Kenya, like other African countries put together by European powers to serve their interests, is composed of many ethnic groups. Kenya, like those African countries, strictly speaking is not a nation-state. Kenya, like many African countries, is an artificial conglomeration of disparate tribes put together for the convenience of European powers.

The Europeans are tentatively gone from their African colonies but instead of Africans transforming their inherited artificial countries into real countries they pretend that as they are that they are countries! They are not countries and it is time someone told the apparent fools pretending to govern African countries that they are not governing countries and that it is time they transformed the so-called countries they inherited from Europe into real nation-states.

African leaders pretend that they have countries that they are governing; they are fools for these countries are not put together by Africans and for there to be real African countries Africans themselves ought to put them together. You can not overseer what some one else put together for his own interest, not your interest and pretend that what you are doing is right.

Only God knows how long it would take African leaders to understand the simple fact that they need to restructure the so-called countries they inherited from Europeans and transform them into real countries rather than pretend that they have countries.

Perhaps, Africans are really unintelligent, as some non-Africans claim? If by now they have not recognized the need to restructure their countries and make them realistic to the African tribal reality then they are, as reported, unintelligent. If they are unintelligent then the rest of the world ought to write them off. But if what we have here is laziness and ignorance, then let the international community, those who understand human nature and governance, come and help Africans.

If All Africans can do fifty years after their so-called independence is sit idly and not do anything to transform their countries into real countries they are fools and do not deserve to be in government.

We already know that no African country, so far, has shown a knack for economic development and if additionally they lack the ability to govern themselves then Africans ought to be transformed into slaves and used by Europeans and or Asians to extract the mineral wealth of Africa for the good of Europeans and Asians.

My God, how much intelligence does it take to realize what needs to be done in Africa and do it? I have practically stood on my head talking about restructuring African countries and yet no African country has taken steps in this direction. Like drunken fools they keep doing the same old things that always bring them ethnic cleansing, as is currently going on in Kenya.

If Africa is not restructured, what is going on in Kenya is only a dress rehearsal of what would come to pass in most African countries, especially the multiethnic ones like Nigeria and Congo.

Nigeria’s so-called leaders, like brain-dead apes have refused to read the hand writing on the wall and see what is in the cards for their so-called country. It is only a matter of time before that artificial country implodes and explodes and refugees are spilled all over West Africa with destabilizing effects in that region.

What does it take for Africans to recognize what needs to be done and do it? Are Africans really unintelligent, as racist whites say, and as such cannot rule themselves? My God, Africans are the most exasperating people on this planet.

If Africans were intelligent, by now they would have restructured their countries into tribe based countries hence make them politically stable and political stability is a prerequisite condition for economic development to take place in Africa.

For as long as I can remember, Africans have talked and talked about the fact that European powers dumped different African tribes into the same countries.  They have moaned about this issue forever yet have done nothing to solve the problem.

If Africans fail to restructure their artificial countries within a decade I am calling for the United Nations to take over and do the necessary restructuring of Africa. Failing to do so, we shall interminably be confronted with political meltdowns and ethnic cleansing, as we see going on in today’s Kenya.

It is about time some one did the right thing in Africa, if only to show that actual human begins, not monkeys are ruling the place.

THE TRIBES OF KENYA AND GOVERNANCE IN KENYA

The main groups in Kenya are Kikuyi, Meru, Kalenjin, Luyha, Luo, Ksisii, Kamba, Swahili, Masai and Turkana. Compare to Nigeria and Congo Democratic Republic. The main groups in Nigeria are Hausa and Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ibibio, and Tiv. The main ethnic groups in Congo Democratic Republic are Mongo, Luba, Kongo and the Mangbetu-Azande.  There are hundreds of other ethnic groups in these countries. Both Nigeria and Congo reportedly have over two hundred ethnic groups in each.

For our present purposes, the salient point is that Kenya, like many African countries, has many ethnic groups. Kenya, like many African countries, did not evolve into a country through internal historical processes, instead, a foreign power, Britain, arbitrarily lumped diverse tribes living in the area now called Kenya together and called the ensuing geographical entity Kenya. Other than the name, Kenya, the country is not a real nation-state.

