Thursday 12 January 2012

TURKANA COUNTY ANALYSIS


PART A
PROTUS AKUJAH FOR MP
ANALYSIS OF GOVERNOR TO BE DR. EKAL IMANA AND MP TO BE MR.PROTUS AKUJAH BY JOURNALIST ENG.JACOBAM WILLIAM APEYO AND MR. RONALD ERUKAN (MANYWELE)
The following is the analysis of views, comments and suggestions taken from the people who support Ekal and Akujah. Let start by me, I am a supporter of Protus Akujah and Dr. Ekal Imana despite of me from Turkana Central District. Am a Turkana and I am proud of being a Turkana whereby Turkana is my nature and my colour no man can change unless God do.

The following views demonstrated great atrocity of being  at the back of the these two people despite of what is know on the ground  whereby Dr. Ekal Imana is becoming a threat to some people and his presence is like lighting fire at their sits. But all in all change must be expected and that’s why I is as a journalist .
Life must go on Rebellion with or without rain. The end of the tunnel is our target, the rest is noise & it can’t stop us from fulfilling our mission here in Loima and turkana county this round ever.”

These are the message from the members, followers and supports
'He who knows nothing and knows he knows nothing, he is a scholar; teach him. He who knows nothing and thinks he knows something, he is a fool; shun him. He who knows something and thinks he knows nothing, he is unsure; enlighten him. He who knows something and knows he knows something, he is wise; follow him' Bruce Lee
I hope i will not be crucified! I have not mentioned anyone in bad light in public. Those who know what its means to be brief call such crime 'character assassination’. I hope i have not done such kind of atrocity. I stand to be corrected.
Protus, remember that God has good and greater plans in the life of our people and will never leave nor forsake them. God has started an assignment in you of which, He promised to accomplish it. Never give up, keep your neck and eye on top of the mountain like a Giraffe. God Bless and watch over u.
Turkana County myriad problems is as a result of let down by their political leaders, 15 years down the line as leaders, there is nothing substantive to boast of them....not hunger reduction, not literacy empowerment, not clean water, not security improvement, basically nothing..Gosh.....where will one come from to rescue the community from further demise? Oh God, why u allow such greedy leaders m...is treat your innocent people?...let the Tornados rein on them,we will not cry as they do not cry for us...what new things can Munyes and Ekwee do for the county if for 15 years they helped deliver nothing this time round they are seeking more leadership come 2012.God redeem your people from the wrath of their irresponsible deeds and give us new leaders with fresh minds and hearts geared at the plight of the poor and not what we see from the duo. Your people have suffered enough that these times deliver them the York of their rule.
"We must become the change we want to see." Mahatma Gandhi. Protus, wish you all the best come 2012. Protus 4 Loima 2012 for "Good Governance, Transparency & Accountability (GTA)" Itomokino jik!
 
It is sad that his life has ended at the time the people of Turkana are in clamour of reaping the fruits of the new constitutional dispensation in which he, the late Mwalimu Timothy Wabuya Kikete contributed by moulding most of the elite and great brains in Turkana County. Let's join 2gether and condole his family in this hard tyms of sorrow. Toper Niajokon apake Denno!!. May his soul rest in Eternal Peace!
Ekile protus, it's now if not now it's never. i give u all ma heartfelt support.
 
PART B
DR.EKAL IMANA FOR GOVERNORSHIP
Ok, once again Dr. Ekal Imana is a man who I never saw, never felt his presence, but we have talked in facebook twice, but to this point when I am giving this analysis we have not talked but protus  we talk in different in occasions despite of network problem my witness is your brother Pastor Peter Eroo.  Do you know what made me go crazy over the him? was when he was answering questions of people from all corners confidence which made me to like him. I  Am proud of you brother.
One of the great supporters of Dr. Ekal Imana gave the following list of ideas:-
‎1. Education.
2. Security.
3. Infrastructure.
4. Better medicare.
5. Food security.
6. Clean tap water.
7. Accountability n transparency of funds.

These are Dr. Ekal's agenda for the Turkana people, we need to hear such things personally from the aspirants, not from the 'eaters.' we need to get something from their talk- sincerity, frankness, hw hurt by our grievances they are, vision, credibility of their agendas..we need to look at them straight in the eyes n employ the use of a truth meter! Aspirants shouldn't romour around coz Turkana is more important than a 'clique of eaters.' they shud rather come in person(s).
Dr. Ekal, i got utmost respect for u sir. Am bitter with past failed regimes driven by oddities n i was juz trynna get hw u'r gonna go about this.as a prof'l, i got a soft spot for u buh t comes with no guarantee..only hw ryt u'll do things will. To vie for any office of ur choice in the land is ur const'l right n no one's gonna deny u that. hw shud we be ranked the poorest?it's mind-blowin brother!

Press release on the recent and continued deadly attacks on the innocent civilians by bandits in isiolo disrict by the friends of isiolo and people of good will

We the people of isiolo take with great exception the continued and sustained deadly attacks that are being perpetrated by bandits in Isiolo in the last five years. We would like to condemn in the strongest terms possible and ask the ministry of internal affairs and provincial administration to quickly and decisively deal with this problem

There’s no single community that is doing this to fellow Kenyans, this is the work of banditry and should be dealt with decisively. The communities living in Isiolo do not need peace accords to live in peace but require the law take its course.
We have seen ,heard and even witnessed the atrocities being committed in the presence of government agencies, but nothing has been done to date, the communities have taken to revenge attacks on each other

We as a the citizens of the republic of Kenya residing in Isiolo ask–are we second class citizens, doesn’t the constitution that we so aggressively and vigorously voted for overwhelmingly last year guarantee us the right to live work and earn a living anywhere in Kenya, the right to life is God given why does the Government of Kenya let this be taken away by marauding bandits in the guise of cattle rustling

We also take with great trepidation the recent comments by the minister of Livestock in reference to a certain tribe being the minority and the cause of the recent attacks and death in Isiolo, lets us remind the honourable minister that he was elected to go to parliament by the people of Isiolo to represent them and as a minister he is tasked with responsibility to all Kenyans, he is their representative and we do not need him to be the stumbling block to peace efforts and development of the people in Isiolo North, as a leader he should be the one to conduct himself with decorum and decency to reduce tension and promote peace ,attending the funeral of a particular tribe and not attending to others is tantamount to incitement and legitimising them to revenge .

