Readers’ Views LETTERS & COMMENTS
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Registered with the British Library. ISSN 0142-9345 ©2017 IC Publications Ltd. N° DE COMMISSION PARITAIRE 0213 K 89410 Mensuel: août /septembre 2017 Dépôt légal
4 New African august/september 2017
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Old enemies should bury the hatchet The cover story of the July issue, “Old enemies in new battle”, was just great. For at least the whole of the past year, the local coverage of the run-up to the elections has been oversensational and very partisan. There has been very little analysis of what the parties stand for or even what are the driving forces of the main contenders – Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
I loved the historical background of the two dynasties by editor Anver Versi, who understands the deep politics of Kenya very well but expresses things in a simple way that all can understand. Not many of our younger voters actually know this history or that Jomo Kenyatta and Oginga Odinga were once the best of allies, and that in fact it was Odinga who campaigned for the release of Kenyatta and insisted that he should be the first president of Kenya.
Whatever the outcome of the election [scheduled for mid-August – Ed .], and whoever wins, I hope it is peaceful and that the loser will accept the verdict as the will of the people. We do not want a repeat of 2007!
Perhaps these two dynasties that have been so important to the development of the country will bury the hatchet and work together, as their parents did, for the welfare of the country first.
Wilfred Ochieng, Kisumu, Kenya
Important history of Africa series Please accept my and my children’s thanks for the great article on the new television series on the history of Africa by the African queen of international TV, Zeinab Badawi
(NA, July 2017). This is a very important issue as unless we know our history, seen through our own eyes, we cannot understand our present.
We managed to catch a few episodes via satellite channels but as far as I know, it is not on the normal channels in our country (Ghana). As you know, Ghana has a very rich history going back centuries and I am looking forward to seeing some of this reflected in the BBC series.
Stanley Awusu, Accra, Ghana
Value for money education The article “A harambee system to pay for higher education” (New African July 2017) was very well written on the concerns of higher education in Africa. Yes, it is quite correct to note that university education is generally far too expensive and that it is beyond the reach of many students to be able to afford the costs for different courses of study.
But the reality is value for money. Whatever the prices these institutions of higher learning charge students, the question is, are these universities well equipped for the courses they offer? What about the quality of the education itself and the facilities available? Do they provide the students with education that allows them to meet their aspirations?
It is important that students get value for the money they invest in the pursuit of careers of their choice.
Kokil K. Shah Mombasa, Kenya *Please see the article on education in this issue (pp. 56-7) – Ed.
