Labor Day is an important date in the calendar of a Kenyan Employer and Employee. The seriousness of this day is evident in the color used in the calender to mark this exact date, often Red. Given the prevailing uncertainty in the labor market, Labor Day is a judgment day for most employers. Employers are immediate casualties of government moves advanced to please workers. It is estimated that 1.5 million man-hours were lost in the year 2011 courtesy of industrial action. This is a course for alarm to any serious government. To avert future crisis, the government often advances proposals to contain the ‘ever demanding’ employee. To me, this day is somewhat different. It is that moment I get to put into use my otherwise hard-earned income. This year was no different. With the company of my lil bro, Boinet, decided that it was a day to learn a few things related to Kalenjin culture. Kabarnet Museum was our ‘best’ bet.
Kabarnet is a small town at the heart of the Rift Valley, a region with amazing sceneries and culture. The town is estimated to Harbor 8,000 people, 200 being government employees. It is prudent to mention upfront that Labor celebrations are not highly regarded in the region. This is largely because of the mild voice in respect to their numbers. Kabarnet is a region marred with abject levels of poverty and high levels of dependency. The town has lagged behind in both political and economic development courtesy of past & current selfish and corrupt office holders. A lot of corruption and looting of public property or else illegal allocations is evident in the town. Or, How can you explain a state where a fully flagged town with running municipal council (on taxpayers money) and county headquarters lack basic amenities i.e. recreational grounds? The towns’ major structures are in the custody of ‘who was who’ in the past regime, KANU. The move by political elite to colonize the town has brought more harm than good to the local folks who are surviving devoid basic recreational facilities, items enjoyed by fellow compatriots in other towns.
With the brief observation, allow me to revert to the Museum issue. The National Museums of Kenya run facility is another culprit of poor planning or else a mismanaged unit. Like other NMK facilities, one parts with 100bob at the gate. There, one is greeted by dead silence, no life. The museum harbors a cultural site and a ‘snake park’. The cultural corner has facilities used by the ancient populace of the region and the larger Kalenjin. Here, one cannot fail to notice the shoddiness of past research. For a Kenyan, You expect to see a spear, shield etc. when you visit a Kalenjin cultural reserve site. The aforementioned and other important ancient instruments are nowhere in Kabarnet Museum. Apart from that, the snake park pisses off completely. It houses only three and I repeat three snakes (Buff adder, Black Mamba and a Python).Really? , National Museums of Kenya can do better than this.
Despite being a holiday, only a handful of people were at the museum, five to be exact. This might be partly because of the poor state of the facility. NMK has an uphill task in bringing up the facility to a Museum status, one that showcases the ancient culture in good light and conserves history. Some urgent measures to be adopted need not to be limited to new research, Awareness creation and review down of access rates. In economics, reduced pricing tends to increase demand. In addition, the responsible authority needs to channel additional funds to improve the facility to attract not only local but also foreign tourists. Tugen is a rich culture and NMK needs to engage the society with utmost sincerity to help identify and conserve culture. Finally, those responsible for the planning of the town need to assign some ground for recreational facilities.
econke 