Skip to main content

In Kenya, its everybody's turn to eat

Kenya, is a third world country facing lots of problems from a capital city with water shortages, national blackouts, crime to bloody elections. A lot of explanations have been fronted as to the root of our problems.

The politicians have taken almost all the blame, closely followed by our tribes and then other smaller reasons. Careful examination of all of this roots will reveal that you are far from the truth.

As it has been pointed out, Kenya is a capitalist state, and before you jump to a conclusion that that is where the problem lies, it is not. Capitalism merely rewards the smartest and those who have the capital.  In capitalism, every one aims for a chance to be successful, and more often than not, aim to out succeed the rest.

Well, aiming to out succeed the others is not a problem, but like drugs, can become a very dangerous habit. Like a junkie who will go to any level to get the next fix, people aiming to be successful can go to any level to reach such heights. The result of this is that morals go out of the window and pockets help weigh decisions, leading to a greedy nation.

A greedy nation is what Kenyans are. Like a man drowning in floods that come out of nowhere, Kenyans will clutch at all straws to get to the top. A Kenyan will take themselves as an individual who must succeed with the rest of the Kenyans been a means to the end. Your average Kenyan has therefore transformed to the popular bad guy that does very unethical things in your average Hollywood movie.

We therefore have politicians who will mislead Kenyans in their quest to get to the top. People and forests have been torn down by Kenyans who have been promised a hefty meal once "we" get there. The nation has become the new beautiful girl in town who everyone wants to sleep with and no one intends to marry. Whoever sleeps with the girl first gets the honour of bragging and showing off.

We are now transfixed at  short term goals; the quickest way to become the richest man in our lifetime. everyone wants to be John D. Rockefeller , a man whose wealth amounted to 1.5% of the total wealth of the USA, the world's wealthiest country by then.

As a result, we have resulted to corruption, public plundering of resources and elimination of our competitors by all means. Such an approach has been known to be successful, but not when everyone is trying it out. When everyone tries it out, you end up in a lockdown: - A situation where a few appear to have succeeded but on closer examination, the people as a whole end up not to have succeeded as they end up creating a circle that traps anyone trying to get out of it.

In short, you end up with a country where the costs of production (such as electricity, water, living ) and cots of doing business (corruption ) are high. This makes the country less competitive in a global economy. Our industries end up producing expensive goods that can not compete with goods manufactured elsewhere. As a result, we have to close our borders to cheaper goods manufactured elsewhere. The name of this practice is "promoting local content". In English, they call it burying your head in sand.

As each one in the chain demands to eat their share of the national cake, the cost of production increases. By the time the consumers buys petrol from their local station, a sizeable proportion has been "eaten". Police then get their chance to "eat" from the matatus and the criminals. Civil servants "eat" in their offices as they speed up services and locate lost files. The civil servants not in a position to "eat" directly from the public have to eat too, and their go the missing government supplies. about the missing government supplies, even their bosses wont spare the stores. Those not employed by the government have to recover what they fed to government officers by charging high costs for their products and services, some go a step ahead by taking advantage of their employees. Private employees meanwhile have to "eat" from their employer by stealing from them. Those lucky enough to be unemployed have the opportunity to steal from the rest, after all, isn't that what they cal karma? That is the circle that we are now in.

The question is how long before we are no longer in a position to "promote local content" . At that point, we will need to devise new ways of eating, for the chain will have been disrupted, at a hefty cost.

So ladies and gentlemen, make hay while the sun shines, eat all you can before we become a victim of our own undoing.


Blogged with the Flock Browser

Comments

Anonymous said…
I have just stumbled on this site, I like alot I shall become a follower for real. Good work
The Scape 🐈 said…
Thank you, & welcome back.

