Born in Ghana...Married to a Croat...and Mayor in Slovenia!

On Monday morning, 25th October, 2010 A.D, two African men woke up and found themselves in very unique circumstances. The common unique thing between these two men, is that they are both Mayors of the cities in which they live. But that is where it ends.
Mr. Peter Bossman, woke up as the Mayor of Piran, a city and municipality located in southwest Slovenia. About 5700 kilometers away, Mr. Geoffrey Majiwa, also woke up as the Mayor of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, East Africa's largest economy.

Mr. Peter Bossman, Mayor-elect of Piran, Slovenia

However, only one of the two men was smiling. Mr. Bossman. He has just made history as the 'first black Mayor in Eastern Europe', as reported by mainstream news outlets. I prefer to say the first Mayor of African descent, in Eastern Europe'. According to a BBC report, Mr. Bossman was born in Ghana and moved to present day Slovenia in 1980, which at the time was still part of former Yugoslavia. He then studied medicine and decided to practice and settle in Slovenia, eventually getting married to a fellow doctor of Croatian origin.

Mr.Geoffrey Majiwa, Mayor of Nairobi

Closer home, Mr. Majiwa woke up...no, was awaken by the not-so-gentle knocks of detectives from the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, who apparently, were determined that he, Mayor Majiwa, was not going to 'boss' his way out of corruption allegations involving acquisition of land by the City Council of Nairobi, meant for use as a cemetery.



Reports in the Kenyan local dailies indicate that the City Council of Nairobi 'lost' about Kenya Shillings 253 million, or about USDollars 3.1 million in the transaction. 'His Worship' the Mayor of Nairobi is set to appear in court tomorrow, during which time, i suppose, his colleague in Piran will be busy preparing himself to take up with gusto, his responsibilities as Mayor.
Explaining how he managed to convince 'Piranians' to vote for him, Mr. Bossman told how he used dialogue,"...i based my campaign on a dialogue, and i think the dialogue has won".Unlike our current crop of Kenyan politicians who have perfected the art of 'bossing' their way into power.




City of Piran


Heaping praise on the level of Slovenian democracy, Mr. Bossman went on to add that the people did not focus on the color of his skin, but rather on his track-record as a good doctor, and on the policies he presented.And that for me was the crux of the whole episode of the two Mayors. The electorate. This episode was a poignant reminder of the state of the Kenyan electorate...we who vote on the basis of tribal affiliation, handouts from candidates and petty political rumor-mongering. You get the leadership that you elect! The apathy of professionals towards politics is also another major concern. Until doctors, lawyers, management experts stop complaining about 'those politicians'...until they stop offering commentaries and 'analysis' from the sidelines...unless good people of integrity offer themselves as candidates for Mayor, Governor, Senator, Members of Parliament and so on, i am afraid that even in 2030, we will still have detectives from Integrity Center knocking on the door of the Mayor of Nairobi, (and other politicians who will have among other ways, 'bossed' their way to power) to 'unearth' yet another corruption scandal.
So, you can either get involved in changing your leadership, or migrate to Latvia...marry a Lithuanian...and become the Mayor of Jelgava! Pun intended!I hope you get my point!