The reference to a certain tribe as the minority by the minister and the print media should be taken to mean that that tribe has no right to live and work in Isiolo and should be evicted ,we would like to inform him that the community referred to is actually the migrant livestock rearing community from the North Eastern province, the comments raised tension in Isiolo north and caused untold suffering to people in general, this should be discouraged

The people of Isiolo have co-existed with each other since independence, inter-married and have long traditions that over-lap with each other, we ask what has happened in the last fifteen years to warrant such untold misery, has the fabric that held us together been broken by greed and indifference to one another.

We urge all the communities living in Isiolo to live in peace and let the law take its cause. For our visitors from other parts of the country we welcome you but you have to respect the rights of the resident who are both farmers and herders, whatever you perceive to be valuable to you has to apply to the farmers and herders of Isiolo, certain habits that the herders have perfected over the years have to stop forth with otherwise there will be tension since the residents will not consider the destruction of their property and theft of their animals as normal, the law that gives the right to private property has to be respected, and if anybody has a grievance against anybody the authorities are available to use the law to give arbitration, condemnation of a whole community as the ones committing the atrocities does not make matters better but worse. This acts are committed by individuals and not communities at large, the government has the machinery to track down those responsible of the crimes, why subject whole communities to unnecessary suffering by confiscating their property whenever there’s cattle rustling.

Let the Government use all the machinery at its disposal to ensure that normalcy returns to Isiolo with immediate effect, otherwise we will be forced to sue the government for failure to respect the constitution and compensate all the victims of its failure to safeguard life and private property
Signed by

The Turkana community is made up of intelligen ,people who have worked their way up the ladder,we have engeneers,Doctors.architects and ..........................for the upteenth time i urge us to use our God given authority to chart our way forward.God chooses leaders from little known people remember 1st Samwel,he gave the kingdom to David a peasant from the tribe of Jesse.................we have no reason to oobject to God's choice,we never know who it is...................God has given us the opportunity to see using our inner selves and make the right choice,that way we no longer vote with our our stomachs but our intellect.
In his last book before he was assassinated, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote,
"One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change."

Activists, educators, youth workers, young people, and all people across Washington must stay awake and vigilant to the challenges facing society today. The need to strengthen democracy has never been greater, and the resources have never been so limited. Communities can no longer afford to ignore the po...
I am afraid some of us are totally green about defamation through social media like face-book or mobile phone sms.i had not read all these exhaustively.still innocence is crime of its kind.it is time people concern play mature politics.thanks to those who took their time to think and act sensibly.

Dr ekal , welcome home and play smart politics and you will go through.
Dr Ekal You are the right person to bring a change in Turkana county . Those who oppose you have selfish interest. they haven't gone any far.They speak loud in words and nill in their action .I know them ,i have lived with them since my birth.Insult is the talent they have and visionary mind they disperse.Some people hate the truth ,
they love to lie
Eti tumeambia tufungue macho, tusije tukaansa kublem wale tutawachagua kama ilivyo desturi tangu jadi. Ningewaomba vijana wenzangu muwe maakini au waangalifu. Ekal u impressed me especialy when you didn't buy beer to the students i.e a x-ristic of a good leader who will not want drunkard society. Keep it up.
 
We don't like commenting on aspirants fora, but since this is the first such forum we have been invited to, we Kitechess Eagle Group, take this chance to thank your administrator for his courtesy, and since we will not say much for now till we meet in your analysis with us, allow us to wish you God's blessings in this endeavor, and may your prayers be answered Dkt.!! God Be With You. Kitopia Akuj, From the Kitechess Eagle Group.
Andrew, I just read through all these messages and now realize you were addressing me. I am still in the dark as to the question. I understand you are in Isiolo and you are under attack. Without knowing the question and based on some snippets of information I saw in reading people's comments, in my view:
1. Turkana people are Turkana regardless of where they are in the world.
2. Turknana people in Isiolo, Baragoi, Loyangalani, Nyahururu, Mogotio, Kitale, wherever, have the right to live there permanently if they choose to. They are on Kenyan soil and are entitled to live where they choose. It is therefore illegal for anybody to harass Turkana people who may be living in other districts. However, it is the job of the government to ensure that all citizens are safe wherever they are.
3. As of now, and as I have said many times, I am not a politician and do not want to be one. I am a private citizen, a teacher by profession. I cannot therefore help you and our people in Isiolo politically.
4. If you need help, of a political nature, I advise that you contact the polticians, namely: Hon. Munyes, Hon. Ethuro, and Hon. Nanok. These three people are legitimate politicians. Turkana electorate vested political power on them. They are the ones who are in a position to help politically.
5. If there is another way you need my help, outside politics, I am here.
6. My name is Dr. Ekal loa Imana. I am not and cannot be like anybody else. So, please, do not compare me with anybody else. Judge me on my own merit.
7. Niajokon.
Thank you very much Daktari,i do appreciate your taking time to look into some issues that i have been addressing,you are the person that i do believe will bring change to the Turkana community at large,these are some of the problems that need to be addressed as sson as you enter into politics.Now that you are preparing to venture out there i cant help but wonder why the hostility towards you,we have had cases where individuals are attacked due to issues that are relevant but this attacks are not warranted,I have read through all the arguments,but they are all gas,by the way i dont consider Ekwee,Munyes,Nanok as the leaders of the Turkana community.We need leaders who can be able to address issues like insecurity,lack of access to education,medical care etc,that is the kind of leader that we want,give us that and we shall beforeve gratefull


