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I thought long and hard about penning a response to the piece by one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential personalities – Virgin Group founder and businessman Sir Richard Branson.
The piece by the British entrepreneur titled “Richard Branson: Why I Love Kenya†was essentially a four hundred and fifty-nine worded ad for Sir Branson’s Mahali Mzuri luxury safari camp in Maasai Mara, Kenya. “Mahali Mzuri†is Swahili for “nice placeâ€.
Full Disclosure: I have not been to Sir Branson’s “nice place†though going by the professionally taken pictures posted on the equally profession and sleek website, the place looks divine.
The article, an infomercial by Mr. Branson for his investment is definitely in keeping with the path charted by one Michael Jordan of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Chicago Bulls. His Airness or Michael “MJ†Jordan was famously quoted as saying that “Republicans buy sneakers too.â€
In an article titled “Hot Air: The Case Against Michael Jordanâ€, writer Michael Crawley writes that the line was Mr. Jordan’s response to a request for a “single quote or a brief photo op†by the Tar Heel Blue deity from then-Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt. The year was 1990 and Mr. Gantt, the city of Charlotte’s first black mayor, was involved in a tight and racially-tinged race for the North Carolina Senate seat against the bigoted right-wing segregationist Republican incumbent Jesse Helms.
With power comes responsibility and at the height of his fame and popularity, Michael Jordan, unlike LeBron James, refused to get involved in a moment wrought with import and significance – the possible defeat of a racist white politician by a black man, in America’s South no less!
Kenya is at a cross-road. The country is yet to fully recover from the trauma and angst caused by the post-election violence of 2007 even though the crimes-against-humanity case against one of the principals and its current president Mr. Kenyatta was recently dismissed by the International Criminal Courts.
Corruption is a back with a ferociousness and blatancy that makes the scandals of yesteryears tame by comparison. Not a day goes by without a major corruption scandal erupting and engulfing one of the main institutions and branches of the country’s government: From the Office of the President all the way to law enforcement – via the legislature and those they represent – WanaKenya Halisi – the country has become one big “chicken eating†BBQ.
While I fully understand and appreciate the adage that there is a time and place for everything, I also believe whole-heartedly that the time has come and gone for Kenya and her “friends†to confront and deal with, once and for all, the ravages of corruption and impunity.
Mr. Branson does a disservice to the “wonderful people†of the “beautiful country†when he writes such a vacuous piece about a country that is less than a decade removed from violence that consumed 1200+ of its citizens while displacing over half a million and forever changing how Kenyans perceive and interact with one another.
By refusing to speak out against the slow but certain extinction of the country’s pachyderms and rhinos, both whose tusks and horns are treasured by Kenya’s newest BFF China, it is just a matter of time before Sir Branson’s vision of a “landscape…alive with a majestic kingdom of animals…(and) hundreds of lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes and wildebeest†becomes just that – a mirage.
Sir Branson: There is nothing “cleansing†about the “experience†of the millions of Kenyans who are led by people who see public service, not as an honorable calling, but as an opportunity to eat “chickenâ€.
Richard, if I may, this “wonderful†Kenyan does not want you to support and enable, by your silence, leaders who are selfish and act with an impunity Kenya, the “beautiful country†has endured since her independence from your own Britain!
Mr. Richard Branson, your “love†for the “beautiful country’s†“wonderful people†should compel you to speak out against corruption at every turn.
True “love†for Kenya would not allow you to tolerate behavior that threatens the long-term viability of that “nice placeâ€.
- By Washington Osiro | marloow@yahoo.com
Comments
Osiro yawa!
It is not the job of heavy weight or light weight investors or any other guests to Kenya to clean the Kenyan house. We as a people dirtied our own home and to expect guests to pickup the broom, and bucket to clean the cobweb of corruption and all the dirty linen of the nation is uncouth behavior to say the least. We as a people have tonnes of laundry needing washing. Best get on with house cleaning and stop looking for scapegoats. Baada ya dhiki faraja.
Bw Osiro,
Every cloud has a silver lining and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Even with all the evil happening in our dear country (spiraling corruption, senseless deaths and a general lack of a moral value system), I agree with Mr Branson that Kenya is one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. All is not doom and gloom and while you are quick to correctly take note of the vice of corruption bedeviling the country, not everyone sees the same thing, either by choice (they choose to be blind) or by some other reason. Branson chose to focus on the silver lining in the cloud and who knows, maybe he gona write on the entire cloud next time round. And you are right that his piece is an informercial - what else would you expect from a businessman of his repute? His writing is inspired by pure self-interest but again you cannot fault him. Nevertheless, congratulations galore for your continued fight against corruption for it is absolutely important that the fight keeps going, a luta continua!
Corruption is a problem that Kenyans need to figure out for themselves.
Kenyans are the ones asking for "chai" and "soda."
Richard Branson has done his part by investing in Mahali Mzuri and creating jobs.
The mentality of tunaomba Wazungu watusaidia needs to stop.
Corruption can only be solved by Kenyans themselves!
Let those who can afford it visit Mahali Mzuri and enjoy the beauty of Kenya.