MY COURSE MY CHOICE

By Isabellah Masai

The question of which degree course is most superior and which one is the most inferior is a dilemma to most students in campus. This has made most students to change their actual courses to the so called superior ones because they feel they won’t get a job after completion of their studies. This is usually as a result of peer pressure or wrong advice from their colleagues and sometimes their parents and it has made some students to be hopeless and helpless in the various courses they are currently pursuing.

A recent research conducted around moi university main campus confirms the fact that a course in the school of Engineering is the most superior, followed by medicine, nursing, law, information sciences, biological and physical sciences, economics and business management, human resource management, education, arts and social sciences respectively.The worst ever thought of courses were those from the school of forestry and anthropology just but to mention a few.

Most people seriously disagree with this research with the argument that every course from whichever school is superior on its own because the knowledge and skills obtained for each course is different and relevant to the various fields in the outside market. They further explained that such type of research is out of a mind set and a wrong misconception that is aimed at creating divisions among students which can even affect the students’ social life at large.

Some of the students who remained unmoved by the research, still held strongly on their courses by arguing that, “a degree is a degree as long as it’s their choice and within their area of interest.”They explained further that regardless of the course one is pursuing, the chances of being employed are almost equal because according to them, a superior course attracts many people but only a few people get employed and likewise to an inferior course that attracts few people and only the few are employed. This is their main consolation and it makes them to press on in their course.

“What if we all became engineers?” This is a question that most people from the so called lesser courses ask themselves. The answer they get is that Kenya could be the worst and most boring place to be because they would be no journalists, accountants, managers, politicians, teachers, farmers, social workers, secretaries, pilots, drivers and all other graduates from unmentioned fields would be lacking. In simpler words it could be a head without the other parts of the body which means it is a useless body.

Every course regardless of its familiriarity of importance, should be treated as equally important as any other course because all these skills put together make a country complete and usefull.Nobody whatsoever should try to discourage as student from pursuing a course of her choice and interest because without he/she taking that course it will be like a person without an eye or a leg which means the person is not complete.

THINK CLEAN THINK GREEN

By Isabellah Masai

Close your eyes for five seconds and imagine how this world would be without forests, trees, grass, flowers and other species of vegetation! I believe you could agree with me that the world could be the ugliest, shapeless, meaningless, fresh less and lifeless. Our countries could be lacking the fresh air, rains, natural beauty, food for ourselves and our animals and worst of all life could have been threatened and I doubt if we could be living at such a time because green is a sign of life.

For us to achieve cleanliness as a country, we have to go for greenliness.We have to adopt forest conservation mechanisms, ream our grass, weed and trim our flowers, cultivate our food and cash crops in time and more importantly plant as many trees as possible and take care of them. As Prof.Wangari Maathai was usually putting it “Cut one plant two.”

I am left wondering if we as Kenyans are thinking clean. If so then we must be at the same time thinking green. Unfortunately this is not the case for most of us in Kenya With the increase in timber factories and paper milling industries, the ever increasing population growth rate and the resettlement of post election violence victims, I am left disturbed because we may not achieve the greenliness that was there before.Infact, we are moving from frying pan to fire unless we repair the cracks before the whole house collapses.

Most worrying of all these, is that Kenyans have not realised the issue of cleanliness in terms of vegetation. To most of us being green is bathing, washing our clothes and utensils and cleaning our houses and compounds but rarely do we think about maintaining and taking care of our surrrounding.We are happy admring the flowers and having them in our houses, resting on grass and sitting on furniture but rarely do we think of the harm we have caused to our vegetation.

Deforestation was once an offense but nowadays it is a minor mistake. Many forests have been cleared to create room for human settlement. Part of forests such as Mau Forest, Mt.Elgon Forest, kakamega forest and others have been seriously destroyed to create room for our increasing population. Some people have cleared their grass and flower gardens so as to create room for their children as the families grow bigger and bigger.

Moi university as an example, has been on the forerun in keeping its environment clean. Its forest, flowers, trees and grass can tell that Moi is not only thinking green. The only thing it is left to do is to maintain and take care of them by slashing, trimming, weeding, clearing bushes, watering and slashing. With all these Moi will be a place where everyone wants to be and stay.

Just as cleanliness starts with an individual so does greenliness. If we want life then we should start and always think clean in terms of our vegetation. Yes I can and together we can.