Thanks for coming through and thanks for your mature comments. When I say that the three gentlemen I listed are the people to contact on current political issues, I mean it factually. As of now, like it or not, these are our members of parliament, officially elected and recognized as such by law. So, till the elections are here, and we reelect them, or elect new members, they are our representatives. We cannot deny that fact.
My agenda, if I step in the governors seat, includes all those things you mentioned and more. Security is number one on my agenda followed immediately by education. I believe that education is the key to many of our problems. I need to be sitting down with you to expound on this point. I also know that no development can take place without security. If people are afraid, they cannot do anything developmental. They run at the slightest hint of danger. I therefore want secure borders, both international and inter-tribal. I want all Kenyan groups to co-exist without butchering each other. I want to have a talk with Boran leadership in Isiolo and leadership in other places where Turkana people reside. In the Isiolo case, I want to hear what Boran leadership want us to do with the Boran who reside in Turkana, especially if they cannot accomodate the Turkana in Isiolo. I am sure both sides will see sense and let people be. I have many other issues, political, social, educational, etc. about Turkana people who reside in other districts. However, I need a legitimate platform to concretize my thoughts and put them in action. For now, I am just a private citizen, just helplessly watching all these ugly things happening to our people and not able to step in. So, Mr. Ilere, I endure, like many other Turkanas, the same pain you endure at seeing all the injustices inflicted on our people.
Stop and think about what you are talikng about,today in isiolo we lost seven(7) turkana'"s to a killing spree committed by our neighbours the borans,guys this is the stuff that we should be talking about,chivalry and lame language that we have been talking about should stop and lets mourn our brothers,i saw with my own eyes,the school children shot to death in the beds and the old men shot while sitting on their beds,  should look at what happens everytime we are slaughtered by the merriles an the pokots etc we make noise and nothing happenns,we need to right the wrongs that have been perpetrated by the successive governments,i do believe that we have the resources to achieve this,i know for a fact that as a turkana i will count on mature and incisive commentaries that will stop the perrenial cycle of death for the pastoralist communities.tommorrow we shall bury the seven killed bit in our hearts we know that we are united in spirit,thank you
I am happy one of your supporters has just called me to inform that you have blocked me or even removed me from your site Ekal Imana itemokino ekicholong lo a senator alo Turkana (2012). That is good! But I am still on this your site! Think again.....I am sure Lokaru cannot remove me because he understood my line of thought but you did it because you couldn't understand anything from me!. You can re4move me from this as well but remember my questions will still remain: What different will you bring to change Turkana? How do you want it changed? What mechanisms will you bring that will be different to achieve your goal(s)? Timeline of each achievement? And finally what happened to your family back in Turkana, why did you disown them? If you could disown your family, what can make me think, you will disown the community and turn all the benefits to American woman? Kituburut sua ngican kus, when given this seat, you turn and start marrying from all over and leave our sisters devastated. You are one of those am sure! Remove me from your site if you like but ngiturkana ngon and we shall meet. What do I have against you when I do not even want to be a governor for real? Get your feelings right so that you can be seen different from what you seem to show all of us including your supporters.
 Take note of what Michael Ekunyuk said about some of those who clap for you. Bunch of sycophants that might not help you at all but the choice is yours 'father'. If you must have to call people thieves, why have you not called who stole maize at broad daylight thieves? Because you swim in the same line, your senator, your members of parliament you want to support, etc..etc....Esaki ituan daang ake kura meere iyong bon. Apiaro ka Ekisil toyei nikon. I just hope you change your attitude 'father'. Bye Bye!!

