Westgate lessons: The rich should reciprocate by reaching out to the poor

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since that fateful Saturday morning incident on 21^st September 2013, except for recovering traumatized victims and those who still grieve the loss of their irreplaceable breadwinners. Mainly because as much as it was the highest display of inhumanity, many other incidences of the same kind have occurred with little accountability from responsible authorities. We have been forced to get used to hopeless tear-washed faces as mass graves are dug to burry people who were otherwise going about their businesses, but had life cut short due to inter-clan wars or unabated terrorist attacks.

Kenyan Unity

However, one notable thing is how Kenyans typically forgot their everyday differences to overwhelmingly donate resources in kind and cash. In almost all county headquarters and major towns of the republic, long lines of resilient blood donors were seen almost throughout the day, until the blood bank could hold no more, and the exercise requested to halt. The donors didn't mind the recipient; whether rich or poor. But we all know the rich suffered more in the siege. Sh142 million was collected in a 10-day funds drive, both from proverbial shallow and deep pockets. The hospitality industry came in by donating food and drinks to those who were either injured, grieving or involved in the fight to smoke out the terrorists out of the building. Licensed gun holders risked life to free as many hostages as possible before the terrorists settled in the building. Truly, Kenyans became one. I am certain that those who could not afford any donations offered prayers for the victims and relatives. But who made the first step towards the other, considering social class? Methinks the poor did it. They only needed a call to act. As shall be seen later in this article, the rich rarely listen to the cries of the poor, even when on literal sickbed!

Hardest Hit

For an incident that occurred at a high-end shopping facility like WestGate, it would be incorrect to assume that the low social class suffered as much losses in property and life as the able high class. Only with the exception of those who, unfortunately on the fateful day, were working there as security personnel and other junior service roles in shops and retail outlets. Judging by a majority of those who were interviewed, I opine that most of those who suffered huge losses of life, loved ones and property were those of high social class.

Public response

Through every mainstream media house in Kenya, condolence messages trickled in in monstrous numbers from concerned people all over the country. Everyone was appalled by the indiscriminate way in which humans opened fire on fellow humans. The poor sacrificed their little resources to show solidarity with the rich in their time of trouble. The 24-hour media coverage given to the disastrous event ensured that everybody in Kenya and the world over was aware of every episode unfolding.

Social media sites too covered the event, not forgetting the bloggers who kept their readers more clearly updated than even the mainstream media that backed off due to government infringement on live coverage content. In short, the whole world became aware that Kenya was in a crisis.

Glaring class differences

In a developing country like Kenya, it is expected that social class issues would be a challenge, with the economic gap between the rich and the poor widening day by day; the poor getting poorer, while the rich getting richer-clearly showing that the rich get their wealth at the expense of the poor. The national poverty figures continue depicting more Kenyans under the poverty line. Inflation rates increase day by day almost unabated, increased direct and indirect taxes condemning more and poorer Kenyans even to more poverty.

The ruling class, those in charge of policymaking and ensuring that Kenyans are protected from runaway poverty menace still contribute to this state of things. Members of different houses of Parliament increase their salaries and allowances day by day, and this has a bearing in worsening the poverty situation of the common Kenyan. Instead of discussing bills that protect the ‘little’ Kenyan, they have been with great eagerness extending parliamentary discussion sessions into the night on how much they should take home in salaries and allowances, and in what models of cars!

The poor of Kenya is forgotten despite his efforts to reach out to the rich in their time of misfortune. The same people who have the poor’s blood keeping them alive sit in boardrooms discussing how commodity prices should be raised to develop the economy. The President would in a few weeks quickly give his approval into law a bill that would confirm the poor in his poverty, raising the VAT to 16% from the already impoverishing 14% on selected basic ‘common man’ commodities.

Huge corporate profits

Local and multinational companies announce huge pretax profits in a country where the greater population is faced with extinction from poverty. Very insensitive! The company owners are known for exploiting to their last resource every avenue through which they can avoid paying taxes on profits accruing. Policymakers are aware and quiet. Yet the Kenyan bears the heaviest burden. If it is any true that riches make blind, then the rich of Kenya are blind to the plights of the common citizen. Almost at every point assured of the poor’s support at a small ‘fee’ if need be. Why would they care, anyway?

Self-serving leaders

Our elected leaders who give euphoric heavenly manifestos one would think they copy pasted from some get-rich-quick online site, since they have no foggiest idea of how to fulfill them. They spend the first term in office making themselves and relatives comfortable(or laying development plans, as they call it), and buy their way through to a second term in which they amass as much wealth readying for retirement or wherever life may take them. The citizen service delivery charter is forgotten. Always using the plight of poor Kenyans as a vehicle to bliss.

Conclusion

In summary, there is no real thing as tribal conflicts or hatred. That is what the high class calls their weapon to wealth mastery-social class differences. Then cocooning us when they need votes as tribes so that we fight as they ride into royalty. The Kenyan high class needs to understand they have a divine responsibility to care for the poor and disadvantaged. The poor spent hours braving the scorching sun just to ensure their injured relatives remained alive. The poor participated in a funds drive towards the relief of their suffering. Even though they might not have needed the money, the gesture itself was enough to break the wall of ecomomic class. Since then some have succumbed to hunger pangs in various parts of Kenya, but all is not lost. We can still stand up once again in the spirit of unity (now that we even literally share blood), and fight poverty together. We should never adopt the culture of waiting for a disaster to strike to show unity or do good. God bless Kenya.