Political battle for hearts and minds begins in earnest

Half a litre of milk costs Sh70 on the shelf, while farmers earn Sh40 for a full litre. Milk processors, including the biggest suppliers of processed milk in the country, claim that supplies are low, but dairy farmers tell a different story. PHOTO:COURTESY

They say charity begins at home. That’s why half a litre of milk costs Sh70 on the shelf, while farmers earn Sh40 for a full litre. Milk processors, including the biggest suppliers of processed milk in the country, claim that supplies are low, but dairy farmers tell a different story.

Yes, the long-anticipated drought dealt the industry a huge blow, and output is a fraction of what it was before the dry spell. Even then, the disparity between what farmers are paid and what consumers are charged is inexplicable.

The laws of economics should kick in, allowing farmers to demand a higher price for a commodity that is in low supply, but in Kenya, the reverse is true. Milk producers are selling what may as well be liquid gold at a throwaway price, while the processors swim all the way to the bank.

So yeah, charity begins at home. That’s why a ship carrying 30,000 tonnes of maize docked at the Port of Mombasa even before the ink had dried on a Kenya Revenue Authority directive that lifted the ban on tax-free maize imports. The maize imports are a stop-gap solution to ease a purported unga shortage that the government says resulted from a long-anticipated drought. Prices doubled from an average of Sh80 for one kilogramme to about Sh160 for the same amount.

Curiously, it wasn’t too long ago that Deputy President William Ruto stated unequivocally that the government would not import duty-free maize, saying that there was enough maize in the strategic reserve to tide Kenyans over the rough patch. He may as well have been talking in his sleep because imported maize flour will soon be available at a shop near you.

PSYCHOLOGICAL REALM

These are things that should cause outrage, but other than a few rumblings on social media, majority of the country remains unmoved – possibly because they don’t have the energy to raise an objection.

Unfortunately for the Kenyan family, as our parenting authority gorges on the cake that was meant to feed us all, we remain scrounging for the odd crumb that falls off the table.
And yet the tacit agreement across the voting landscape is to accept and move on. It’s no wonder then that the current administration has now moved from the physical plane to the psychological realm. If you missed it, the Jubilee Party has contracted the services of global data mining company Cambridge Analytica to give them that extra push in a race for State House that is bound to culminate in spectacular fashion come August 8, 2017.

Cambridge Analytica (CA) is credited with helping Donald Trump win the American election. It played a part in the successful Brexit vote, which for the casual observer, seemed to come out of the left field. CA has been described as a firm that uses psychological warfare to subdue its opponents, which while true, could be seen by some as an overtly sensational way to summarise the firm’s methods.

So to put it in simple terms - and to use the firm’s own words - CA uses data to change audience behaviour. In other words, they use all the data you are exposed to, to shape your perceptions and predispose you towards a particular presidential candidate. And they do this through targeted messaging that aligns itself to your digital footprint.

CA analyses the way you consume information to determine your innate political biases. It then amplifies those biases by curating a good chunk of the information you are exposed to. Ultimately, the firm gains a huge influence over whom you support and who you don’t.

If you need a quick example of psychological warfare, try this: Google ‘Raila’. The top result? “Raila Odinga Is A Liar - The Real Raila Odinga - therealraila.com‎: Ad: www.therealraila.com/‎: The Real Raila Odinga Is Corrupt, Crooked, Violent And A Liar! Learn More Here.
Google Uhuru. The top result? Join For A Strong Kenya - Uhuru For Us - uhuruforus.com‎: Ad: www.uhuruforus.com/‎: Join our group of diverse young Kenyans who believe in President Uhuru Kenyatta.

This is the kind of thing that Cambridge Analytica is known for. Distilled to its purest form, their methodology is simple manipulation. And this is why the voting public needs to stay woke.

Ms. Masiga is Security and Peace Editor at The Conversation Africa.