The different ethnic groups in Kenya do not consider themselves related and certainly do not believe that they have many things in common with others. The same is the case in other African countries.

African countries are artificial political constructs constructed by European powers and are not nations. A nation, scholars in International Politics tell us, is a people who have a shared history, who have undergone shared events that gave them a sense of being one people. Most African countries are less than one hundred years old and that is not enough time for their diverse people to develop a sense of one people. This is a fact that so-called African leaders have failed to grasp and deal with.

There are no such things as natural African countries, such as France, England and Germany.  What exist in Africa are artificial political expressions.

These artificial political constructs can be reconstructed into real nation-states. It is here that political intelligence is required and either intelligent Africans emerge to do it or if Africans are unintelligent external others should do it for them. The United Nations should give Africa a decade to restructure itself and failing which should go in and do it from outside.

We constantly witness members of some African tribes killing others; they do so because they do not identify with those other tribes.

Here is one causal factor in Africans frequent mutual mayhems. Upon so-called independence, a tribe favored by the departing European power is handed the reigns of power (in the case of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta and his Kikuyu tribesmen) and it deludes itself into thinking that it now has a country to rule.  A country to rule indeed; how can you rule a country whose many tribes you did not put together?

Members of the ruling tribe generally proceed on the false belief that they are the rulers of their artificial country and pretty much do as they like; they ride roughshod over other tribes and those resent them and the result is inter ethnic conflicts.

In Nigeria the Hausa-Fulani were favored by the British and given political power and the other Nigerian tribes resented the rule of the Hausa-Fulanis and the result was the Nigerian civil war (1967-70) and the coming mother of all civil wars that is about to break out in Nigeria. (If another election is rigged and idiots are imposed on Nigeria as its leaders, despite their known cowardice, their fear of death that disposes them to accept imposters ruling them, Nigerians will eventual rebel and the artificial construct called Nigeria would fall apart and the consequences would be drastic for all West Africa.  At present certain ethnic groups, especially the Hausas and Fulanis collude with the Yorubas and essentially cart revenue from Niger Delta, Ijaw, oil resources to their parts of the country and the Ijaw seethe in anger and no one takes their anger seriously.  Sooner or later, the lid would blow off and the underlying anger at the exploiters of the rest of Nigeria would boil over and the result is another failed African state.)

In Congo so-called Democratic Republic the situation is pretty much the same as in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa. A few favored tribes exploit the great wealth of that minerals rich country and the rest of the tribes feel exploited and the result is the interminable civil war going on in that so-called country. Many more people have been killed or maimed or raped in that unfortunate country than was done in all the years that King Leopold of Belgium put it together as his rubber plantation.

In Kenya the Kikuyu and its allies have ruled the country since its independence and the major tribes seethe in anger and the result is the current mayhem we see going on in Kenya. The election was rigged and Kibaki, a Kikuyu, rules. This rigging is the final straw that broke the camel’s back. The Luo (and its losing presidential candidate, Mr. Odinger) and other ethnic groups say enough is enough and have taken matters into their hands. The ethnic minorities are ethnically cleansing the Kikuyu living in their parts of the country. If the Kikuyu join in the ethnic cleansing business and kill Luo living in their area, which includes the capital city of Nairobi, we shall have another Rwanda in our hands!

African countries would always go through intermittent mutual killings unless they are restructured and each tribe is given relative autonomy. We saw what took place in Rwanda where the majority Hutu got fed up been ruled by the minority Tutsi and went on a rampage killing Tutsis. That problem has not been solved for at present the Tutsis are still ruling the Hutus. Obviously, that situation cannot last forever unless the Tutsis are totally unintelligent and hence believe that a small group can rule those larger than them forever. (But one cannot get it pass the Tutsis; one can see them believe in the nonsense that the can rule others forever and ever and not arouse resentment.  So far in their unenviable history on this planet Africans have not shown any spark of excellence in any sphere of human endeavor, certainly not in governance.)

