Are you sure that Kenya is not a Banana Republic?

An economy such as Kenya's whose ability to generate income and sustain its self can be curtailed or hindered by a monkey's interference with electricity indeed qualifies to be called a banana republic. A lot has been said about this but not many people are bold enough to come out of the closet and air their views every time the word banana republic is mentioned but let’s face it. What are some of the characteristics of a Banana republic in regards to Kenya?

 

1) High levels of Unemployment

It has been proven that in Kenya today about 40% of Kenyans are Unemployed, by this we are basically focusing on people who have gone to school and managed to get necessary skills but cannot be able to acquire decent jobs as the opportunities are not there, there are no new industries big enough to accommodate the increased levels of Skilled labor some of which can be attributed to general stunted growth of Economies in Africa.

2) Increased borrowing

A country which is relying on donor funding and borrowing to sustain its budget is in its self a failed state, research has indicated that by the end of 2015 Kenya had a debt of 16,179,130,000 according to World bank debt indicator, this means every child born in Kenya today has a ballooning debt, we are completely out of control and soon we might be headed the Greece way.

3) Rampant Corruption

With the current happenings, where the country has completely gone to the dogs, if lawyers can be killed for providing their services and whistle blowers such as Jacob Juma are assassinated, raises the question as to whether Kenya is a Police state.  The culture of TKK is becoming entrenched so much that even students are practicing this vice. I have seen a case of students colluding with corrupt teachers to swindle parents; Kenya has a very big name when it comes to stealing of public resources to a point that our very own president is using that to market our country across the borders.

4) Poor healthcare 

Kenya has many hospitals but they are poorly managed and run, often a child is likely to die during birth due to problems arising from lack of antenatal care. We have also had cases of doctors referring patients to India to get treatment for diseases that can be treated and maintained locally just to get kick back. NHIF has become another major flop even after introducing outpatient cover for Kenyans; it looks like the only hospitals available to choose from are some floppy village dispensaries.

Among other factors that do not need to be explained which qualify Kenya to be a Banana State are: tribalism, police brutality, nepotism, poor education system among others.