Good evening dear reader,
Much has been said and has happened with regards to the #KCSE2017.
Firstly, I do not like how this issue of #KCSE2017 is being politicised. We should not begin castigating and blaming the 'markers' and 'exam bodies' (read as 'government') that complete the circle of the four years in secondary system of the Kenyan education. We should however face the reality and put checks on. Let us stop asking questions of numbers transiting to the tertiary colleges. It is not about the number(quantity) of students that are to be 'pushed' or forwarded to the universities,but rather the quality. We should start the conversation that will put effort to discovery of the real root problems the system is facing-among them:
1. Students Entry Behaviour.
2.Teacher availability
3. Teacher-student ratio
4. Teaching and learning resource and their availability.
5. Teacher welfare and renumeration
6. Student welfare (Discipline and motivation) among others.
In my next posting I will be discussing in detail how all the above issues (including others not mentioned) have contributed to the failure in our education sector.
For the moment, I would ask you all to reflect on those issues as we await the conversation.
Good evening readers.
Nelson Kilonzo
KCSE 2017 TALK
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT OUR CURRENT SCHOOL SITUATION?
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
I think we should stop the debate on who,where or how we are wrong on arson cases in our secondary institutions and rather take a pose to look deep into the real issue. I suppose we will al agree to the fact that we have allowed the society to rot right from the childhood upbringing. Well I am a strong holder of the belief that discipline makes up a major part of whom we were,are and will be. The results we experience in our daily lives depend greatly on how we approach our situations. How we react to our situations depend greatly on how well(in some major key areas in our humanity;Emotionally,Psychologically,Physically and Spiritually) we are equiped to deal with the situations. How well we are equiped in all these pieces that make up our human nature and form is also a question of how well we were and are being modeled to be part of the society-majorly by how we are brought up. "Kilaa kiumaa nthà na miwua ya cho" This is a kamba proverb loosesly translated to "A thorny bush grows with its thorns from the ground" What it really means is that we grow with our behavious from our childhood. Literaly,it should state that we begun being whom we are from our very tender age. Should I suppose that the students involved in the school chaos we made to be such even in their childhood? No!! But just as a farmer proons their unyielding or unwanted parts of their crops,weeds off their farms and sprays away the insects, manures and waters their farms is how parents are to be held responsible for their childrens' behavious.
It does not however pinch the parent alone,the society too must face the truth. In our times and earlier,the society was tasked with disciplining the child. One would not do wrong in the precense of an elder and assume to go unrewarded. No such day ever was. The immediate elder acted as your parent. The would punish you for whatever deed they see unpleasnt. The society,then,modeled behaviour in the youths. You were made to respect yourself first,then the rest. You were made to appreciate every moment of correction;willingly or not. You would be so carefull not to utter any "new" word you learnt, anyhowly,or even worse argue with an elder even when you are right. You were even made to fear the consequences of a "no" head shake. Everyone was made to appreciate the little they had,even if they hated it. Those days,you were the custodian of your actions. The cane was the advocate for a good and moral society. It was the pain that made one learn to do all the society asked. The pain of the cane kept all young men to their mud-thatched rooms-not to go out loitering everywhere. It was the cane that kept one's hand and eyes off the pot of beer. It was the cane and pintches that took one to school. It was the beating that taught one to be neat. It was the pain that made on learn to utilize their freedom of expression. It was the pain that would hold one against demanding and crying for what was not important or urgent at that moment. The fear of the cane made one do their homework. The fear of the cane made one listen to their elders,and learn from their croockedness. It made one realise and feel the precense of the authority. That was when peace reigned in schools. That was when the teacher was seen as an important role in the consistency of the morality in the society. They taught. They caned. They made good,moral,learned citizens out of the young naive children sent to them by the society. They used the cane as a reference to those who thought of going astray. But then that has for the last decade seemed to have been "then". Times have changed a big deal. The society has taken a new wrong route to morality. The cane has been an enemy to growth and the introduction of technology has exited the reign of good conduct. The private has become public and the public has been shown the dark. The bad has been rebranded to look attractive and the good has been relabled. The society(what was refered to as "us") has broken its bond with culture and the "me" has ruled. The interests of the society have been overrulled by the wants of indivindualism. The family has changed to become gangs. The school has no longer any value to growth,it has been tinted as a place to pass time,to regroup to gangs and a place of moral decay. The schools we took pride in have become places of shame. The cane,has been replaced with gifts that lure one deeper into immorality. Our parents have changed to lesser beings than us, to us. The change has been so fast and radical,so determined that to change it has begun seeming as a dream. But all hope is not lost. That has happened. We should accept. We should now adjust and restructure our society for a turn around. I believe,just like the christians,that we can still bring up the next cohort in a moral way. We can shade our pride and exhault our common interest-bringing morallity back. If we wish for that past,we can use today to create it in the future. What is already done is done. We can't undo it. But we can modify it.