The Luo of Kenya and other ethnic groups have had enough of Kikuyu domination and are now rebelling. The solution to the Kenya issue, which is the solution to the ethnic problem in most African countries, is to restructure the country. Each ethnic group in Kenya must be made a state. Each state must have relative autonomy to rule itself while delegating certain powers to the central government.

In several writings, I wrote about this federal structure for African countries. Let me briefly summarize what, elsewhere, I wrote in detail.

Kenya, Nigeria, Congo and all African countries should be restructured. Each group that has a distinct language should be made a state. Each state should rule itself but do so within a federation comprising other ethnic groups. There are ten large groups in Kenya. Each of these ethnic groups should be a state. The smaller groups should be lumped into two additional states for a total of twelve states in Kenya.

The same should be done in Congo, Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa where there are many ethnic groups.

Nigeria has ten major ethnic groups and many small ones. Nigeria should have ten states; each composed of one of the major ethic groups. The smaller ethnic groups should be lumped into five additional states for a total of fifteen states in Nigeria.

Each state is further broken into districts (aka counties, local government areas). Each district should be an identified sub-group, say, those who speak a dialect of the same language that constitute a state.

Finally, each district should be divided into towns.

Each level of governance:  town, district and state should have a unitary form of government, and a unicameral legislature: a state legislature of no more than fifty members, a district council of no more than eleven members and a town council of no more than seven members. The legislature makes laws. An executive is elected to implement the laws: town mayor, district administrator and state governor. An independent judiciary is established to adjudicate the laws: town magistrate court, district court and state court of appeal.

Each tribe must be responsible for its economic development. Each tribe must have one hundred percent control over its resources, all of it. However, citizens from each tribe must pay tax to run the central governments. Each citizen should expect to pay, at least, twenty percent of his annual income to federal tax. States need revenue to operate and ought to tax properties and businesses, sales tax etc but have no individual income taxes.

The central government should be in charge of the military and external affairs. The central government should have a national unicameral legislature of no more than three hundred members, members elected to serve five years with a five term limit; a national president elected to serve five years with two terms limit and an independent judiciary (Supreme court of no more than thirteen members, one of whom is the chief justice, federal appeals courts and federal district courts).

The constitution of the United States of America is a useful model, except that in the case of Africa states ought to be comprised of identified tribes.

The idea behind this summarized constitution for African countries is to give each tribe relative autonomy while having a national government that coordinates the affairs of the entire country. Clearly, each African tribe is too small to go it alone and needs other tribes’ cooperation to make a go of it; no tribe should be subjugated to other tribe’s everlasting domination.

How difficult is this realistic political structure for Africans to comprehend? Are Africans born dense and cannot figure out the right thing by themselves and do it and need external others to tell them what to do?

Or is it the case that Africans are born criminals, antisocial personalities, as some racist folk suspect, and would rather have their present political system, chaotic as they are, that allows them to satisfy their thieving tendencies (such as allows Nigerians of non-Ijaw tribe to keep stealing Ijaw oil resources).

What would it take for Africans, for once in their dumb history, to do the right thing rather than always do the wrong things. We sit by and watch these countries descend into anarchy and the people suffer and die and we feel pity for them and seek ways to give them handouts (monetary aid that their thieving leaders would redirect to their personal pockets).

We see what is going on in Kenya; that country has descended into anarchy and if the international community stands idly by would become another failed African state. Yet there are pretended rulers at Nairobi.

One does not understand what so-called African leaders are doing for their countries. I suppose that they seek political offices to position themselves to gratify their antisocial cravings, their desires to steal from the public treasury, take bribes from those they award government contracts to and look aside as shoddy contract deliveries are produced.

God, Africans are the most frustrating people on this blue earth. How come they cannot for once in their unenviable history do what is admirable? Should they always do the wrong thing?

Are Africans not human beings, too? May be they are lower level animals and we take them as human beings? May be we are the ones with a problem in seeing them as human beings hence capable of governing themselves?