WHY MOI UNIVERSITY IS NOT SAFE

By Isabellah Masai ms/05/12
The last attack on Garissa University, a Moi University baby and the arrival of our comrades who survived the attack has not only sent fears and suspicions among students but also the community at large as far as Eldoret town.
A talk by some people I was travelling with in a matatu from the university towards Kesses left me mouth open. “Hata mimi nikimuona muislamu nashuku tu ni alishabaab.”Given the fact that we have our comrades who are Muslims and non alishabaabs, this means that they are being suspected to be alishabaabs which is a misconception but not the truth.
The reception of Garissa students in Moi Main Campus is just enough psychological torture to the entire community. Starting from the Security men at the gate, their green uniform without guns is a sure sign that we are not safe. The fact that most of them also are not trained and their small number even worsens the situation.
The campus is also surrounded with so many entries and exists commonly known as “panya routes” which can be used by our enemy. Somebody can enter by using the Technology Road, Chebwoywo Road, Waterfalls Road,End Bible Believers or more daringly use the main gate because there is no serious security check up at the gate. This is all due to lack of a permanent or a modern fence.
Worse of the worst is the checking of people when they are going out but seldom when they are coming in. This sent a serious alarm that the enemy can go in, finish his or her work then leave at their pleasure. I always ask myself about which way is better between Checking people before they go in or checking people before they leave. I personally believe the former is more safer than the latter.
It is the fore my humble plea to the Moi university Management to ensure that they strengthen the security by employing more qualified and trained police men, train the untrained ones and arm them with relevant weapons, close all unauthorised entries and exists by creating a permanent fence and adopt a serious security scrutiny especially for those going in, if at all they want to make our campus safer. Without such security measures, we shall be labouring in vain and therefore be prepared for the worst attack which can be prevent as early as now.
Lastly I would like to encourage each one of us to be vigilant and to be on the watch out by reporting any suspected person or group of persons as immediately as possible. As our president Uhuru Kenyatta says “Security is a collective responsibility of every Kenyan. Security starts with me, security starts with you.”

KENYA DEFENCE FORCE FATE

ISABELLAH MASAI MS/05/12

The current controversial security issue of whether the KDF should or shouldn’t leave Somalia, remains a dilemma to most Kenyans. This follows the merciless killings by the alishabaab with the recent attack at Garissa Moi University College which left 149 students dead and more than 200 students with serious injuries and others who survived psychologically tortured and traumatized.

The removal of KDF from Somalia according to me is like moving from frying pan to fire. This is because the terrorists will have all the time to plan their attacks without fear or interference. They will have all the time to gather all weapons they need and reach all people who can assist them succeed in their evil attacks. Worst of it all, it will send a strong message to the alishabaab that they have won the war and that the Kenyan government has been defeated.

It is much safer for our KDF to continue being in Somalia than to have them come back to Kenya. Their presence in Somalia makes some of the terrorist attacks to fail and if they happen they will be of a lesser magnitude. They also reduce the recruitment of alishabaab and kill those they find their way hence depopulating them. Thus, leaving them to operate freely without close watch by our KDF means more and more deadly attacks to our innocent Kenyans.

Those who have a contradicting opinion should think more wisely because even if the KDF leave Somalia they won’t be able to protect each Kenyan because the ratio between KDF and a Kenyan could be approximately 1:400 which is unachievable. Although such people think that the KDF are being wasted by being in Somalia while alishabaab are frequently killing Kenyans, the truth is that they are forgetting that the KDF are doing a more selfless risking task than if they were in the country.

I strongly agree with the government action not to remove our KDF from Somalia. Instead of doing so, they should take more of them there and also recruit and train more to protect our borders so that the terrorists find no loophole to attack us. The building of the great wall will be also of a greater importance as way of preventing the attacks. More importantly as Kenyans, we should be loyal and patriotic to our country than never before by reporting any terrorist suspects as soon as possible, avoid being recruited and finally not assisting them to plan the attacks by giving them information about our country.

“Security begins with me security begins with you,” as repeatedly said by our president should be our slogan as we join hands and together say ‘NO’ to more alishabaab killings. Every life of a Kenyan is precious. LET AS SAY NO TO TERRORISM.

TERRORISM ATTACKS TENSION

Tension and feelings of insecure are mounting up among most Kenyans especially the students. The recent stampede at Kikuyu Nairobi University College which made one student to die and more than 100 injured after an electrical fault in the transformer, is just a true picture that our students are neither safe nor secure.

The transferring of the students that survived the Garissa University massacre has raised a lot of concerns from public universities especially Moi University Main Campus in Kesses, Eldoret.There is a feeling that before they are admitted, there must be a serious scrutiny because some of the students have been suspected that they might be alishabaab or their spies.

In addition to the above, there are a lot of messages circulating in the social media especially whats app giving a list of alishabaab next target centres. Surprising, the number of public universities are the highest number and other highly populated places in Nairobi. This and many other frightening insecurity messages in the social media, adds more fear to the already fearful, insecure and emotionally disturbed Kenyans.