I believe in trials. And you too as a reader should. I believe if the child is brought up in morality from their earliest stage,then we can change the society. Lets begin the change from the start line. Let us give back the teacher his place in restoring morality. Lets give the primary and secondary institution instructor the mandate to give us a moral citizen. That will however be his part. I am sure he will be glad to play his part. Let parents authorise,and too use the cane to rebuild our good but decaying society. Lets begin the reconstruction in our primary schools. If we all devort ourselves,in a decade we will not hear of these cases of arson.
Lets ADJUST for the change. Let the cane be re-intdoduced. I know it will make someone,just as it did to us.
Thank you reader. That was my honest view. What is yours?!
Nelson Kilonzo.
I think we should stop the debate on who,where or how we are wrong on arson cases in our secondary institutions and rather take a pose to look deep into the real issue. I suppose we will al agree to the fact that we have allowed the society to rot right from the childhood upbringing. Well I am a strong holder of the belief that discipline makes up a major part of whom we were,are and will be. The results we experience in our daily lives depend greatly on how we approach our situations. How we react to our situations depend greatly on how well(in some major key areas in our humanity;Emotionally,Psychologically,Physically and Spiritually) we are equiped to deal with the situations. How well we are equiped in all these pieces that make up our human nature and form is also a question of how well we were and are being modeled to be part of the society-majorly by how we are brought up. "Kilaa kiumaa nthà na miwua ya cho" This is a kamba proverb loosesly translated to "A thorny bush grows with its thorns from the ground" What it really means is that we grow with our behavious from our childhood. Literaly,it should state that we begun being whom we are from our very tender age. Should I suppose that the students involved in the school chaos we made to be such even in their childhood? No!! But just as a farmer proons their unyielding or unwanted parts of their crops,weeds off their farms and sprays away the insects, manures and waters their farms is how parents are to be held responsible for their childrens' behavious.
It does not however pinch the parent alone,the society too must face the truth. In our times and earlier,the society was tasked with disciplining the child. One would not do wrong in the precense of an elder and assume to go unrewarded. No such day ever was. The immediate elder acted as your parent. The would punish you for whatever deed they see unpleasnt. The society,then,modeled behaviour in the youths. You were made to respect yourself first,then the rest. You were made to appreciate every moment of correction;willingly or not. You would be so carefull not to utter any "new" word you learnt, anyhowly,or even worse argue with an elder even when you are right. You were even made to fear the consequences of a "no" head shake. Everyone was made to appreciate the little they had,even if they hated it. Those days,you were the custodian of your actions. The cane was the advocate for a good and moral society. It was the pain that made one learn to do all the society asked. The pain of the cane kept all young men to their mud-thatched rooms-not to go out loitering everywhere. It was the cane that kept one's hand and eyes off the pot of beer. It was the cane and pintches that took one to school. It was the beating that taught one to be neat. It was the pain that made on learn to utilize their freedom of expression. It was the pain that would hold one against demanding and crying for what was not important or urgent at that moment. The fear of the cane made one do their homework. The fear of the cane made one listen to their elders,and learn from their croockedness. It made one realise and feel the precense of the authority. That was when peace reigned in schools. That was when the teacher was seen as an important role in the consistency of the morality in the society. They taught. They caned. They made good,moral,learned citizens out of the young naive children sent to them by the society. They used the cane as a reference to those who thought of going astray. But then that has for the last decade seemed to have been "then". Times have changed a big deal. The society has taken a new wrong route to morality. The cane has been an enemy to growth and the introduction of technology has exited the reign of good conduct. The private has become public and the public has been shown the dark. The bad has been rebranded to look attractive and the good has been relabled. The society(what was refered to as "us") has broken its bond with culture and the "me" has ruled. The interests of the society have been overrulled by the wants of indivindualism. The family has changed to become gangs. The school has no longer any value to growth,it has been tinted as a place to pass time,to regroup to gangs and a place of moral decay. The schools we took pride in have become places of shame. The cane,has been replaced with gifts that lure one deeper into immorality. Our parents have changed to lesser beings than us, to us. The change has been so fast and radical,so determined that to change it has begun seeming as a dream. But all hope is not lost. That has happened. We should accept. We should now adjust and restructure our society for a turn around. I believe,just like the christians,that we can still bring up the next cohort in a moral way. We can shade our pride and exhault our common interest-bringing morallity back. If we wish for that past,we can use today to create it in the future. What is already done is done. We can't undo it. But we can modify it.
