A Chief Justice indeed, but which justice is really chief in Kenyan society?

There is such a ruckus over the selection of the Chief Justice and his deputy.  The nominated Deputy CJ, went to court to try and gag the Law Society of Kenya from issuing political statements, now she is touted as being reformist Number 1!  The Chief Justice nominee, turning up with a stud in his ear that he was instructed by his ancestors to wear.  I wonder what other instructions he receives from his ancestors, and if it is they he always obeys, since he claims any attempt to have his remove it will see him relinquish the post of CJ.

We have been treated to a comedy of horrors, interviews that were more like Gestapo Interrogations than anything.  Humiliation and Embarrassment of the highest order of distinguished men and women in our legal fraternity.  And all for what?  To end up with a Chief Justice who wears a single stud on his left ear, and says if he has to remove it for him to be Chief Justice, well we can keep the job because that stud is too important to him.  Shocking, how much premium he places on the fact that he is to lead a whole arm of government.  If put on the scale, the CJ's job weighs less than a stud!  Yet there are men and women who have devoted their whole career to the dispensation of justice, and yet alas, they were found wanting! (The gospel according to the JSC)

I know, I can rant and rave about it, but one thing I have decided to do, is let this madness run its course.  It seems Kenyans are obsessed with making the wrong decisions under the guise of taking a new direction.  The more incredulous the choice, the more radical and forward thinking it is!  Well, those who don't learn from history are duty bound to repeat it, so I guess the shouts of "ouch!" from other jurisdictions went unheard and unheeded here.  The are labelling all voices of caution or dissent as being "anti-reformist" or being the forces that are corrupt and are afraid of their old ways being exposed.  It is preposterous!  However, one thing I have learned, justice is crucial, for every society.  Play games with it, and what you risk losing is more than you gain of it.  Just a stud?  I wonder what else will be fine by us in our compromise to try exorcise the spirit of "Moism" from our systems.

We have a new Constitution.  Most of the provisions will be given life either in parliament or in the courts.  The new set up of the county assemblies and the bi-cameral parliament will take quite a while to be established.  So guess who will be in charge of giving life and meaning and interpretation to the Constitution? With an Activist Chief Justice, and an Activist cum Reformist Deputy, its only a matter of time before Judicial Activism takes over.  The Chief Justice, who will be the head of the Judicial Service Commission, will be in charge of deciding who is in the Supreme Court, the law making court.  Have you seen some of those looking for Supreme Court Positions?  Njoki Susanna Ndungu, she who has never practised law in the court corridors, and is reknowned for her activism.  Hon Martha Koome, former FIDA Kenya stalwart.  The Supreme Court has a total of 7 judges, if four are guaranteed activists, what hope do we have that we have not just ushered an era where those 7 unelected judges will decide the fate of this land.  It will be a sad day for Kenya, when Judges will decide what law governs Kenyans, rather than parliament, our chosen representatives, but that day is indeed coming.

All I can do now is pray, which is what I am doing for Kenya.  I give up any earthly wisdom on how Kenya's issues can be resolved, and I leave it to God to decide.  Did we leave it too long?  Is all lost?  I leave it at the Potter's Hand, we are but clay.

Its cold outside but I'm warm inside

One really rainy day in Mombasa I was on my way to work.  I had no car those days, I was still in Government employ.  I walked out of the house when it was still dry, by the time I got to the bus stop, it was drizzling.  I thought of heading back home to look for something to shelter me from the rain, but by then it was really raining heavily.  I stood under a tree at the bus stop waiting for the rain to percolate through the leaves to start pounding me as well.  Then I thought to myself what a miserable day I would have if my clothes were damp, so I decided to pray.  I asked God to keep me dry.  He loves me and He wants the best for me.  I gave thanks for the rain and asked Him to not stop the rain, but since I needed to go to work and I needed to be dry, for Him to keep me dry, and I said Amen.

It was one of those few EUREKA moments when I have had total child-like faith.  I believed even in the torrential downpour, I would remain tinder dry.  The percolation through the trees sure occurred, but I had a circle of about 1.5metres in diametre around me completely dry!  Even the soil was totally dry.  I stood at the bus stop for about25 minutes before a nissan matatu (public minivan) finally arrived.  The driver stopped the vehicle and the conductor opened the door to let me in.  Not even the transfer into the matatu got a drop on me.  The conductor who let me in, in the short time he had his door open, got quite wet, yet I entered his matatu as dry as if they picked me up from my drive way.  He looked at me so strange, as did the passangers who I found in the matatu, since they were all wet and a bit frazzled, and I was not.

This was a miracle just for that day.  Just to remind me He does feel concern for my every detail.  In life, it may be stormy all around.  You may not have a reason to be hopeful.  A crash may seem inevitable, a soaking in the cards for sure.  However, it does not have to be.  Interrogate yourself, what do you hope for in life?  Are you getting it?  Can you do anything different? I recommend faith.  It is a crutch all of us could use.  Besides, it does not leave you with a hangover!

Its been a while

I have left off blogging for a while, trying other pursuits, but I think I really love writing, bottom line.  I must give blogging a second chance, since I realise I spend too much on Facebook and now increasingly more time on twitter.

I have had two weeks or so to ponder and think about what life really is to me.  I must admit, there are still many gaping holes, but I so love the fact that I have God to lean on.  I think my Christianity is the ultimate crutch.  This life is way too hard.  I come to a place I feel I am where I want to be.  I have a job that satisfies me, making decent money, living in a nice enough house for what I need, in a good enough neighbourhood for my station in life.  I have material blessings.

Spiritually too, I feel I am making head way in my faith, I am learning more about God and His ways.  I am recapturing lost love and renewing old vows, while making new discoveries on how much impact I can have for God.  My husband and I seem to understand more on what God would have us do in His Kingdom, though some areas still need light to be shed.  The children are grasping the concept of a God we cannot see who is always present with us.

However, even with all these, I still find myself, wondering, will I ever achieve full understanding?  I am doing so much better than most, but still my brow is creased and my mind is racing searching for answers.  I guess as long as I am alive, I shall never fully understand.  The secret I think lies in reaching a point where you make up your mind, that even if you do not understand, you do not mind.  I don't have to know everything, I do not have to understand everything, I do not have to open any door or to make any allowances for anything that I cannot grasp.  Simply because, as the cliche' goes, what you don't know won't hurt you.  Quite literally, if God has kept it hidden from me, then I don't really need to know.