Quite a good number of Kenyans are living in fear with no hope for tomorrow because of the alishabaab attacks. Some even have began giving up in life for they feel life has become useless because anytime they can meet a bullet or a grenade from the armed merciless and inhuman alishabaabs.Meet Kenyans be it in towns or rural areas especially university students and ask them of tomorrow, most of them will tell you that tomorrow is not theirs. This is a clear indication that insecurity is on a high rise and that no one is safe including the police and even our own leaders.

This is therefore an outcry and an alarm from every Kenyan. To help fight this disease of fear and hopelessness, the guiding and counselling professionals should organise seminars with all Kenyans in their respective places and give us a message of hope. Religious leaders regardless of their religion or denomination should start preaching a message of peace starting from their respective churches to the larger Kenya. Our political leaders should also stop the blame game and together say no to terrorism by taking all the necessary security measures to protect the country and also encourage Kenyans to remain calm as the country does so. Finally we should come together as Kenyans and help each other fight these feelings of fear that are almost swallowing us and making us feel hopeless in our own country.

MY COURSE MY CHOICE

The question of which degree course is most superior and which one is the most inferior is a dilemma to most students in campus. This has made most students to change their actual courses to the so called superior ones because they feel they won’t get a job after completion of their studies. This is usually as a result of peer pressure or wrong advice from their colleagues and sometimes their parents and it has made some students to be hopeless and helpless in the various courses they are currently pursuing.

A recent research conducted around moi university main campus confirms the fact that a course in the school of Engineering is the most superior, followed by medicine, nursing, law, information sciences, biological and physical sciences, economics and business management, human resource management, education, arts and social sciences respectively.The worst ever thought of courses were those from the school of forestry and anthropology just but to mention a few.

Most people seriously disagree with this research with the argument that every course from whichever school is superior on its own because the knowledge and skills obtained for each course is different and relevant to the various fields in the outside market. They further explained that such type of research is out of a mind set and a wrong misconception that is aimed at creating divisions among students which can even affect the students’ social life at large.

Some of the students who remained unmoved by the research, still held strongly on their courses by arguing that, “a degree is a degree as long as it’s their choice and within their area of interest.”They explained further that regardless of the course one is pursuing, the chances of being employed are almost equal because according to them, a superior course attracts many people but only a few people get employed and likewise to an inferior course that attracts few people and only the few are employed. This is their main consolation and it makes them to press on in their course.

“What if we all became engineers?” This is a question that most people from the so called lesser courses ask themselves. The answer they get is that Kenya could be the worst and most boring place to be because they would be no journalists, accountants, managers, politicians, teachers, farmers, social workers, secretaries, pilots, drivers and all other graduates from unmentioned fields would be lacking. In simpler words it could be a head without the other parts of the body which means it is a useless body.

Every course regardless of its familiriarity of importance, should be treated as equally important as any other course because all these skills put together make a country complete and usefull.Nobody whatsoever should try to discourage as student from pursuing a course of her choice and interest because without he/she taking that course it will be like a person without an eye or a leg which means the person is not complete.

YOU CAME TOO EARLY

It is hardly one month when we lost our beloved comrade Ian, a third year political scientist through drowning when they were on their academic trip at the coast.This week our wounds steal not yet completely healed, we have again lost our newly graduated comrade widely and commonly known as”Kobilo Kobilo”.
This sad news reached us on saturday morning via the Third Eye Publication club.Kobilo was travelling back to his home when he suddenly was involved in a road accident where he died on the spot.Most of friends and relatives and parents reacted with unbelieve but the truth is that we shall never see him alive.
Kobilo a very known comrade in security matters during important functions such as graduation ceremonies and MUSO elections

CHOOSE LIFE

The Moi University Health Drive which was scheduled to take place as from 22nd October to 24th October this month,will be coming to an end.

Following many cases of unplanned pregnancies and HIV/AIDS,infection,the Healthy Africa in partnership with PS Kenya and Moi university administration came together to offer this health program which is a free service and mainly targeting ladies and/or women.

The main services being offered are HIV/AIDS counseling and testing,appropriate ways of using contraceptives and cervical cancer screening.These services are being done at various places such as outside the administration,Students Centre,Hostel K and also in the Moi university dispensary.
“The turn up has been very low and discouraging but we hope it to be a little fair today because it is a Friday and most students may not be having classes.”One of the health consultant exclaimed.He went forth to say that this was due to lack of proper awareness and also most students take such services for granted.

Trying to interview the health consultants from the various places,all of them had realized very few students clients as low as fifteen people in a day.Their overall leader in charge of the program on the contrary had observed that the turn was fairer as compared to previous years.He held the opinion that the number can improve if such programs are launched and maximum awareness given to all the concerned persons.
As the program comes to an end,all the students are being encouraged to visit the places and those who went get a chance to do so are encouraged to visit the dispensary for the same services within the few coming days.

