By Albert Nyakundi Amenya aka The Banana Peddler
I have a lot of interest in the unemployment problem in Kenya. During campaigns, President Kenyatta in his manifesto promised to create millions of jobs upon taking over the Presidency. But so far, those jobs are not forthcoming. I wonder why nothing is being done to create those jobs. Funny enough under this administration, our universities keep producing graduates that everyone including the President himself agrees are unemployable. To confirm the incompetency in this administration, it is creating more universities even when the existing ones are not anywhere close to what they should be. So far, there is no sign of life in this country anymore because it is bleeding from all openings including the anus. Unprecedented poverty and frustration levels have alarmingly broken the records. Almost everyone is hungrier, angrier and unhappier. Our economy remains mono despite our abundant natural resources.
But wait a minute, before the re-election of Uhuru, I asked Kenyans not to vote for him but they ignored my message. I showed Kenyans how the man had failed in his first lustrum (five years) in office but their sycophantic evil spirit blindfolded them from seeing the sense. I carefully and painstakingly assessed and reassessed the man and scored him appropriately and tabled my findings before voters but their tribal alliances would not let my reasoning see the light of the day. I warned you that “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” but you reminded me that “The devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know” It has turned out that Uhuru was a master at deception who only wanted your votes.
I asked you to re-elect Uhuru if he had successfully prosecuted and jailed any big thief. I asked you to vote for him if you were satisfied with the level of security in your neighbourhood. I told you to vote for Uhuru if he had delivered the millions of jobs he vowed to create during campaigns. I begged you to vote back Mr. President if our graduates had jobs. I pleaded with Kenyans to consider giving the Jubilee administration another term if our women accessed not only free, but also quality maternal healthcare. I asked the elites to retain Uhuru as President if they were not forced to seek education for their children in foreign lands. Most importantly, I told Kenyans to vote back Uhuru as their President if any of their loved ones had never been a victim of death traps on our pathetic roads. I advised all Kenyans to re-elect the Gatundu man if they had pipe-borne water in their village or city homes. I also urged any civil servant whose salary had not delayed and paid up to date, to vote for the Kenyatta man. If your business was doing wonderfully well and thriving on profits, I asked you to vote for the then President.
After all that, Kenyans chose to ignore me and the rest is history. As a result of their thickheadedness, they are facing untold difficulties in life. Kenya is full of nauseating contradictions. Mediocrity has taken the place of meritocracy. Forget about the handshake. Under the Uhuru administration, the language of division and fear by religious and tribal political warmongers is the order of the day. The church no longer offers workable solutions to the suffering children of God. Unless you are rich, no pastor will entertain your brokenness.
These are annoying times for every Kenyan. Under the Jubilee administration, ordinary citizens have been toughened by economic hardships until religious leaders have turned conmen for survival. Under the Uhuru leadership, well groomed young women are not getting married because the young men who are supposed to espouse them have turned drunkards. Sadly, well educated young men have become thugs for crooked politicians because no help is forthcoming from their own government. In fact, others have become car washers (I met one yesterday)
In his manifesto, President Kenyatta promised millions of jobs but today big farms (including companies) are shedding jobs and retrenching people. The tragic irony in this administration is that needs keep increasing as just as incomes keep dwindling.
At this juncture, let the reader understand – and be more careful. Due to hopelessness in life, we have reached a stage where society glorifies criminals that have money. High profile government positions are occupied by crooks with fake academic credentials that are not backed by true knowledge or skills. All this problems we are facing are caused by the President who betrayed his deputy by going against their common understanding.
I know change is around the corner. My only concern nonetheless, is that President William Ruto will inherit more problems than any other leader in the world. Unless President Kenyatta prepares ground for him in the remaining four years, Ruto is not likely to be popular, at least in his first tenure as President and commander-In-Chief of our defence forces.
To achieve this, it therefore calls for statesmanship and patriotism. President Kenyatta must seize the moment if he does not want to see his successor fail. That way, Kenyans will say he did better. To begin with, he should stop shielding the Mt. Kenya thieves who steal our money with temerity and shift all the blame to the Deputy President. These children of corruption from Mt. Kenya region steal our taxes on daily and cheat us that it is the Deputy President yet we know well that stealing is their stock in trade. The same way they want to make us believe that Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has failed in managing Nairobi because of two reasons; he prevented them from looting the County red and that he is not one of them.
Even if President Ruto takes over and the economy collapses under his watch, we will remember that the current President prepared it to fail. It is unquestionable that our economy is already on the brink and primed to collapse and crash this year or next. Unemployment and poverty rule roost in over 80 per cent of Kenyan households today. There is no clean water, no safe and good roads, and no useful education for the majority. There is pesky power supply even as electricity tariffs keep skyrocketing.
President Uhuru would only become a hero if he led a revolution meant to rescue this sinking ship called Kenya before he hands over to his deputy William in 2022. He must respect his deputy and work with him if he wants to succeed in his leadership. That way, he will receive blessings from above leave behind an unforgettable legacy that will forever remain indelible in the hearts of Kenyans. As a result, he will be at the right side of history and all his past economic, political and social sins will be clensed, forgiven and forgotten.
albertamenya@yahoo.com
(The writer sells bananas on the streets of Kisii town and is the Secretary General of the Tanga Tanga Movement)
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