Change the mindset, change the politics and change the economy

Man hawking roasted maize in Kericho town. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

As sad as it is, we have to have a national discussion about the current situation in Kenya lest we all crumble in debt and stress.

A ‘friend’ of mine in the cause of our random engagement opened up to me about what he thought about the current situation in Kenya and I had to give my reflection about the sad situation in Kenya.

It is sad, but not completely surprising that in the middle of an economic crisis Kenyans through the inspiration of our Media have turned all their sight to a full political mood with little agitation on the collapse of the economy before the election on/or after the acquisition of power by the next known government in the upcoming already election.

Despite the fact that there is a general recognition of pursuing strong and objective political lines that have a direct impact on the economic development. Kenyans have chosen a narrow-minded political path of eating and drinking politics throughout the presidential tenure without demanding for accountability from their tribal leaders.

Politicians have chosen to engage in a fight of economic models without real ideology and ways of implementation. They have embarked on forming coalitions with pre-conditions of power ‘surprisingly’ not with partners, economists, and ideologists who support their model but with tribal kingpins who are ready to shift to any perceived winning or losing side as long as there books of accounts are well maintained.

Thinking tribal

It is easier to convince some tribes through their leader that bottom-up is the best for the country or that Azimio la Umoja One Kenya’s perception of unity is the best for the for the whole country.

We have lost all our principles and values as a nation. The upcoming generation believes in instantaneous success and the sinful nature of hard work, progress and poverty. The problem with us is the rich still have something to steal and the poor can still afford to have a random meal at a fancy restaurant and they think things are normal and right.

However, a light enlightenment will show you that. The price of fuel has gone up drastically in the last one year and as the situation runs to the next General Election you might be forced to abandon your supermarket car trips, the overrated unromantic Naivasha weekend trips and the surprise threats issued on Instagram through holiday trips to your village.

The prices of steel and building materials has shot up, so most likely your childhood dream of one day owning an affordable housing unit in this decade will have to be dealt with in the next century. You might as well stop being arrogant to your landlord and build the false rapport before recession hits and you lose your desk job.

The financial sector is crumbling, the banks can longer maintain the bad debts book, the auction market is full of items they can’t dispose, so the creditors have to negotiate the loans, the stock exchange is as good as dead and have to run on falsified figures, companies have no option but to collude with the already corrupted auditors to falsify books of accounts or in the best case scenario issue you with a 0.5 dividend payout per share and an umbrella tendered and branded by one of the board members son or daughter.

Kenyans have departed from African socialism and generally lost hope, our values have been eroded. We have been engineered to believe that the only way to succeed is through hoarding of more money and power and this has created immense pressure on our youths and when reality hits that the money cannot be acquired as fast as they would want to and their V8 dreams are heading to the drain depression hits and as feministic and chauvinistic as capitalism has taught us we would rather die than accept that we need help.

To the few who have the courage to come out and seek help unfortunately they might not be helped since the other part of the world is in the process of money and soul trade.

All this has to happen because of the poor voting patterns we have made as a country based on the words of the loudest person, corrupted academia’s, power brokers and tribal kingpins who only talk of the tribes interest at the time of election while they drive their selfish interest for the better part of the presidential term.

In the words of Delia Ferreira-’peoples indifference is the best breeding ground for corruption to grow.’

So Kenyans before you lose the little things that make your wives, girlfriends, boyfriends and husband’s to respect you and have the false notion that you care about them or your village mates and coworkers to fear you, the coward nature in you has two options drink, merry and await for the day of reckoning and recession or brave up, stand up and demand an immediate change of things with the current government then come out in numbers and vote for change.