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The Legacy of Fear: How the Shadow of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Shaped Kenya's Political Landscape In the annals of Kenya's political history, the events of 1969 stand out as a defining moment marked by fear, coercion, and manipulation. The political tension surrounding Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's candidature led to a series of oath-taking ceremonies in Gatundu that forever altered the fabric of Kenyan society. Understanding this historical context is crucial, especially when contemporary politicians attempt to invoke these dark chapters for political gain. The Fear of Jaramogi and the Birth of the Gatundu Oath The roots of the infamous Gatundu oath can be traced back to the fear and propaganda surrounding Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the former vice-president and then-leader of the opposition. By 1969, the political landscape in Kenya was charged with tension. The assassination of Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya on 5th July 1969 had already set a volatile backdrop. Within this context, Pr

The truth about social networks

Reality has taken a leap back in our lives, giving way to the age of illusions and comfort in things that might never be. Times have really changed as well, the digital age seeming more and more prevalent than ever in our society. Soon one will just have to click on a link on Google and automatically, your hunger/thirst will be satisfied. Change is good. Being the one constant thing in our lives, I guess it deserves credit in its own way.

The only the problem I might have with change is that it does not remember humble beginnings, comparable only to a poor man who is suddenly rich. It electrifies the existence of all its bearers and leaves no room for a sit-back-and-take-it-in session. Change carries a promise against previous misery, that is why we embrace it so readily. With social media being an ambassador of all the above fruits, it has become almost impossible for the human race to appreciate the value of face-to-face interactions; it is all written on our Facebook page or wherever. We take in so much information online and run with it without even consulting our intelligence at the first instance.

Having a public diary is a smart idea, me being guilty of the above, and under pressure to comply with current trends. But losing ourselves in a virtual world isn’t very smart. How fast have we lost touch with phone calls and text messaging each other? Rather, we make all our plans on the internet and it is partly an excuse to stalk the people that occupy our lives in fiction or in real life, a chance to prove to the world that we are way better than they would perceive us in the real world, while for some it is a chance to put up valuable truthful views that might actually acquire a following due to shared sentiments.

I will not discredit any use of the social networks trending. As it is, I'm the most frequent flyer with them. I just fear that we have given it a bit too much credit and hence it is slowly destroying our perception of more important things. Like the truth, perhaps. I will give a good story by the end of this excerpt. Remember when social media was more informative and factual while maintaining an entertainment front at that? Remember when some Haitian earthquake victims were traced using Teitter and Facebook? And when Obama got millions of dollars through Facebook campaigns? How about when Souljaboy was discovered on Myspace? That used to be cool.

Anyone can do whatever they like with regard to their internet use. I just had to put it out there that we should really know why we do what we do on the WWW and be sure enough to hold your head high with no regrets when you are answerable to someone for it.

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