I believe in trials. And you too as a reader should. I believe if the child is brought up in morality from their earliest stage,then we can change the society. Lets begin the change from the start line. Let us give back the teacher his place in restoring morality. Lets give the primary and secondary institution instructor the mandate to give us a moral citizen. That will however be his part. I am sure he will be glad to play his part. Let parents authorise,and too use the cane to rebuild our good but decaying society. Lets begin the reconstruction in our primary schools. If we all devort ourselves,in a decade we will not hear of these cases of arson.
Lets ADJUST for the change. Let the cane be re-intdoduced. I know it will make someone,just as it did to us.
Thank you reader. That was my honest view. What is yours?!
Nelson Kilonzo.
NIMECHOKA
NIMECHOKA. By Nelson Kilonzo
Saa check,
Stock take,
Head yako present, check
Vote yako inakurepresent, take
Decision yako u-make
Future yako tu-make
Time yetu ‘mefika
Alafu msiba sije’fika
Cause’ hao majamaa wata-come
Like five years bila kuja home
Ma-promise kibao,
Tupeni twao, tu-mbao
Shida itawa sisi bila wao
But si, sisi ndio ‘litupa mbao?
Itabidi tu-stop
Tu-stalk na tu-talk,
“Tumechoka, na si madharao.”
Ikibidi uliza hata makarao.
Kutubeba kimadharao
Juu shida zetu si zao hao
Mkenya nimechoka torture
Sasa ‘heshimiwa hesabu hadi moja,
Tatu…mbili…moja.
Juu nitakutoa, na hiyo si hoja
Nikikunja sleeve, shati na toja
Kunakili za Mkenya hoja
Stima, afya, njia, ukame na maji…
Guess ndio maana ocha huji
Ku-buy idea zangu, ati ni great
Baadae kuzipindua ndio ni-regret.
But hii time I swear,
Sura ya kazi kwanza niki-wear,
Sizungumzi, kura ndio kuongea.
Si-mind kule utaenda, hadi anywhere,
Kama chuma kwa acid, out uta-wear.
No…no…no…
Siteseki no more,
Decision yangu nishafikia,
Keti chini, relax, sikia
Bunge tena hutafikia
Kule nitapeleka atakayenisikia,
So wewe come out here,
But u-siishi na fear,
Juu stay yako nita-care.
Saa check,
Stock take,
Head yako present, check
Vote yako inakurepresent, take
Decision yako u-make
Future yako tu-make
Time yetu ‘mefika
Alafu msiba sije’fika
Cause’ hao majamaa wata-come
Like five years bila kuja home
Ma-promise kibao,
Tupeni twao, tu-mbao
Shida itawa sisi bila wao
But si, sisi ndio ‘litupa mbao?
Itabidi tu-stop
Tu-stalk na tu-talk,
“Tumechoka, na si madharao.”
Ikibidi uliza hata makarao.
Kutubeba kimadharao
Juu shida zetu si zao hao
Mkenya nimechoka torture
Sasa ‘heshimiwa hesabu hadi moja,
Tatu…mbili…moja.
Juu nitakutoa, na hiyo si hoja
Nikikunja sleeve, shati na toja
Kunakili za Mkenya hoja
Stima, afya, njia, ukame na maji…
Guess ndio maana ocha huji
Ku-buy idea zangu, ati ni great
Baadae kuzipindua ndio ni-regret.