Tosha! I have heard enough , am a student in one university at the city , during my sociology classe my lecture as always been using turkana as tribe of reverence but the problem is that only when is tying to mean that some commuties lack social connection even amongst themselves but i tend to disagree but then ask am i right to disagree? No evence dear people
In as much as am young student and a future leader of this Turkana county,i will really love if we become adults here.Do you run your self and possibly your own life in rumor? Do you have clear facts of what you say and ask? Science teaches me to argue anything when i have the right information....or else i ask..thats how when one gets knowledge.And also seeing through your Christian name Paul,the bible warns of lies.I agree with you somewhere..am one person who believes that all those aspiring for the top seats in Turkana must walk the high road and meet the integrity test.But don't you think all the 'sins' committed by them be laid bare to level the ground for everybody and all of them be put on a public test?.Why do i say so? I belong to many of these blogs and i have not seen you ask those questions to those others.....i mean the crosscutting questions.Let me remind you that this is not a crossfire debate that is run by yourself and you expect Dr.Ekal to answer street questions the way you want.
Politics issues should not be based on personalities like why are you short,dark,handsome.....etc. If cant dare ask others, why are you a turkana?, I thought growing up in such challenging climate of Turkana is enough to teach you that Turkana needs you and me now. at least for you and a few others have food on the table,you are educated,your children don't sleep hungry and your family is comfortable,what about other families,the largely illiterate masses,the hungry children,the stolen land and wealth,the loss of lives...the list goes on and on.Which attempt has the current leadership even shown interest to solve one of this issues? Let me ask....when last were you in Turkana? iam even surprised that you live in Dadaab which is more like Turkana and that cant use your experiences there to seek a better life 4 other turkanas through jobs and other ways to empower us students even thru Mentoring...kori be eesi ng'itukana by name only to exploit the locals or aid ng'imoe to steal from my poor tribe.If you are that kind of a person who only make noise na kichetakinere ikon bore ekwang,you will continue to shout and shout until your 'message' is lost in your own words or your message will go back to the 'source'.I feel hurt when wrong information is used to crucify Jesus and leave Barnabas free.let me quote you abit when you were answering Esinyen Ekal-''I only know him that he once vied as MP and lost and resorted to move to America''.This information is not true....and this is the truth.Dr.Ekal did not lose any election,he was on his way to beat Ejore and since Ejore was close to president Moi,Dr. Ekal was followed to the village by an helicopter and thats how Dr.Ekal found himself in Egerton and finally to the US.another thing.which family did Ekal disown..sure nyerono bo alioko ng'itukana.....those of PAUL...pun intended to insist that you stick to xtian values.Till now do you know Dr.Ekal supports so many Turkana University students in Kenya and elsewhere many who i know personally? Talk about women groups,paying hospital bills to some people?This is money from his own pocket.Who has ever done that for sure? Myself i support Dr.Ekal has as individual for the seat of Governor,because of the seriousness the Governorship demands.meere ekicholong a governor eka ng'ikokolak some of them have even been in power for long and have clearly failed in their mandate.how do we entrust Turkana to them?
This is why i support Dr. EKAL ,
1.He is a strong believer in the system issue -he needs us to fix Turkana together.
2.Because of the diverse experience he has,thats enough to compare the best practices in the world to change Turkana,I VOTE HIM.
3.He has not been implicated in any scandal.
4.He needs Turkanas to explore the rest of the world and come and better Turkana in future-educationwise
5.His candidancy is PEOPLE DRIVEN DEMANDS,not selfish interest.
6.Dr. Ekal without dispute has the highest level of integrity and qualification than any other candidate for governorship or any other politician in Turkana for that matter.
7.i dont support the option you have.
thank you very much,God bless you God bless Dr.Ekal,God bless Turkana.
Ekeno R.Ng'uleny
The following is the  replies from dr. ekal imana whom was highly concerned of turkana community in turkana county this is what he said.

Oh my, Thanks for your comments, except you forgot to write in full sentences. I am a different person, not related to those past regimes. I am therefore going to do things differently. However, to understand and appreciate what I have in mind (what you are asking me to elucidate), you have to be my homonclus. That way, you would be privy to my thinking processes. You would then understand what I intend to do. Since that is not possible, the next best thing is to arrrange for a meeting at which we would discuss issues at length. I would need ample space, not available on facebook, to explain to you everything I have in mind. For now, take it from me, I have the best intentions for our motherland and it will not be like anything you have seen in the last so many years.
The Killing of the chiefs is not a laughing matter. It is not a matter to joke about. it is a deadly serious matter. We have lost two chiefs to violence in less than a month. These chiefs wore the crown. They represented the government. The surprising thing is that the government is quiet about their deaths. Yet, it is the duty of the government to provide security to all citizens. Where is the security quaranteed to all by the constitution?

Another surprise is that of the calls rumoured to come from the ministry of defense and internal security, that the Turkanas should not build any structures at Lochwakula. We all know that Lochwakula is Turkana, so why shouldn't the Turkana put structures there? It seems something sinister is looming somewhere out there. There is also this disturbing rumour that large parts of Turkana have been given to the Pokots, by? God knows.

Perturbed by the rampant insecurity in Turkana, I am forced to ask, where is the current MP for south Turkana? Why isn't anybody saying something? Why is everybody quiet while these bad things are happening to Turkana? Do we have any representation? Somebody tell me.
Ekai, Omy, I have been down this path before and got disappointed. I prefer a fair and sincere discussion without threats. What I see here is more threats of my "elect-ability will sum to zero from this region ----". If this is where we are headed, why should I even try? You already have a stand. I cannot change your mind. Your questions above are directed to the wrong individual. I am not the sitting MP or anything. I am just a private citizen like you with a dream. Until that dream is a reality, I am not the one to answer your questions.
I just received a call from Lokichar that hordes of well armed Pokots are butchering the Turkana at Kaalemngorok. This is just a few kilometers from Lokichar. When is this relentless campaign by the Pokots to wipe out Turkanas going to stop? If Pokots are attacking Kaalemngorok, what will stop them attacking Lokichar next time? Where is Turkana security? Where are all police forces stationed in Turkana? Isn't the police force "utumishi kwa wote"? When will Turkana receive protection?
I will start by thanking my volunteer Oliver Lowoton. Thanks for taking your time to enlighten me a little bit. I am pretty aware that those insulting me here are simply minions that are paid to parrot for their cowardly masters. I am also pretty aware that I am being taken advantage of because I am far away from these parrots. Since they do not know me, they just think they can get away with their impunity.
So, I think, they are just blindly parroting on till they day I surprise them. As am reading your contribution here, I wonder who the senator or governor candidate is behind all these attacks. Who is shelling out the money? Ekwee, Lotesiro, know me in person. I do not expect them to stoop this low. I hear there are other people out there whom I do not know, they may be the ones involved in these cowardly acts. I have certain suspicions however, but I would like to research first and completely be sure who the boss of these parrots is. This is the guy I want to confront one on one. If he thinks he is worth electibility, he should not be hiding behind his minions.
A guy that attacks by hiding behind others has no leadership in him. I do not even know how anybody can respect such a cowardly hyena. I notice the language used by some of these minions is familiar. A certain candidate, who thinks he owns Turkana politcal positions, has been going around insulting me using these same utterances. I suspect this guy. My people have already talked to him and he promised them that he would stop the childish insults.
 If I find out it is him, I will have a talk with him. Of course given the character of this individual, I will not be surprised if he is the one that has resorted to these low-down tactics. Thanks also for pointing out that this childish brand of politics is the order of the day over there. I was wondering why the parroting minions would not understand when I told them that their childish antics were not acceptable. So, in their minds, they believed they were involved in politics. i am afraid it is going to be rough on me because I am not the abusing type.
 I cannot bring myself to insulting somebody's mother the way these guys are insulting mine. This is the way some people are and I am not this type. I will therefore expect more of these insults and will think of away to cope. So, while expecting the insults to intensify, I need to know who the boss is. I need to know the one paying Lonoko, Ekiwanja, Bruno and others. I have a strong suspicion who it is, but I would like to hear what you think. Please do give me this information through this site or through my e-mail (eimana@msn.com). I'd rather deal with the cowardly boss himself. I am appealing to other friends to do the same. Give me the name of the one paying those insulting me by way of this site or by e-mail. I appreciate your effort and time.
Lonok, I do not know what is going on in your head. I do not know why you are fixated on me? You notice that I stopped responding to your insults, hoping that you would somehow leave me alone, unfortunately, you have come back with a new accusation. It is true I do not know and do not understand what your point is, other than that you do not like me for whatever reason.
However, I reasoned that since I am not a shilling, not everyone is going to like me. I also reasoned that since Turkana is large, you and I can coexist in Turkana without problems. Unfortunately, that is not enough for you, you are still targeting me. Some of the questions you posted this time, are good and I would like to answer them.
However, I cannot answer those questions unless you tell me the person you are comparing me with. Whom do you want for governor other than me? If I know your candidate, I can tell you what I can do that he cannot. There is a question about my family, where is this family you are talking about and what has my family got to do with anything? Lastly, I did not or try to remove you from anything. You are imagining things. You are looking for a confrontation.
Finally Dr Ekal Imana closes the list of comments and views addressed to him By Saying
“That is true loa Akujah. I have already thought of that. If the Turkana are going to vote me in, that is the most pressing issue. There is really nothing we can do without security because we would constantly in be fear of being killed. It is hard to think straight when worrying about insecurity issues. 2012 will bring in a large number of representatives. There will be enough to get the Kenyan government do something about security along the borders. I have alternate thoughts that I am not going to write here. We will have to take matters in our own hands. There has to be away. This insecurity situation must stop!!”

