Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya

11th February 2006

              CORETTA SCOTT KING

The passing on, passage tributes and interment of
Coretta Scott King, marks a milestone and turning
point in the History of America, the Civil Rights
Movement and Black History at large the World over. It
was a resounding tribute to all Black freedom
fighters, past and present, across the World, and in
particular, Rev. and Mrs. Martin Luther King Jnr. Just
about the biggest statement of the change that America
has embraced over the past forty years, was attendance
of Mrs. King’s funeral by President George Bush and
former Presidents Clinton, Bush and Carter, two
Republicans and two Democrats. These are scenes only
witnessed when a US President passes away. The
presence of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy
Carter cannot however be said to be surprising,
because the plight of African-Americans and other
minorities, has always dominated policies of
Democrats. Republicans however represent America’s
old, powerful, wealthy and conservative order,
sticklers to the old ways. So the presence of George
Bush Jnr. and George Bush Snr. at Mrs. King’s funeral
signifies a major milestone in America’s History.

Blacks all over the World need to pay attention to
this significant transition, because when America
sneezes, the rest of the world has a cold. Many Blacks
forever complain and whine about being the victims of
racism and prejudice, even though in most cases this
is untrue. America has openly demonstrated that it is
ready and willing to work with Blacks, but not for
them. There is a huge difference between working with
and working for. Ironically, this misconception has
been the source of numerous racial spats over the
years, revealing Blacks as more the perpetrators of
racism and prejudice, than those they accuse to be.
Since we do not have standards, wealth or pride of our
own, there is no way we can lay demands.

It is also tragic that we as a Nation are nowhere near
making the strides that America has, yet we always
accuse America and in particular President George W.
Bush, for all manner of evils. America has long
accepted and honoured the Civil Rights Movement. A
Federal holiday in honour of Dr. King and the Civil
Rights Movement has been in enactment for over twenty
years now, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.
What about us, have we done the same for all the
heroes and heroines of our heritage and freedom
movement? When the time comes for Mrs. Elsie Mukami
Kimathi to go to her rest, will she and her husband
get even a fraction of the honour that has been
bestowed on Rev. and Mrs. King? We can no longer take
refuge in pointing fingers elsewhere because it is we
the people who are to blame. We celebrate the lives of
Rev. and Mrs. King and recently deceased Rosa Parks,
among others, in large part because of their brave,
bold and courageous role in challenging and defying a
system that was oppressing them. Rosa Parks refused to
give up her bus seat to a white passenger in
Montgomery, Alabama, on 1st December 1955. Rosa Parks
did what needed to be done in the fight for change and
equality. Had she argued that she and the others wait
for the next General Election as we in Kenya do, the
Civil Rights Movement would have gone nowhere. One
also further needs to note that America has had 13
presidential elections and 10 presidents between Rosa
Park’s 1st December 1955 and now, and if we use that
as the standard and timetable through which change
will come to Kenya, then we are truly doomed. The
terrible monumental scandals linked to the sitting
Kenyan Government that have emerged in the past few
weeks, strip it of all legitimacy to continue ruling.
Yet we the public are just sitting back, whining,
laughing and dining, viciously attacking George Bush’s
racist America for invading Iraq, and  waiting for the
next general election. However when we get hold of a
thief who has stolen a loaf of bread out of sheer
desperation, we set upon him or her with the
viciousness that Lions hunt their prey, openly
exposing our extreme cowardice. Not one of us truly
cares about ourselves, this country or it’s destiny,
because if we did, the Government would by now already
have been removed from power by way of public petition
and protestation.

Drought, famine, poverty, disease and despair are
ravaging this country, yet those with the power,
opportunity and ability to do something, care about
nothing more than themselves, glamour and glitz. It is
Africans running this country and the population is
predominantly African, so we have no one but ourselves
to blame. We cannot even run our own country and this
is a terrible shame. When the building on Nairobi’s
Ronald Ngala street collapsed in January this year, a
team of Israeli military personnel was hurriedly flown
in to salvage the situation. The Israeli Colonel in
charge of the operation asked a simple question, “Who
is in charge here?” at the rescue site, and got no
answer. This was despite the presence of several high
ranking Kenya Government military officials, many
probably higher in rank than the Israeli Colonel. He
then ordered all of them out like a pack of truant
school children. Days in the history of a Nation do
not get darker than this, as they demonstrate a
complete lack of purpose, ability, identity,
self-respect, self-esteem, character, pride, control
and direction. We lack all these as a people and a
Nation, and it doesn’t scare us one bit.

Martin Luther King’s celebrated dream has been
realised in America because the “sons of former slave
owners and the sons of former slaves, now sit together
at the table of brotherhood”. Coretta Scott King’s
distinguished farewell brought this out in a very
powerful, poignant and immortal way. Rev. and Mrs.
King’s dream is however yet to be realised in several
other parts of the World, including, and tragically
so, Kenya.



Michael Mundia Kamau