MP attends 'Luo Day' as Kenyans advised aganist trips back home for new Wives
Hon. John Mbadi, a Kenyan Member of Parliament for Gwasi constituency addreses Kenyans during the recent 'Luo Day' celebrations, a new concept by Rapture Harvest Mission International church geared towards encouraging the members of all Kenyan tribes in New England to attend church and community events |
By Harrison Maina, Ajabu Africa News
WAKEFIELD, Mass. OCTOBER 13_Kenyans and other African Immigrants in America were advised aganist making trips back home after a long absence for the purposes of marrying new wives or importing them while leaving leaving hundrends of eligible young beautiful girls right here in the US.
The time tested advise was given by a long time Everett mass Luo elder and preacher , Joseph Mithiga and amplified by Bishop Joshua Wambua of Rapture Harvest Mission International during a Luo day celebration on Sunday September 27, 2009.
A Kenyan Member of Parliament for Gwasi constituency, South Nyanza district, Hon. John Mbadi joined dozens of previously unknown members of the Luo community in New England who came out for the special celebrations to welcome them into the all-Kenyan-community.
From Rhode Island to Boston to Randolph, Lynn, Malden, Dracut and other cities in New England, members of the Luo community came out in dozens to attend the long awaited Luo day.
The event, preceded by a church service that saw many ethnic groups from several different East African countries worship together, took place on Sunday September 18. Dozens of East Africans from around New England region defied the hostile weather on this day to attend the event.
Led by Bishop Joshua Wambua, Rapture Harvest Mission International has been on a mission to get other members of the Kenyan community out of their hiding holes and involve them in community affairs.
Speaking to Kenyans during the afternoon Luo day celebration, Hon. Mbadi, 42, hailed Bishop Joshua Wambua for the effort to get out members of other communities to forge unity with the Kikuyu community in an effort to build a united community of Kenyans in New England.
The youthful MP, who holds an MBA degree in finance from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, said that it was his first time in the US and was very pleased with the mindset he saw of Kenyans here.
“This kind of unity that the Bishop is trying to nature should be given a chance to grow,” said the Kenyan legislator.
Accompanied by a close friend and long time community organizer, John Maina who relocated recently to Braintree, Mass from Washington DC, the MP said that the recent tribal clashes in Kenya after the disputed elections wiped out most of the progress that Kenyans had made after the advent of multi party system of governance in terms of cultivating freedom and unity among different tribes.
“I was in Kenya in 2003 and there was no major tribal differences like today. But after that, we receded back to things that used to happen during the one party era, especially with appointments in government along tribal lines,” added the MP.
Hon. John Mbati ( in tie) escorted by John maina left , Dr. Washington Ochieng , thumb up, and Bishop Joshua Wambua, center background, after addressing Kenyans in Wakefield |
He said that despite the 2007 elections being peaceful, the aftermath left many lives lost which was totally unacceptable.
“Whether elections were rigged or not, the issue is that people lost lives.
In my view, God wanted to remind Kenyans that peace can not be taken for granted,” said Hon. Mbadi.
However, the MP was quick to add that despite those ugly tribal killings, Kenya still remained the only country in Africa where peace was found barely three months after the ethnic flare-up.
He said that he was surprised when he talked to different people in the US and found them very pessimistic about the situation in Kenya and not sure of what will happen during the 2012 elections.
“Right now, the president and the prime minister have come up with a working formula, adding that the Kenyan Parliament and other government institutions are strong enough and can even bite. All the credit should go to the Speaker of the House, Hon. Kenneth Marende,” he explained.
Quoting the prime minister of Kenya Mr Raila Odinga, John reiterated that ethnicity is elitist and very ugly.
“I have never seen anybody take up a panga (machete) and cut a neighbor that he has just disagreed on something”.
He said that most of the ethnic sentiment in Kenya comes from politician’s tendency to focus more on uneven distribution of resources as opposed to creation of more resources.
The MP said that the solution to Kenya’s problems is not impossible to attain especially if political parties become democratic themselves
“There is no intra-party democracy in Kenya, like here in America where you have red states and blue states,” said the honorable member.
He said that Kenyan political parties dictate who will serve or stand for elections with total disregard to qualifications or people’s wishes.
“Let them conduct free and fair democratic polls first because that way, we can get good people and reject those bad leaders who cannot unite people,” he advised.