Wednesday 4 January 2012

"Our Languages Are Dying"

Have you ever thought about what your life would be like without your language? What about the fact that your children may not be able to speak your language when you are no longer alive?
It has been observed that “a lost language is a lost culture, a lost culture is invaluable knowledge lost.” We here in Kenya know that “it is lamentable that most Kenyan children from elite backgrounds do not [because they cannot] speak their mother tongues. Even at home parents of a certain linguistic background do not consider it expedient to communicate with their children in their mother tongue, which should be their first language. Such children learn English first from their parents and peers. If they learn their parents’ original language at all, it is much later. English they argue is not simply valuable, but an absolute necessity and so they are content when the children are fluent in it.”
Kenya is a coalition, in a sense, a multi-ethnic country with a plurality of languages and cultures. Language does not serve only as a means of communication, but as a marker of identity amongst the tribes. Kenya is said to be home to no less than 42 of Africa’s 1,800 languages. Languages serve as important symbols of group belonging, enabling different groups of people to know what ethnic group they belong to, and what common heritage they share.
Sixteen out of Kenya’s 42 languages are at serious risk of disappearing, according to “Extinct and Endangered Languages”, a recent report by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Languages are truly instruments of our perception of reality, as they influence the way we perceive things in our environment, the way we think, the way we act and speak as well as the way we behave in any given social context. Oliver Wendell Holmes once described language as “… the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.”
Under normal circumstances, it is important to develop and sustain languages and protect them from being adulterated and overwhelmed by outside influences, as happens when one culture dominates another. No doubt languages are the most authentic ways through which people and communities can retain and safeguard knowledge, wisdom and their nomenclature passed down by their ancestors; they are, in one sense, precious and living heirlooms that must be protected.
Disturbed by this current trend, the Centre for Endangered Languages (CEL), which was established in Nakuru, Kenya in 2002, has taken on the daunting task of addressing, and arresting, the threat of extinction to which most of the languages of Kenya are exposed. CEL has ascertained that language extinction is a gradual process, which tends to affects the minority tribes most keenly. These tribes experience intense pressure – economic, social and political - to give up their own cultures, including their languages, to embrace those of the majority tribes. These minority tribes include the Ogiek, Elmolo, Sengwer, Yaaku, and Waata, most of them traditionally hunters and gatherers. In addition, Pokots, Marakwet, Keiyo, Tugen, Nandi, Kipsigis, Luhya and Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania have gradually assimilated the Sengwer. Kipsigis, Tugen and Maasai assimilate Ogiek in their regions.
Some have argued that since society is not static, people should accept dynamism in both culture and language, to embrace change and fraternize more easily for the purpose of speedy development. If we should give credence to this argument, it then implies that in no distant future, small ethnic groups will lose their cultural identities and languages and become lost tribes, relegated to the history books.
At the end of the 20th century, according to Nigerian CEL researchers, out of 6,800 languages classified as threatened, being spoken by the roughly six billion people of the Earth, 2,400 of them (35 percent) are indigenous to Africa. Indonesia is home to 672 languages, Papua New Guinea to 800, and Nigeria to 400 languages. While some of them are well known, others are virtually unheard of outside a small community of speakers. The fear being expressed today is that some of these languages, in view of their degrees of adulteration or outright abandonment, may not live to see the 22nd century. In fact, it is estimated that only ten percent of the present languages in the world will survive. The fear is that of a homogenous world, where everybody speaks the same language, wears the same standard clothes, and thinks the same standard thoughts. What should we make of this trend towards sameness; what future is the world heading towards? Our answer at CEL: Let’s be proud of our rich and different languages and cultures as Kenyans, and as Africans.