PARENTS HAVE TO STOP THIS

A recent case around Moi University main campus is neither pleasing to the eye nor to the ear.Three kids aged between five to ten years have been seen along the stretch of hostel L towards the stage.This three kids;two male and one female are doing hawking on the footpaths.They desperately stop and persuade anyone passing via any of the pathway to buy their biscuits.They go forth to the extend of following behind the passers by with a weak and faint voice that is sympathy seeking in nature.”Aki nunueko biscuits. Aki umekataa. Basi utanunua kesho. Jana ulinidanganya utanunua na haukunua.”Such statements and many more of the like usually come from the mouths of these innocent kids.

Am left wondering if really the parents of these children are alive and if at all they know their roles.After inquiring from mothers who sell vegetables and fruits at the Stage,they told me that their mother is a married woman who sells maize outside hostel K.My heartbeat almost stopped.My mind quickly recalled how untidy the children were,the dirty torn clothes they were wearing,the shaggy hair and the general condition they were in.I almost concluded that like mother like children but I withheld my statement.

I know poverty is the cause of all this but I am certain as death that this should not be the reason for parents to subject their children to such type of work at such a time of their life.This according to me is child mistreatment,child misuse if not child abuse.It is totally against the children’s rights and such parents are answerable to the courts and Children Offices anywhere in this country.

What is more amazing is that the mother for thees kids has being doing so since her firstborn kid who is now in form two in high school.She did not stop at that even after his firstborn son refused hawking for the reason that it was not his task to look for money.She accepted the truth bitterly and instead of stopping this behavior,she started using the younger kids which is a more serious offence.How can a standard one,two or even four become a hawker?I am yet to digest this question but according to her it is normal.

“Enough is enough.” said my roommate Charity.She angrily said that we should report the case to the nearest police station so that the parents for these kids are arrested and necessary action taken against them.I remained quiet over her decision but deep inside my heart I was fully supporting her idea.May be I thought we should first talk to the parents of these kids,advice them accordingly and if they don’t stop it,we then go forth to making them face the law.

I am personally against parents who subject their children to such type of work because it is too early for them to do it.Their brain and energy is not mature enough to handle the frustrations and challenges that go with hawking or any other task that is beyond their ability.Apart from that,I believe also that it is not yet their time to look for money so as to survive because when they become of age,they will automatically be doing everything that can make their families have something on the table.

It is therefore my humble plea that parents must do proper planning for their families,do their work,ensure that they do everything for their children to make them comfortable and that they totally shun from subjecting their children to psychological torture,abuses and any other thing that is against their rights.Failure to do so they will very soon find themselves in a court of law to answer the question ‘WHY’.

BACK TO WORK

The election period is over.Whether the people we wanted won or did not win should not be of any concern to us anymore.We have to appreciate those who were chosen and work with them.We have to stop complaining and murmuring for time is far much spend and if we don’t come to our senses now,we may end up regreting and no one, including the leaders we were campaigning for, will be there to help us out.
It is hardly one week to our end of semester examination which is due 1st September,2014.This should be like a bell ringing inside our minds calling us into action.We have to stop pleasures of campus life,leave our comfort zones and start working.Somebody once said”It is never too late to do good” but also, “A stitch in time saves nine.”Whatever thing you are going to do so as to catch up is not my concern as long as we all get back to working not only for own good but also for the good of our loved ones and the entire Moi Community.
Before embarking on serious revision,let us first ensure that we have all the notes pertaining all the courses we are taking.Lets go forth and have a personal timetable for revision then lastly find a convinient place for our studies.Whether the library,your room or under a tree is your best place for reading kindly go for it because the time is far much gone.Any distraction at this time may lead to our total failure or tempt some of us to cheat in our exams.
These things may sound too obvious for some of us but we have to do them because they made us be where we are now.Many of could not just have find our way without our high school teachers ensuring that we do the above.It is quite unfortunate that the force that used to push us is not there and we have to push ourselves if not our sincirely concerned friends causing us to act.Such kind of friends are like the rain in the desert and therefore count yourself lucky if you have one of them.
The various students from whatever schools they may be, they have to work or else they find themselves in the wrong place and in the wrong hands.It is said that students who cheat in exams,are those who do not attend classes,those who don’t have notes,those who spend time in meaningless activities and those who do not read at all.Such students believe in the power of ‘mwakenyas’ and googling answers in the exam room using their smart phones.But for how long shall such people do that?This might be their last chance and they get themselves suspended for 1000 days at home.
This was free advice for those who are used to being reminded.You may take it for your own good or leave it at your own risk.Whatever the case,we all have to get back to work if at all we need super grades and wonderful transcripts that will make our eyes always fixed on them and make our employers out there to marvel and just whisper”you did it,have the job.”If that is what we all long for,it is either we work now or it forever remains a dream.