Hon. Mbadi called for more youthful, qualified Kenyans to run for elective offices, saying time for changing the old guard has come.
“When you hear youthful people running for office, please support us because we can bring change. It’s time for the Wazees (old men) to go,” said the MP causing applause from members of the congregation.
Before rushing the MP to Logan Airport for his onward flight to New York, John Maina, told Kenyans that he was glad that he is now based in Massachusetts and will work hand in hand with the community here to do various things necessary for advancement of everyone.
Many members of the Luo community who came for the occasion expressed their gratitude for being involved in community affairs especially from a Christian perspective.
“The idea of having tribal organizations is all gone,” said Jackton Were of Lynn, echoing president Obama’s zero tolerance on tribal politics and African strong men mentality as opposed to more emphasis on strong and democratic institutions to serve the people.
Addressing the gathering, a Luo elder from Malden, Mass. asked members of the Luo community in New England to speak up and attend church and community events.
Surprised that he has been in America for about 10 years and never seen so many Luos together as a community, an ecstatic Mithiga said that he hoped that they will continue to attend church and other community events.
He said that many of them prayed hard to come to America, but once here, they don’t come to church at all.
Mithiga added that in the past the Luos have burdened the Kikuyu’s in this area with raising funds for deaths among their people as they sit and watch individually.
“Let us work together for the good of everybody,” said Mithiga. “Have a church where you belong and if you don’t have one, the Bishop is here and this church is open to everyone,” added the old wise man.
He also called upon other Kenyan churches to have services conducted in English so as to be inclusive of the other tribes that may be living around their areas.
“When people are working at their jobs, they speak English, but when they go to church, they say they don’t know it,” said Mithiga.
He also cautioned African immigrants including the Luos not to rush to their villages in Africa to get wives when they feel they want to marry terming it as a 'bad idea'..
“Don’t go home to look for a wife because young girls are all over here for you to marry,” he said.
 Joseph Mithiga, a Luo elder from Everett, warns long time single Kenyans in the USA aganist going back home to get wives or even importing them |
Echoing Mithiga’s sentiments, Bishop Wambua said that many Kenyans in America have become too busy to the extent of forgetting to marry. “When these Kenyans think it is getting too late to marry, they go back to Kenyan to get wives who end up leaving them", Bishop Wambua said.
“Don’t go to Nyakach to have the elders show you who to get for a wife because after you bring her here, clean her up, she disappears.”
Bishop Wambua said that the alternative is to socialize in church because the church has many pretty girls to marry and the same church instills values in the young girls and make them good wives.
“We are here to prepare all these girls for marriage according to Christian values.
Let us socialize again because even Jesus related with God and men. It’s very important to socialize. And as we socialize, you can meet your future wife,” he advised.
Wambua announced that a Kikuyu day will be coming up next. A Kamba day has already taken place at the church which saw several of the unknown Kamba out of the woodwork.
The inspiring ceremony also saw over two dozen new members of the Luo community introduce themselves and all call for more such inter- tribal networking opportunities.
They represented every aspect of the community, children, men and women, most of them highly educated with post graduate degrees. They included Arthur Omondi , the Manager of the Economics Department at the prestigious Boston University.
Dr. Washington Ochieng, a top HIV researcher at Harvard University, told the gathering that the opportunity for other members of the community to join was highly welcome.
A devoted Christian, Dr. Ochieng told people that the most Kenyans have great ideas but discouragement form others make them give up their dreams. “If you believe what people tell you not to cross the river because giants on the other side might kill you, what if they don’t actually kill you?”
He said one Key to success by Kenyans is to network more because “networking opens up huge doors everywhere”.
Many people hailed the event as ground breaking and highly desirable. They praised Rapture Harvest Mission International church for the opportunity for members of different ethnic groups from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, D.R. Congo and other nationalities to come together and worship without feeling of tribal barriers.
They immersed themselves at the unique occasion, tasting various Luo, Kikuyu, Kamba traditional foods like Fish, chapati, Nyama choma among other dishes.
“This is very good, said Rosemary Atieno from Randolph. We should meet more often,” added the post graduate teacher at Higashi School in Randolph.
“I love the food and the new friendship I am making here,” said Margaret Mwangi of Malden while biting a chapatti with fish.
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