[kictanet] Social media & the demolition of a church & clinic

[robert yawe]

Hi,

Many of us have commented on how social media was used in Tunisia and Egypt to 
pressure the incumbent and we suggested that Kenya might be at the precipice of 
the same.

From the actions over the past two weeks namely the demolition by unknown people 
with undated court orders and blank title deeds of a Church off Juja Road in 
Eastleigh and a council clinic in high-ridge is an indication that social media 
in Kenya is basically that, social.

If social media was going to drive change in this country Christians should have 
been mobilised 2 weeks ago to prevent the demolition of the church and the rest 
of us over the past weekend to stop the demolition of the public clinic.  

Kisia got notified so late that by the time he got to site of the clinic the 
bulldozer had pulled down one side of the building and had already exited the 
location.  No one was even able to get through to the tsar if corruption Dr. P 
Lumumba, he never appeared on site and neither had the Minister of Public 
Health.

The minister of medical services is away in the US, as per article on the press, 
but should have gotten a posting on his wall about what was transpiring or even 
an earlier alert of what was  being planned.

If social media will create a change then the intention to demolition either of 
the 2 facilities should have started chatter ignited by a single posting by the 
typist at NCC who typed the order, or the driver of the bulldozer or anyone else 
who was privy to such information and when this posting was done it should have 
a viral effect not only in the spread by also in the reaction.  We should have 
descended on the sites like white blood cells to the site of an infection in the 
body.

For social media in Kenya to have the effect it had in Tunisia or the British 
student demonstrations aka riots we need to regularly use the media for 
advocative action such as avoiding a particular matatu because the driver is 
known to be reckless or the makanga never washes.  When there is an accident on 
the highway causing a major jam we should be able to update other drivers so 
that they can take action even though it might mean beginning the Mututho hour 
closer to the office.

We need to use it regularly so that we internalise the usage, we should not 
expect that it will just happen suddenly when a message is posted on a wall and 
we experience a revolution.  President Obama did not just wake up on the eve of 
the election to make a posting on facebook or twiter no, he used the medium to 
mobilise people to town hall meetings in nondescript locations many years before 
he even become senator.

Then and only then will the new order manifest itself in Kenya, Mapambano.

Regards 
 Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200e
Kenya


Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696



      
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