Through solution-oriented discussion forums; Fatuma’s Voice employs the power of artistic tools, intellectual discourse, and cultural devices, to creatively reaffirm community members about the significance of their amplified voice, and motivate engagement in communal, national and continental progression.
Through solution-oriented discussion forums; Fatuma’s Voice employs the power of intellectual discourse, to creatively reaffirm community members about the significance of their amplified voice…
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Why are some Christians & the LGBT comunity turning Binyavanga’s death into a debate on homosexuality?
Robert Mũnũku
The answer is simple - vanity. Many young Kenyans are plagued by vanity, especially those you see active on social media debates usually of little constructive value. Most Kenyans have Twitter as their only locus of dignity - they judge their value by the followers they have and the retweets they geRead more
The answer is simple – vanity.
Many young Kenyans are plagued by vanity, especially those you see active on social media debates usually of little constructive value. Most Kenyans have Twitter as their only locus of dignity – they judge their value by the followers they have and the retweets they get – all is vanity.
Celebrity culture never benefits those called celebrities nor those who follow them. A celebrity dies today he’ll trend for a day or two, after that he/she is forgotten and people move on to the next ‘conversation-worthy’ thing. We are going to have a generational calamity in 15-20 years time where all these ‘fools’ of youth will be the adults tasked with running this country.
See lessWhy the Huduma Namba (number) project is hogwash ….
Robert Mũnũku
Hey David. My response to your point (1) is, yes, all those documents (KRS, NSSF, etc.) have unique numbers which means they are part of a database. What the government should do/have done is synthesise these numbers under 1 card/chip which should be the national ID card OR if they insist on that syRead more
Hey David. My response to your point (1) is, yes, all those documents (KRS, NSSF, etc.) have unique numbers which means they are part of a database. What the government should do/have done is synthesise these numbers under 1 card/chip which should be the national ID card OR if they insist on that synthesis to be a new card called ‘huduma number’ then they should easily do it without asking Kenyans to re-register, unless of course they are telling us that their records of all other documents are wanting (refer to my initial post’s points).
See lessAbout your response (2) – ‘You will still have to give those documents they are still asking for wherever you go’ – why should I if indeed they have the records? Again it begs the question whether current forms of archiving are being done accurately. If not, then one can ask, why would the huduma registration be different?
Why is activism in Kenya waning in authenticity?
Robert Mũnũku
Activism imekuwa biashara...
Activism imekuwa biashara…
See lessWhat are the problems, pros and cons with foreign aid in developing sub-saharan African countries?
Robert Mũnũku
True. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record but it comes back to leadership. These deals are made at a national political level and fostered by leaders i.e. President, cabinet, ambassadors, motions via parliament, etc. To refine the nature of these 'deals' (e.g. in a way they tip the scale inRead more
True. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record but it comes back to leadership.
These deals are made at a national political level and fostered by leaders i.e. President, cabinet, ambassadors, motions via parliament, etc. To refine the nature of these ‘deals’ (e.g. in a way they tip the scale in our favour, or at the very least aim towards sustainability/self-reliance) we need to refine the quality of leadership. This comes back to us – the electorate who put the leaders in office. And, the latter, again, implies a battle with corruption because so long as it persists merit will never be the hallmark of leadership in this country.
See lessWhy isn’t Kenya developing?
Robert Mũnũku
I completely agree with you - that's what needs to be done. But, again, this hinges on research at a policy level, which then hinges on national politics. In short, we still need someone/some people with knowledge (and in positions of effecting the same knowledge to action) to take initiative.
I completely agree with you – that’s what needs to be done. But, again, this hinges on research at a policy level, which then hinges on national politics. In short, we still need someone/some people with knowledge (and in positions of effecting the same knowledge to action) to take initiative.
See lessWhy isn’t Kenya developing?
Robert Mũnũku
I did not say the middle-class are solely to blame nor did I say countries don't need one. I also did not say my assessment applies to all the middle-class but rather a disproportionate portion critical for development. I simply analysed the middle-class as a critical section in effecting change, orRead more
I did not say the middle-class are solely to blame nor did I say countries don’t need one. I also did not say my assessment applies to all the middle-class but rather a disproportionate portion critical for development. I simply analysed the middle-class as a critical section in effecting change, or not. I also did not present my assessment of the other social strata nor did I say they do not have a hand in development.
See lessMy points of ponder for today were squarely on the middle-class given their crucial place in the economic and social infrastructure & their group dynamic i.e. literary levels, access to labour, access to policy, etc.
What are the problems, pros and cons with foreign aid in developing sub-saharan African countries?