Endangered Language

Language Legacies Projects

  • Namgay Thinley and Gwendolyn HyslopDzongkha Development Commission / University of Oregon

    An Orthography and Grammatical Sketch of ’Olekha
  • Tye SwallowSaanich Adult Education Center

    SENĆOŦEN Language Revitalization and Sustainability Plan - Learning from Homeland Curriculum Development Project
  • Lalnunthangi ChhangteConverge Worldwide

    Documentation of the Ralte Language
  • Chad Thompson and Dani TippmannThe Three Rivers Language Center / Whitley County Historical Museum

    The Miami Language and Cultural Camp
  • Digna Lipa-od AdonisBenguet Network

    Eg Tayo Kari Dibkhanan, Let Us Not Forget: A Documentation of the Ibaloy Indigenous Language in Benguet, Philippines
  • Adam BakerAcademy of Sciences of Afghanistan

    Ishkashimi Language Documentation & Development
  • Olga LovickFirst Nations University of Canada

    Transcription, Translation, and Annotation of Upper Tanana Athabascan
  • Jonathan David Bobaljik, David Koester, and Tatiana DegaiUniversity of Connecticut / National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan / Itelmen Community

    Itelmen Language Audio Recordings
  • Asha Mulki

    Preservation of Sakuye Indigenous Language
  • Deborah SanchezBarbareño Chumash Council

    Chumash Family Singers Recording Project
  • Ana Carolina HechtUniversity of Buenos Aires

    Documentation of Language Socialization Practices in Intercultural School Contexts of Language Shift of Toba
  • Angoua Jean-Jacques Tano

    Documentation and Description of Ivorian Sign Language
  • Annahita Farudi and Maziar ToosarvandaniUniversity of Massachusetts / UC Berkeley

    A Community-based Oral History Project for Zoroastrian Dari
  • Syngen KanassategaMille Lacs Band Government Center

    Ojibwe Cultural Activity Preservation
  • Ruth Rouvier and Susan Gehr The Karuk Tribe

    Karuk Master-Apprentice Documentation Project Expansion Plan
  • Daniel Ochieng Orwenjo Kenyatta University, Kenya

    Living on Borrowed Time; Giving a Lifeline to the Olusuba Language of Kenya through Orature
  • Carolina Coelho Aragon University of Utah

    Documentation of Akuntsú
  • Tammy Goss, Jim Thunder, Billy Daniels, and Mary Jane Thunder University of Wisconsin / Forest County Potawatomi

    Potawatomi Dictionary Project
  • Marsha Relyea Miles and Steven Dazim Pioneer Bible Translators / Aruamu Community

    Aruamu BIG BOOK Project
  • Tanis C. Thorne, Michael L. Connolly, Richard L. Carrico, and Richard Bugbee University of California, Irvine / San Diego State University

    “Place-Making:” Mapping Kumeyaay Place–names
  • Richard Pouliot Gedakina, Inc

    Bagadal8mow8gannawal, Bringing Back Our Songs
  • Defen Yu Yunnan Nationalities University, Kunming, China

    The Documentation of Zijun Samadu, a Tibeto-Burman Language of China
  • Pilar M. Valenzuela Chapman University

    Awakening Shiwilu Voices
  • Anita Heard Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways, The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan

    Mnaajchigaadenoon Ngamwinan. Celebrating Songs Harvest Project
  • Amy Campbell, Ramón Escamilla, Lindsey Newbold, and Justin Spence University of California, Berkeley

    University of California, Berkeley
  • Marit Vamarasi Marit Vamarasi

    Training Rotuman Language Teachers
  • Thiago Costa Chacon University of Utah

    Kubeo Documentation Project
  • Jane Freeland and Eloy Frank Gómez University of Southampton / Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de las Costa Caribe Nicaragüense

    Developing materials to train Mayangna Indian sociolinguistic / ethnographic researchers into community attitudes to language loss
  • Paulina Yourupi University of Hawaii at Manoa

    Developing a Pollapese Orthography
  • Marine Vuillermet Laboratoire Dynamique Du Langage (DDL)

    Saving the "Sloth Woman Myth": a Collaborative Project in Bolivia
  • Benson Oduor Ojwang Maseno University

    Promoting Documentation and Maintenance of Kinubi, a Minority Creole in Kenya
  • Jermy Imanuel Balukh Cakrawala Nusantara Kupang

    Documenting Folk Tales and Procedural Texts in Ndao
  • Strang Burton Stolo Nation

    Elizabeth Herrling Collection of Upriver Halq’emeylem
  • Linda Lanz Rice University

    Inupiaq Revitalization and Documentation: Digital Resources for an Indigenous Community
  • Heather Souter Camperville, Manitoba, Canada

    Michif Video Memories: Documenting Language and Culture in Context
  • Alejandra Vidal Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas, Argentina

    Documenting Pilaga: Community Language Archiving in Formosa
  • Heriberto Avelino University of Toronto

    Audiovisual Documentation of the Kiliwa Languag
  • Tsuyoshi Ono University of Alberta

    Digital Documentation of Ikema Language Use
  • Viktoria Papp Rice University

    Northern Csango Language Documentation: Voice and Information Structure
  • Armik Mirzayan University of Colorado at Boulder

    Documenting the Wichita Language in Music
  • Michael Hughes and Jule Gomez de Garcia California State University, San Marcos

    Linguistic Database of Men's Ixil Mayan Narratives
  • Wilson de Lima Silva University of Utah

    Practical Language Material for Desano
  • Sarah Murray Rutgers University

    Dynamics of Cheyenne Discourse
  • Erin Debenport University Of Chicago

    Community Language Documentation At Sandia Pueblo
  • Pastor Dawari Braide

    Printing Of Kalabari-English Dictionary For Kalabari Children
  • Amrendra Kumar Singh Jawaharlal Nehru University