But hii time I swear,
Sura ya kazi kwanza niki-wear,
Sizungumzi, kura ndio kuongea.
Si-mind kule utaenda, hadi anywhere,
Kama chuma kwa acid, out uta-wear.
No…no…no…
Siteseki no more,
Decision yangu nishafikia,
Keti chini, relax, sikia
Bunge tena hutafikia
Kule nitapeleka atakayenisikia,
So wewe come out here,
But u-siishi na fear,
Juu stay yako nita-care.
WOE-RIOR WARRIOR
WOE-RIOR WARRIOR By Nelson Kilonzo
Woes is all I got,
Like when in a torn coat
Shivering in that cold
Your raws to turn into gold.
My body going numb,
Mentally dumb.
In the scorching sun I bake
For your son to cake.
In Lexus you ride
On legs Us ride,
In the suites you bell
While soot we inhale
Stinking money you sale
Sinking, the many who sail
Room service V.I.P
Doom service we R.I.P
Wajivunia kuua Mkenya
Najivunia kuwa Mkenya.
Kenya is my pride,
But to you I’m just a ride
Bridging you far and wide
Cause’ my back you ride
Alone you cannot stand
But a lone I can stand
In my woes you flee
In my toes you flea.
But the defeat I deem
For your dream I dim
And your reign I tuck
And push you to the dark,
For the light I have seen;
How to pay for your sin
So get ready worrier
For I am a WARRIOR.
Woes is all I got,
Like when in a torn coat
Shivering in that cold
Your raws to turn into gold.
My body going numb,
Mentally dumb.
In the scorching sun I bake
For your son to cake.
In Lexus you ride
On legs Us ride,
In the suites you bell
While soot we inhale
Stinking money you sale
Sinking, the many who sail
Room service V.I.P
Doom service we R.I.P
Wajivunia kuua Mkenya
Najivunia kuwa Mkenya.
Kenya is my pride,
But to you I’m just a ride
Bridging you far and wide
Cause’ my back you ride
Alone you cannot stand
But a lone I can stand
In my woes you flee
In my toes you flea.
But the defeat I deem
For your dream I dim
And your reign I tuck
And push you to the dark,
For the light I have seen;
How to pay for your sin
So get ready worrier
For I am a WARRIOR.
MAD MEN
MAD MEN. By
Nelson M. Kilonzo
Mad men, mad men…
With hearts as clean as the maiden
In the day of her laying
With their hearts not bending.
With their hands begging
And with their smiles loving.
Like mad men in the streets
Mad men will stroll
With their phones in scrolls
Doing all not to foul
Of their love’s souls.
In the cold they park
Even when their hopes are dark
Their every move they mark
Doing all that for luck.
Eying their dove’s
love.
Just until they have it
They do all to have it
Feeling good when they have it
Doing all to love it
And all girls love it
And smile all way to their hearts.
For the love of the mad men.
IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU By Nelson M. Kilonzo
Life in its
natural uniqueness offers a man with the most amazing gift-life. The world in
spaciousness welcomes a man to an amazing privilege-existence. Intelligence and
hard-work opens doors for any man in pursuit for success. The life and
existence thus gifts every man in the society having an opportunity to explore,
adore and love and use his environs. While the society gets down busy trying to
stipulate ‘the ways of man’, it’s all at his best to make the most important
thing in life-to choose. However much the society tries to form a way of life
for everyone, we all are presented with the opportunity and chance to choose
our own way.
Yes the society
plays part in our choices but mark you that it’s the least to share our
consequences. Every play has an ending, we all know that. Every consequence
should aim at making us happier and better than we were when making the choice
and so this shifts the handle to the choice maker. Our choices are (may be) influenced by our environs that
hub our societies but it’s always best to pay less attention to those forces
sorely because at the loose end our consequences will affect us most and much
lesser our societies.
Everyone has
friends that are tied close to them, those that one will always seek attention and
compliments from. Those that one will ask for assistance from. Those that one
sees useful when making decisions…etc.
One may care lesser on how you got the friends but take a closer look at how
well they help you grow, how good they are at company, good friends in deeds…
All that they do
to us may seem correct to us, very important or otherwise. Remember they are
the lager part of your society which will take the least responsibility in your failure. They will help you dig a hole
and they will rejoice at throwing you in it. This means that although they seem
to care about you, take a closer look at their interests in your success.
