DADHE GODANA BORU;THE GIFTS OF INDEPENDENCE TO NORTHERNERS

DADHE GODANA BORU;THE GIFTS OF INDEPENDENCE TO NORTHERNERS 
“To the people who live in the northeast region, I have this to say. We know that many of you are herdsmen during the day and Shifta during the night, others conceal Shifta and refuse to give information about their movement” Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta addressing the Kenyan house of parliament in 1964

If the trees in my mother land could walk
And walk fast in the court rooms and testify
And the rocky Merti plateau could talk
And talk aloud on what it had seen with its naked eyes
The world would be stunned with what happened in northern juggle, fifty years ago

The year was nineteen sixty three
When Kenya got independence and finally we were free
Kenyans were happy and in jubilation spree
But the people of northern Kenya were on their feet

The arrival of the military convoys marked the beginning of those dark days
Gruesome torture and murder was the order of the day
Men and women, old and young, non was spared
Some stronger ones survived, the weaker ones perished

Concentration camps were our homes for years
Homes where for years we shaded tears
Like animals we were herded, no contacts with our dears
No water, no food; dying of thirst and starvation was all very clear

Men of the smoky metal were all over our jungle
Beating indiscriminately with the butts of their riffles
Some died, others survived though many were crippled
Others ran away but unlucky ones were trampled on and killed

Our animals were confiscated from our beautiful land of pasture
I guess you can now understand why abject poverty in our land is a conspicuous feature
And that is why, generation after had a pathetic future
Future characterized by ugly face of dependency on well wishers

Sorry to our sisters, mothers and grandmothers
Their nakedness were exposed in presences of their youngsters
What follows was rape at a gunpoint by this monsters
Will they ever realize the life time damage they caused these survivors?

Shifta war was highly publicized
First the whole community was criminalized
And later marginalized
As such, in the northern jungle, no meaningful development was realized
So, were these the gifts of independence to the people of northern Kenya?

THIS POEM IS DEDICATED TO THE VICTIMS/SURVIVORS OF SHIFTA WAR (1963-1967)

DADHE GODANA BORU;Dear Dad

DADHE GODANA BORU;Dear Dad

Dear Dad
You are little known to people around us
As a good old man, quite and courteous
As a man, not so much but a bit humorous
And that is all they can say about you, dad, indeed little knowledge is for sure dangerous

Am happy to have you in my life
Many children have fathers but no dad
But I have two in one, I have both
Thank you dad for not many men have kept that oath

You are my nearest and dearest friend
A friend on whom I always depend
With your help the ladder of success I will always ascend
If anyone will ever look for a true friend, it’s you, dad that I will always recommend

You took care of me with precision
And loved me with passion
The advice you gave me speaks all about your vision
To see me happy and outstanding in a million

The sacrifices you made for me is just unforgettable
You were master of odd jobs and that was remarkable
From a chain man to a cook, a carpenter to a herder, all was unbelievable
This struggle will only be seen in “the third world war battle”
This gift of struggle and sacrifice is the greatest gift of all
And forever this, I will recall

Daddy,
I pray to God that you live long
That He grant you good health, for I love to see you grow old but strong
That He grant you a place in paradise, life thereafter, for I believe that’s where you belong
I thank God for your world, your world that taught me to evade wrongs
And that is why your name will forever be preserved in songs

DADHE GODANA BORU; It’s Because Of You That I Am Me

DADHE GODANA BORU;Its Because Of You That I am Me

The year was nineteen eighty three 

After nine month of growth in your womb, I was free 

But I could not do a thing without your care, just like a seedling of a tree 

Despite our abject poverty, you raised me and gave me all including expensive college degree 

Thank you mum, it’s because of you that I am me

   

Your Life without me would have been trouble-free, you would have succeed 

But since am a human being with a mouth to feed 

You had to go through thick and thin, that’s why you had to bleed   

The scars on your hands and feet reflects the struggles you made just to satisfy my needs

Thank you mum, it’s because of you that I am me

 

The infinite love you showed me, I can never explain 

The sacrifice and suffering you made to raise me, I can’t imagine the pain 

The penalties you gave me just to correct me, I will never complain  

The spirit of hard work and respect that you inculcated in me, I will forever retain  

Thank you mum, it’s because of you that I am me

 

There are sacrifices in life you made for me that none can dare  

You were ready to lose your life for me and yet it has no spare 

You are one person mum that I don’t want to see her face glare 

I must have been very lucky; getting such a wonderful person under the sun is very rare  

Thank you mum, it’s because of you that I am me

 

IT’S A SPECIAL DEDICATION TO MY MUM; KOYITI GODANA BORU