Popular posts from this blog

RE: Appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to The United States of America

Image: South African marriage courtesy The Telegraph ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/6237922/South-African-man-marries-4-women-at-same-ceremony.html  ) Dennis Kioko, Address Pending. President to-be-elect, Republic of Kenya, Address Pending, Again. Dear Sirs/Madams, RE: Appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to The United States of America  I would like to draw your attention to news reported across various sections of the press (way behind your daily portraits on the front page) that several Missions to the country are equivalently vacant with the duty of appointed high commissioners having expired. This includes Kenya's High Commission to the United States of America. Among your first duties, having assumed duty as Kenya's president, duly elected or otherwise, will be to appoint commissioners to these missions. It is in this regard that I highly invoke you to consider me as a likely appointment to the

Nairobi's Top 4 Texas Brisket Places Reviewed and Ranked

Brisket on a bed of roast vegetables with barbecue sauce at Texas Brisket, Kikuyu  This review has been updated after a number of you suggested I try the brisket at County2County.  What's the best place to have Brisket in Nairobi? What's even brisket?  Brisket is one of the toughest cuts in a cow, from around the belly. It is so tough that it has to be smoked for about 16 hours to tenderise. But that there, is the catch.  12 to 16 hours later, it is the most flavourful and softest cut you will ever have. So full of flavour and so soft you can pick it apart with your fingers.  However, due to the long cooking time involved, only a few places offer brisket in Nairobi.  The best so far is Texas Brisket which is located within Kikuyu Railway station.  They do the meat for a proper 16 hours, and will usually have a fatty or non-fatty portion. The fatty portions are more tasty. A 500 gram serving goes for KSh. 900 and a 1 KG order comes with a serving of free fries. Their brisket has

Beers in Kenya: A sober opinion

Note: This is a dated post and has since been mostly passed by events. SAB Miller beers including Castle and Peroni are no longer widely available in Kenya after their exist. Sirville Brewery was bought out by Brew Bistro before being permanently shut in a tax dispute. Kenya is a land of milk, honey, beaches and taxes. I have penned, or is typed, a newer post here .  Peroni - One of the best beers in Kenya. Did a taste of canned and bottled Italian, and bottled Tanzanian I like the tangy flavour and body in Tanzanian Peroni. The can is close. Heineken drinkers will like the Italian one.  I have had a short beer swigging stint in my life. It has however been long enough for me to share my opinion of Kenyan beer. Interestingly, over the course of sharing such opinions with other drunkards connoisseurs,  I have found that we all have different views as to what beer is the best, which one makes you too drunk, or which one gives one free, extra hangover for every hangover you get

The bitter story of the downfall of Mumias Sugar company

A spoonful of sugar, but for who? ( Image: Carol Wallis on Flickr ) Have you heard the bitter story of Mumias Sugar? Regarded by many as Kenya's most successful sugar miller, Mumias Sugar Company was a disaster waiting to happen. Many pointed out how Mumias Sugar Company was a fortress in the wreck that is Kenya's sugar industry, only unaware that it was just a matter of time. As the old wise men said, "Ukiona cha mwenzako cha nyolewa, tia chako maji". The proverb means that if you see your neighbour's head getting shaved, your head will soon be undergoing the same - you'd therefore better wet your head for a smoother shave, otherwise you will be forced to undergo a painful, dry, shave. But what ails Kenya's sugar industry? The Kenya sugar industry is under legal siege. The typical Kenyan issue of coming up with laws to tackle a problem is evident here. Many of Kenya's sugar factories are owned by the government, and have slowly decline

A to Z of Girl Pick-up Lines

Girl,  You are like a breath of fresh air , like an outstanding piece of Art in an art gallery  There are many things you and me can be, but it puts a smile of satisfaction on my face and a smile of envy on my buddies faces that you both beautiful and bootyfull  E ither your creator must have taken the greatest care creating you or your cheated your way around heaven, 'coz you clearly the prettiest girl on earth  D on't ask why my breathing quickens every time I see you; setting my eyes on you makes me feel like I am drowning in your beauty, I have to catch my breath   Exciting, Exotic, Elegant, Electrifying ; so many definitions in english , but when it comes to the human race, girl, you are the one and only definition of all the above  W hen I say you are fly , it may be due to the sensation of flying off the ground that I get when I am around you. Some girls are beautiful, a few are decent, even fewer got class; I didn't know I could find all this qualities in one gir