So, what I simply imply
is that your closest environs (let us
call them as they deserve…your ‘friends’) may frame and help in your
failure but won’t be ready to help you take up the cross or help you carry it. Just
to finish up, ‘man is the best answer to
his woes and success’. Live your life, make your own decisions and carry your
own cross ‘cause at last no one is ready to do that best for you as you do it
yourself. Every man has one life to live. Live yours cause in life IT IS ALWAYS ALL ABOUT YOU!
THE MYSTERY OF LOVE
THE MYSTERY OF LOVE. By Nelson Kilonzo
Hello readers? It’s my pleasure
to share with you again some few thoughts about something we all may need in
life. LOVE! I took too long thinking about what this thing is always about and I
find it interesting to share with you some findings. Let’s begin by asking
ourselves some few questions-which we
should answer with honesty. What is love? Somebody please tell me what love
is? Is it a thing? A feeling? May be words?
Actions? Thoughts? What?! Does it exist? Is it real? If it really is real, where does it abide? In
the body…mind…soul…or?! I have struggled lots with my passion to understand
love but all I can up to this point do is questions. Lately I have had a lot of
questions about this idea: is it fiction or is it a fact? Do we own it or does
it own us? Do we bring it together or does it bring us together? Is it existing
in the real or is it abstract?
Some may say that we can have it ‘on’
us-our bodies. That love is felt on our bodies. That the little things we do
‘on’ our partners is love. For instance, if your ‘dude’ kisses your cheek, then
they love you? If they walk holding your hand in town then they love you?
Caresses…the ‘play’…does it mean they love you? Maybe the answer is YES! But
how about if they don’t do that, do they still love you? How about if they beat
you up for the little misunderstandings, is that love too?! If they cheat on
you and do that to someone else, is that love too?! And how about if they do
not keep up to the game in bed, you still love them?! And if you may force
yourself to keep loving them, for how long more?
Love is felt in the mind as some
will say, but we all know that the mind only carries thoughts. What is a ‘thought’? It is simply the arrangement
of ideas in a conscious mind about experiences
and imaginations. Is love an
experience or an imagination? Can you point it or touch it? If we can, then it’s
concrete. But since we can’t, we assume it is abstract. So we can assume that love to those who say it’s in the
mind that they just imagine about it, and it is fictitious.
At least some will say that love
lives in the soul. Well…we all at least know that the soul is the spirit-if it
exists. If we say love is spiritual and lives in the soul, tell me why don’t we
assume to love people we can’t see?
Those we have never met, or force our spirits to drive our partners from where
they are to us? If it really abides in the soul, why don’t we feel it when our
partners cheat on us?
So what is love? Is it real or is
it abstract? Do we feel it or do we experience it? Where does it really belong? Body…mind…or the
soul? Questions…questions…questions…questions about love may never end. It has
been long since I started to think about love, I hope that you readers will
help me understand the mystery about love. Love is a mystery, don’t play around
with it or it may end up hurting you or else you end up hurting yourself.
It’s time for me to go but I’ll
leave you with a quote ~ “Love is like a
rolling stone, don’t try stop it cause it will hurt you, don’t run after it
cause you cannot catch it, but rather just let it be.”
Until next time, bye readers.
PAIN AND GAIN
PAIN AND GAIN
By Nelson .M. Kilonzo
I pain on your gain
You gain on my pain
On your gain I strain
And my woes you refrain
It was ‘suluhishi’
Two days later, ‘mnafiki’
In your ballots ‘mtaishi!’
And later ‘sitosheki’
A month later in the streets
Meeting streaks by your ‘treats’
‘Teas’ being the traps
In the 'HOUSES' just going naps
With my dreams I leave
But by my votes you live
A representative…
Less productive!
Hiking prices of their stuff…
Hiring none, paying less their staff…
Keeping me their captive!
For as long as I live.
Till when are you to gain
As I watch you fill me with pain?
Not again will I strain
And let your greed reign
Poor politics I refrain
‘Cause in my pain I bore a good
grain
And ooh! On the grain, my votes
rain!