James Watson recently said that he doubts that given Africans low intelligence that they could manage their political affairs and he was driven off the stage for saying what is in many folk’s minds. Okay, Mr. Watson is probably a racist, but why can’t Africans disprove him by doing the right thing, restructuring their countries and running them well?

No African country, in fact, no black led country, so far, in human history has governed itself well. (Some African nationalists take pride in ancient Egypt and cite it as an instance of Africans doing the right thing. Were ancient Egyptians black folk? The jury is still out on that subject. At any rate, what some folk did four thousand years ago does not mean a damn thing today.)

So far members of the black race have done only one thing well: blame other folks for their fallen house. Africans are always on the look out for someone to blame for their problems. They blame Europeans for all that is wrong with Africa but do little to improve Africa.

Place Africans in political positions and all they do is sit on their buttocks and do nothing; perhaps, they figure out ways to steal from their people.

Africans forget that if you point two accusatory fingers at others three point right back at you telling you that  though other people do contribute to your problem that in the final analysis that it is up to you to solve it. Europeans, of course, have contributed to Africa’s problems but it is up to Africans to solve their problems. No external others would solve Africans problems for them.

In case they have forgotten, let us remind Africans that it is childish to always blame other people for ones problems. It is children who feel powerless that find it necessary to always blame other people, adults, for their issues.

Adults accept that in the real world every person affects every person else. We live in a general systems environment where all affect all for good or bad. All that one can do is solve ones problems even if they were caused by other persons.

Yes, the West affected Africans but it is for Africans to solve their problems. Europeans bought African slaves. Arabs bought African slaves. These caused problems for Africans. But before we get carried away pitying exploited Africans we must remember that it is Africans themselves who sold their people to Arabs and Europeans hence are every bit culprit as those they sold their people to. It takes two to tango.

There are no innocent persons in this world. Instead of moaning about what other people did to Africans, Africans can take their lives into their own hands and do what is good for them.

As indicated above, Africans must restructure their countries. After that first order of business Africans must get down to doing what would economically develop their backward continent, giving all Africans free education up to university level, industrializing their god forsaken continent.

Africans can do what China and India are currently doing if only they put their hitherto unproductive minds to work.

Africans and Kenyans can prevent the continent from melting down into chaos by doing the things suggested here. To ignore doing these things is like being the proverbial ostrich and hide ones head in sand. It is time Africans, like men, looked their problems in the face and tackled them, realistically.

Ozodi Thomas Osuji

January 31, 2008

ozodiosuji@gmail.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 var sbtitle9809=encodeURIComponent(Meltdown In...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 31.01.2008 22:21

denker  Villager

# 2 Osuji, my dear, another masterful thoughts, indeed! ...alternatively i have been nourishing a thought: possible biological warfare on african procreational capabilities...total castration of the males and eventually administrating holistical sterilization on the females...methinks, africans have absolute nothing to offer to the mankind...so i ask, what's the need preserving the race on dis goddamned earth...:confused1 anywaz, sha, you have written very well...person wey get ear make him hear..o'jare!:D Posted by denker| 01.02.2008 04:46

Ajuzie  JJC

# 3 Osuji, thank you for that write-up Posted by Ajuzie| 01.02.2008 06:14

Mageba  JJC

# 4 =Robot;4294985353>var sbtitle9809=encodeURIComponent(Meltdown In...Read the full article. Living only in the political entity called South Africa, I can attest to many of the observations expressed in this article, however in izwe lethu (our land) there was much fighting between AmaZulu supporters of the ANC and those of Inkatha where most of the killing occurred. As Kenyan educator Dr. Ngugi wa Thiongo stated "there are only haves and have nots". Although this is a rather simplified observance you surmise that it not not just the ethnic but the powerful forces within the Neo-Colonial construct. A nation is forged from within and until the youth of today are given the values of true nationhood Africa will suffer. The only nations created in the present political (South Africa) entity were Izwe likaMthaniya created by Nkosi Shaka kaSenzangakhona and Lesotho created by Ngosi Moshoeshoe, these two nations were composed of many ethnicities. The time has come to join forces as Africans united against exploitation whether external or internal. Mageba Posted by Mageba| 02.02.2008 01:23

