000 of us, who have been audacious enough to raise a finger when the vultures strike. What will happen if the 40,000,000 of us rose up and demanded for what so belongs to us?
I wish we could only have shed tears for Munyankei and even raised the flag a half a mast for even a half a minute. Then more justice would have been our shield and defender.





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF NASILIAN CULTURE IN BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH

SOME ASPECTS OF CULTURE ARE BENEFICIAL AND OUGHT TO BE MAINTAINED. USING EXAMPLES FROM THE NOVEL, BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH, WRITE A COMPOSITION TO ILLUSTRATE THE TRUTH OF THE STATEMENT Culture defines our identity and social relationships within a certain setup. Sometimes, some cultural aspects come off as bad while others can be looked at as good. However, culture only becomes bad when compared to another that seems superior. Many African communities found themselves at crossroads when the ‘superior’ European culture was thrown down their gullets. Nevertheless, many African cultures have grown into what they are today while some have retained what can be perceived as negative cultural practices. In the book Blossoms of the Savannah, H.R Kulet presents a boiling pot of cultural confusion within the Maa community specifically the people of Nasila. As we can see, some of the Nasilian cultural practices can be beneficial to the wellbeing of society and, therefore, should be maintaine

NEGATIVE CULTURAL PRACTICES AMONG THE PEOPLE OF NASILA IN BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH

The book Blossoms of the Savannah explores both the positive and negative cultural practices. H. R Kulet describes intimately those cultural practices he believes are best and on the other hand, lets us in on some of the cultural practices he believe were injurious. Interestingly, the negative cultural practices are aimed at women. The most poignant cultural practice that negatively affects women is Female genital mutilation. Although according to Parmuat, the practice was started by women to resist the evil Ilarinkoi, it continued to cause wanton pain and torture on women. Taiyo and Resian are determined to fight it. Resian manages to evade the brutal practice however Taiyo barely makes it having been forcibly cut. FGM is a global menace affecting millions of women in Africa and Asia. Although its benefits are only anthropological, its effects are very damning and could lead to death.  Second among the negative Nasilian culture is early marriage. Resian still has goals to fu

THE THEME OF INHERITANCE IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE BY DAVID MULWA

Inheritance refers to what is left by the deceased to the family in material wealth or sometimes power. However, the word could have diverse meanings when applied to works of literature. In this respect, David Mulwa looks at inheritance in various ways. The play revolves around a three decades old Kutula under its new leadership. Having achieved independence from colonial masters, Kutula is now governed by Lacuna Kasoo-the son of pre-independence King Kutula XV. Lacuna ascended to power after the death of his father. Although the King has adopted Princess Sangoi as his successor, he dies mysteriously thus handing the power to the greedy, self-centred Lacuna. As it were, Lacuna conspired with the colonial masters to assassinate his father King Kutula XV. Having assumed power with the help of colonial masters, Lacuna runs the government under the influence of Kutula’s former imperialists. He receives hefty loans aimed at ‘developing’ the country. However, the loans are meant to make Kutu