Robert Mũnũku
In my view, there is no 'pro' to foreign aid. A more accurate term is 'foreign deal' not aid. This is because all support coming into Africa, and Kenya in particular, from foreigners has strings attached. I can't get into the details right now, but trust me, I have worked for international organisatRead more
In my view, there is no ‘pro’ to foreign aid.
A more accurate term is ‘foreign deal’ not aid. This is because all support coming into Africa, and Kenya in particular, from foreigners has strings attached. I can’t get into the details right now, but trust me, I have worked for international organisations as a donor and also worked for local NGOs as a donor-recipient so I know what I’m talking about.
These countries don’t love us or any developing country for that matter. Their primary objective is to secure funding and this they can only do if the problems they claim to support persist. At the national political level, our government is forced into lope-sided agreements by foreign ones which are labelled ‘aid’, ‘assistance’ or ‘partnerships’ when they are in fact serving the interests of one party.
So, what do I propose? Read my letter to the president where I tackle foreign policy and what I believe needs to be done to ensure Kenya is self-reliant -> https://www.fatumasvoice.org/robert-munuku-letter-president/
See lessIf I engage a mental health service provider I’m likely to receive a “diagnosis of a mental disorder” and be labeled in a certain way. How should I think about that label?
Robert Mũnũku
What I can share is this; in my experience, the older I get the wiser I get and the more I learn the more I discover that I know very little ... As Socrates once said, "If there's something I know, is that I know nothing." Paradox. I once posted something on Mental Health, I hope it will help your iRead more
What I can share is this; in my experience, the older I get the wiser I get and the more I learn the more I discover that I know very little …
As Socrates once said, “If there’s something I know, is that I know nothing.”
Paradox.
I once posted something on Mental Health, I hope it will help your inquiry (read here – https://www.fatumasvoice.org/question/what-can-be-done-to-improve-mental-healthcare-in-kenya/)
See lessHow do we deal with Sexual abuse/harassment amongst students, especially high school and college?
Robert Mũnũku
I hear you. I have come to learn that most bullies (whether male or female) are people with chronic low self-esteem. This then drives them to ‘compensate’ through anti-social behaviour (not to say that everyone who suffers from low self-esteem in effect automatically deals with it in this way or theRead more
I hear you. I have come to learn that most bullies (whether male or female) are people with chronic low self-esteem. This then drives them to ‘compensate’ through anti-social behaviour (not to say that everyone who suffers from low self-esteem in effect automatically deals with it in this way or the same as another). The way to deal with this would be to deal with the root cause – why do individuals do what they do? Such people do what they do to feel good about themselves and it’s a psychological phenomenon manifested in different ways, e.g. drug abuse, sexual violence, horrible bosses, extremely harsh parents, etc.
Most bullies were actually once bullied themselves or at the very least exposed to a social environment where their humanity was demeaned. In adult life such self-esteem issues are also manifest by a ‘constant false sense of competition’. This is common with abusive people in positions of leadership like a bad boss. They will demean and put-down their staff, especially those who seem intelligent or hardworking, in a bid not be ‘out-done’. A man who beats up his wife was probably (but not always the case) brought up exposed to an environment where violence was an ‘acceptable’ form of expressing aggression and/or sanctioning behaviour, and so on and so forth. But, also note, many also tend to turn out the opposite of the environment they experienced e.g. a person who chooses not to take alcohol because they do not want to turn out like those they grew up with that became alcoholics.
A lot can be said on this topic but, as I alluded to earlier, it is an issue that needs to be nipped in the bud from formative years.
Next week, my company will launch a podcast series on such issues where conversations with professionals and stakeholders are had in a bid to find a solution. The podcast is called ALMASI, follow it on SoundCloud – https://soundcloud.com/almasi-nairobi
See lessDo you think that ‘beauty’ is a privilege & source of discrimination?
Robert Mũnũku
Very interesting views. For the record , I believe beauty is not an absolute concept nor an objective one. Beauty (or if you will, aesthetics = philosophy of beauty) is both a relative concept as it is a subjective one. What you may find beautiful I may find 'unbeautiful'; what one culture extols asRead more
Very interesting views.
For the record , I believe beauty is not an absolute concept nor an objective one. Beauty (or if you will, aesthetics = philosophy of beauty) is both a relative concept as it is a subjective one. What you may find beautiful I may find ‘unbeautiful’; what one culture extols as beauty another sees as defect.
Trivia: some races in Africa thought themselves ‘superior’ to others because they had curly soft hair as opposed to kinky hair – this formed a basis for discrimination which lingers till today.
See less