    Description Of Pasi
  • Khawaja Rehman Frontier Language Institute

    Language Maintenance And Shift In Kundal Shahi
  • Robert Williams American University in Cairo

    Ghulfan Language Documentation Through Forced Migration Stories
  • Jerry Hall Lane Community College

    Tutudin Language Camp
  • Simeon Floyd University Of Texas At Austin

    Multi-Dialect Documentation of Highland Ecuadorian Quichua
  • Wilson de Lima Silva University Of Utah

    Documentation Of Arapaso
  • Joana Jansen University Of Oregon

    Documenting Yakima Sahaptin Conversation
  • Racquel Yamada University Of Oregon

    University Of Oregon
  • Erich Fox Tree

    Mesoamerican Sign Language Survival And Documentation Project: Modern Signs, Ancient Histories
  • Laureano Segovia

    Documenting Wichi Language and Traditional Culture
  • Elena V. Perekhvalskaya St. Petersburg State University

    Online Documentation of Udihe
  • Andrew Garrett, Melodie George, and Victor Golla University of California, Berkeley; Hoopa Valley High School; Humboldt State University / University of California. Davis

    A Returning Fluent Hupa Speaker: Documentation and Digital Language Materials
  • Joel Nasveira Simo Vanuatu National Language Committee

    Reviving Vanuatu's Dying Languages
  • Mark Turin University of Cambridge

    Thangmi Shamanic Chants: Preserving An Endangered Ritual Language And Tradition From Nepal
  • Pastor Dawari Braid

    Documentation And Preservation Of The Kalabari Language For Posterity: Now And The Future
  • Rosa Vallejos University of Oregon

    Documenting The Language Of The Kokama-Kokamilla People
  • Gratien Gualbert Atindogbe University of Buea

    A Reference Grammar Of Barombi
  • John P. Boyle University of Chicago

    Hidatsa Language Documentation and Revitalization
  • Jorge Gomez Rendon University of Amsterdam

    Documented Survey of Sia Pedee and Development of Basic Teaching Materials
  • Zelealem Leyew University of Addis Ababa

    Recording the Last Fluent Speakers of Kemantney
  • Tyler Peterson University of British Columbia

    Video Documentation of Gitksan Narratives: Legends, Life Stories, and My Day
  • April Laktonen Counceller and Jeff Leer Alutiiq Museum and Archaelogical Repository, Alaska Native Language Center

    Kodiak Alutiiq Conversational Booklet and CD
  • Tiemu'er Yuger Cultural Research Office

    Eastern Yugur-Chinese Bilingual Dictionary and Cultural Materials Project
  • Ardis Eschenberg Nebraska Indian Community College

    A Teaching Grammar of Umonhon
  • Andrew Cowell University of Colorado

    Early Arapaho Texts
  • Maria Sheila B. Zamar University of Hawai'i at Manoa

    Ayta-Sorsogon Documentation Project: Saving an Endangered Language, Saving a Community
  • Kirk Miller University of California, Santa Barbara

    Documenting Hadza, an Endangered Language Isolate of Tanzania
  • Rosemary G. Beam de Azcona Univeristy of California, Berkeley

    Continued Emergency Documentation of San Agust’n Mixtepec and Coatlan Loxicha Zapotec
  • Zvjezdana Vrzic New York University

    Text Collection and Digital Archiving of Istro-Romanian
  • Ibrahima Ouattara University of Ougadougou

    Save the Tiefo Language
  • Ilse Lehiste and Karl Pajusalu Ohio State University and University of Tartu

    Livonian Prosody
  • Cora McKenna and Brenda McKenna Nambé Pueblo, NM

    Tewa Dictionary and Curriculum, Nambé Dialect
  • Lisa Conathan and Belle Anne Matheson UC Berkeley

    Arapaho Description and Reviatlization
  • Nadezhda Shalamova, Andrei Filtchenko, and Olga Potanina Tomsk Polytechnic U.; Rice U.; Tomsk State Pedagogical U.

    Documentation of Vasyugan Khanty
  • Dmitri Funk Russian Academy of Sciences

    The Last Epic Singer in Shors (Western Siberia)
  • Arthur Schmidt, Rita Flamand and Grace Zoldy Metis

    The Camperville Michif Master-Apprentice Program
  • Cheruiyot Kiplangat Centre for Endangered Languages, Kenya

    Working to Save Ogiek and Sengwer of Kenya
  • Claire Bowern Harvard U.

    Bardi Language Documentation: The Laves Material
  • Francis Egbokhare U. Ibadan, Nigeria

    Documenting Akuku Oral Traditions
  • Rosemary Beam de Azcona UC Berkeley

    Southern Zapotec Language Materials
  • Rick Thoman and Gary Holton U Alaska Fairbanks

    The Tanacross Athabascan Sound System
  • Valerio Luciani Ascencio Kawki language project

    Preservation of the Kawki language
  • Maximilian Viatori U. California, Davis

    A practical Zapara phonology and morphology
  • Thomas McIlwraith, Regina Louie, Angela Dennis and Sally Havard Iskut First Nations

    Talking to the animals: Tahltan-language animal stories and forms of address
  • Rosalind Williams Splatsin Tribe

    Creation of Secwepenc Wordlist 2002
  • Naomi Nagy U. New Hampshire

    Preserving Faetar in the school
  • Chris Beier and Lev Michael U. Texas, Austin

    Iquito language documentation project
  • Gessiane Lobato Picanco U. British Columbia

    Documentation of Kuruaya, a moribund language of Brazil
  • Nikolai Vakhtin European U. at St. Petersburg

    Siberian Yupik Eskimo conversation book
  • Pamela Bunte and Nikole Lobb California State U., Long Beach

    Using San Juan Southern Paiute narratives in a language revitalization program
  • Connie Dickinson U. Oregon

    Tsafiki dictionary project
  • Doug Marmion Australian National U.