Anike  Bibi ire: Agbe Gboko Rosu

# 5 The Need To Restructure African Countries" Dr. Osuji, Africa needs people like you; wise people who recognize what needs to be done. You recognize that there is an increasing problem in Africa because Africans have refused to restructure their countries. You see that Africans continue to complain about the problems in Africa, but they have refused to actually do something. You have expressed your deep concern by giving African countries an ultimatum before the UN is called. Dr. Osuji, I propose that great thinkers in the background, like you, move themselves to the forefront. African schools could use such dedicated and concerned Africans like yourself so that the leaders of tomorrow will not be as foolish as those of today. We need innovators, risk-takers, and dedicated Africans to step out of their comfort zones and help bring up intelligent Africans. As little a solution as that will give, I can't help remembering the saying; if everyone did something, some people would have done everything. On The Meltdown in Kenya I find it rather ironic that the same international community that is blamed for the forced cohabitation in Africa is what is being hoped for to resolve the anarchy, end violence,... supposedly due to the same forced cohabitation. You criticize Africa for being unable to govern itself well and even go as for as describing Africans as the most frustrating, to leave out other great qualifiers you used, people on the face of the earth. You even graciously quoted the man that you refer to as a racist (whatever for, I don't know), James Watson, when he expressed his doubts that ”...given Africans low intelligence that they could manage their political affairs", subtly expressing your agreement with his opinion. But yet you criticize Africans when they fight against continued subjection to Kabiki’s leadership, Kabiki, being one of the unintelligent leaders you rightly described. I don’t know of any great nation today that got where it is by watching the hours go by and/or intelligent citizens writing articles, self-hating or otherwise, alone. While I agree that the bloodshed in Kenya is, indeed, a catastrophe, I have to say that, that Kenyans are letting their voice be heard that they do not support another Kibaki leadership disproves a huge chunk of what you've written here. That the Kikuyi group is being attacked, imo, is a by-product of chaos in a very diverse group of people. It will be great if all the groups saw that they have a common enemy who happens to be a Kikuyi, and transform their voices into one voice; the voice of the down-trodden. If only people can see that the evil the Kibakis of Africa did/do, they did/do for themselves, not their ethnic groups. That’s why a Kenya needs great writers and deep thinkers, like yourself, to awaken the people's mind to this. But this feat will not be accomplished by writing self-hating articles in cyberspace, one environment we are almost sure the warriors are oblivious to while the war is ongoing, that, aside from telling us how much the author despises Africans, really proffers no solution. I fail to see how this violence, despite what it is being reduced to, has anything to do with an ethnic group against the other. Had that been the case, it would not have needed an election rigging to activate it. When I read people who complain about wanting to break away from engineered cohabitation as Kenya, I wonder what such people have to show as a good they have contributed in/to their immediate community for them to believe that living in isolation is the answer to their very many problems. Posted by Anike| 02.02.2008 09:45

bjdon  Villager

# 6 Dr Osuji You have really knocked the nail on the head. I have been expressing similar views for a long time and I fear a lot of Nigerians/Africans simply don't understand the importance of this issue. No society can develop if it's structure is faulty. African nations have been independent now for 50 years and NONE of them has been able to make the ecnomic and social strides that their asain mates have done. There is NO WAY a country like Nigeria can develop unless this restructure is implemented. How can it? When at every level merit is sacrificed for ' Federal Chracter' ? Where we have a situation where the constitution calls for a minister from every state? This is madness. Our 'leaders' do nothing about it because most often they are part of the status quo and therefore have no motivation to change anything. It is up to we the people to raise this from the grassroots. In Nigeria we need an honest debate about how we can live together in a structure that allows each ethnic nation a great degree of autonomy while at the same time maintains the bounds of brotherhood that have been bulit up over the last 100 years. For me this is the REAL state of Emergency. If the 'National Question' is not addressed in Nigeria then one day we will witness before our unbeliving eyes, an event that will make Rawanda and Kenya seem minute in comparison Posted by bjdon| 02.02.2008 18:37