WE MUST NEVER FEAR WAR!

Last week I was involved in a training for human rights of the people living with HIV/AIDS. As the training progressed the question on the male circumcision and its scientificity in curbing the widespread of the virus arose. Then there was a spirited argument on whether or no to adopt it. At the end of the debate I thought the trainer had managed to convince her listeners.

But what shocked me was what the trainer told us of how the research on male circumcision was carried out. She said that in South Africa a group 40 young men were asked to take part in the research. The young men were divided into two groups with one group accepting to be circumcised while the other group was left uncircumcised. These men were given instructions and clearly of the impending consequences should they accept to participate. They were then released to indulge in sex with whoever they met. One of the instructions was that the participants should not use condoms! And after these young men returned after six months the results were shocking. Only about 40% percent of the circumcised men tested positive while
those who were uncircumcised, 100% tested positive!

After thinking for a while I was very furious and naturally demanded from the trainer to tell us why such a risky affair had to be carried out on human beings. This prompted a plethora of disapproval questions with various human rightists calling for an end to such an immoral adventure. But the trainer maintained her stand arguing that the young men had been informed of the consequences and that they consented to the research.

But the storm was over and dust settled I came to think of the article I did here sometimes last on why I support war. I thought there was a serious moral lesson to be connected to this act by these brave South African young men. This is what I thought. The world is at war with the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the same has been declared a national disaster in almost all countries around the world. It is said about 40 million people around the world are living with HIV/AIDS. which means that the world and especially sub Saharan Africa is yet to win the war. Not that Africa has not been serious in the fight against the pandemic but because in fact people around the world are not willing to pay the price. The price for me is not just about the ABCs sex but stepping up scientific research which will be serious enough to tame the disease. What these young men did was an act of bravery and humanity will never forget them. For me these are the true heroes of the 21st Century. For what more can one give to humanity than to give up for sacrifice ones life in order that generations to come may benefit. I remembered the Biblical verse that says there was silence in heaven when God asked who among us shall go for us. Then Jesus said, ''Here I am Father! send me so that mankind can be redeemed!''

Reactions to the article ''Why I support War'' were predictive before hand. I said then and today I repeat, there will never be any meaningful development or change we so desire unless people go to war. Of course you will ask me as you did, who is that you want us to fight against? Well, my answer is simple. If you do not know who we are up against then you better step out of the debate on change.

History as we said serves not just to embellish our thoughts with sweet or horrible memories of the past but in fact to remind us that we cannot reinvent the wheel. The way has been prepared for us. I gave examples of the USA, Europe and Asia on how war was used to usher in the change they now enjoy and some of us said the circumstances have changed! Some challenged to provide a theory that informed my thinking. What a cheap way of escaping our true call! These are the same questions that we seek to defeat. People who go to war do so knowing that they have a reason to fight for themselves, for their families and for their unborn children. Imagine what the world would be like today if Socrates, Jesus, Shaka Zulu, Dedan Kimathi among others laboured in boardrooms providing theories that informed their resolve to challenge the Authorities that lorded it on mankind of their days! Well to be straight forward with the theorists, conflict in society is inevitable and is functional to the extent that after every conflict, armed or otherwise society will always develop new mechanisms of accommodation (Bernard Chester, 1984- Book available in the reserve section JKML University of Nairobi). That is if you have forgotten your understanding of Karl Marx on what the result will be like when the hoi poloi take up arms to confront the bourgeois in an armed struggle. By the way Mao Tse Tung was a student of Karl Marx. We do not need reminding where China is today. But I do not wish to belabor my emphasis on what I already took 9 years learning. By now I have already an informed opinion on what our country requires for true change- war!

So my argument again today is that workshops that spend millions of donor money talking about how our country requires change through peaceful means are just a waste of time, resources and dare I say such kind of workshops will always remain whining avenues for those who do not understand the realities and to civil societies and NGOs the workshops will remain cash cows where they milk huge monies for their salaries and allowances. And I repeat, the reason CSOs and NGOs will never embrace true solutions such as I am proposing is because by so doing they will be sealing the very source which pays them. If Kenya were to be a human rights state today then there will be no need of the thousands of NGOs we have today!

And so back to my argument, for us to achieve the change we desire we must be like the 40 young men in South Africa. They gave humanity what we will never forget. And for us in Kenya we should never fear to go to war if that is what it takes to bring change in our country. After all it will not be the first time it is happening. The Americans have gone to serious war three times, Europe more we can count, Asia the same and Africa and especially Kenya must never fear war. As I said, in 2008 we came very close to it but the process aborted thanks to NGOs, CSOs and the so called international Community. By the way when you hear several people saying let Kenyans solve their own problems on their own, by extension they are saying even if it is war we must be left to fight until we sit down and agree! The difference is that they have not articulated their call in a formal manner as I do.

As I finish, I call upon those who challenged some of us who believe in this call. We do not fear to play any role that we may be called upon to. You can count on us. And for those who preferred calling me on my mobile number to declare support, yes I agree with you. The debate on non violence is useless, it will never work. If it works, where is justice for the victims of 2007 PEV?