    Wutung language maintenance and literacy development
  • Susan Doty Creek Tribe

    Muskogee Creek language traditional song preservation
  • Justin T. Neely Citizen Potawatomi Nation

    Potawatomi Language Preservation and Apprenticeship Program
  • Mary D. Stewart St?:lo Nation

    Preservation and Revitalization of the Upriver Halq?em?ylem Dialect Language within the Family Entity
  • Angela M. Nonaka UCLA

    Saving Signs from Bhan Khor: Documentation and Preservation of an Indigenous Sign Language in Thailand
  • Mildred Quaempts Claremont and San Diego State

    Umatilla Immersion Camp
  • Paula L. Meyer University of Victoria

    Baha California Tiipay Comparative Dictionary
  • Marina Dmitrievna Lublinskaya St. Petersburg University

    Collection of Audio Material in the Nganasan Language
  • Kristine Stenzel University of Colorado

    The Wanano Project
  • Kenny Holbrook Capitola, CA

    Instruction in Northeastern Maidu
  • Zarifa Nazarova Tajik Academy of Sciences

    The Vocabulary of the Traditional Culture of the Ishkashim Language
  • Joyce Twins Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma

    Cheyenne Pedagogical Materials
  • Alice J. Anderton Intertribal Wordpath Society

    Ponca Culture in Our Own Words
  • Mark J. Awakuni-Swetland University of Nebraska

    ELF Omaha Language Curriculum Development Project
  • Melissa Axelrod, Jule Gomez de Garcia, and Jordan Lachler University of New Mexico

    Plains Apache Language Documentation
  • Frank Bechter and Stephen Hibbard University of Chicago

    Apsaalooke Textual And Gestural Form: Videorecording Crow and Plains Sign Talk Narratives
  • Barry F. Carlson and Suzanne Cook University of Victoria

    Lacandon Text Collection
  • G. Tucker Childs and M Djibril Batchily Portland State University

    Fieldwork on Mmani (Atlantic, Niger-Congo), a dying language of coastal Guinea-Conakry
  • Terry Crowley University of Waikato

    Moribund languages of northern Malakula
  • Linda A. Cumberland Indiana University

    A Grammar of Assiniboine
  • Theodore Isham Mvskoke Language Institute

    Language Immersion Camps in Mvskoke (Creek)
  • Linda Jordan University of Oklahoma

    Cherokee Storytelling Project
  • Eva Toulouze and Kaur Maegi Tartu University

    Recording and Analyzing Forest Nenets Language Materials
  • Elena Benedicto Purdue University

    Indigenous Women as Linguists
  • Marianne Milligan University of Wisconsin, Madison

    Menominee Phonology and Morphology
  • Jonette Sam Pueblo of Picuris

    An Integrated Approach to Language Renewal at Picuris Pueblo, New Mexico
  • Carolyn J. MacKay and Frank R. Trechsel Ball State University

    A Linguistic Description of Pisa Flores Tepehua
  • Yogendra P. Yadava Royal Nepal Academy

    A Study of the Dhangar Language
  • Delphine Red Shirt Guilford, CT

    Winyan Isnala: My Mother's Story
  • Yaron Matras University of Manchester

    A Description of the Domari Language of Jerusalem
  • James T. Collins National University of Malaysia

    Documenting and Describing the Tola' Language
  • Hongkai Sun Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

    Recording the Last Fluent Speakers of Anong, a Language of Yunnan (PRC)
  • Silverio Jimenez Mexico City

    The Nahuatl from Milpa Alta
  • Veronica M. Grondona University of Pittsburgh

    Material development for Bilingual Education among the Mocovi
  • David VanBik Haka, Chin State, Burma

    Lai (Haka Chin)-English Dictionary
  • Daniel Aberra Addis Ababa University

    Morphological Analysis of Shabo
  • Ronald Geronimo Sells, AZ

    Illustration of a Tohono O'odham Text for Children
  • Darrell R. Kipp Piegan Institute

    Immersion Learning of Blackfoot
  • Monica Macaulay University of Wisconsin

    Menominee Language and Linguistics
  • Eve Chuen Ng State University of New York, Buffalo

    The Structure of Passamaquoddy
  • Nile Thompson Seattle, WA

    Twana Language Use in Songs
  • Timothy Thornes University of Oregon

    Documentation of Burns Paiute
  • Suzanne Wash U. California, Santa Barbara

    The Last Speakers of Northern Sierra Miwok
  • Mary Louise Defender Wilson Shields, ND

    Broadcasting in Dakotah on KLND
  • Aklilu Yilma Addis Ababa University

    Recording the Last Speakers of Ongota
  • Alice Anderton Intertribal Wordpath Society

    Production of original television dramas in Choctaw and Creek
  • Mark Donohue University of Manchester

    Work on the Wasur languages of Indonesia
  • Gary Holton University of California, Santa Barbara

    Tanacross language documentation project
  • Andrej Kibrik University of Alaska

    Recording the last fluent speakers of Kuskokwim in Alaska
  • Mary Linn University of Kansas

    Preserving Yuchi, a Native American isolate
  • Rob Pensalfini MIT

    Preparing language materials for Jingulu of Australia
  • Ronald Red Elk Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee

    Making a rediscovered manuscript useful to the Comanche community
  • Karen Somerville Gakeemaneh/Gignamoane, New Brunswick

    Immersion programs in Micmac, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy
  • Janne Underriner University of Oregon

    Recording the last two speakers of Klamath