By Dorcas Sarkozy
So intoned Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu – at least the part about the journey of 1000 miles.
His point?
One begins that monumental undertaking such as seeking to change the (existing and) dominant paradigm i.e. Jubilee/KANU and their associated businesses the same way they eat an elephant:
One (small) bite of one (small) piece at a time.
There are so many expressions I can string together to underscore the challenges facing us Nasa-rites in our resistance against Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto and Jubilee of which “It’s too difficult” is the easiest one to throw out; this as embodied by the idiotic meme depicting C-actor Bill Bellamy in an oafish pose with his right index finger tapping on his right forehead and caption de jour.
Just to be clear and as previously written, “Baba” – presumably Raila Odinga – does NOT tell me what to do and just because he says “it” does NOT make it “so” nor does it mean that I embrace “it” – whatever “it” happens to be.
On the other hand, again as previously written, my socio-political and economic philosophy aligns more with Raila Odinga/NASA than it does with the former crimes-against-humanity duo of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto.
That being the case, reverting to status ante i.e. going back to life under the pair’s incompetent kakistocracy is a non-starter.
I love talking with boyfriend because he offers interesting insights from his profession that are very illuminating. He posed the simple question:
What is the ultimate goal of the resistance movement?
As previously spelt out, NASA will seek (i) Economic Liberation, (ii) An on-going vibrant People’s Assembly to discuss issues of the day, (iii) to Resist a corrupt and ineffectual national government – especially when their policies run counter to our respective regions/communities., (iv) Peaceful resistance and protests to highlight our concerns; our plight.
There are several ways to achieve any one of the afore-mentioned goals but the important thing is focusing on “first thing first” i.e. on actions one can impact TOWARDS the larger goal.
Personally, I am done with anything related to Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto.
Their words are as meaningless as the bones they toss aside after stripping off the nyama.
They are not to be trusted – demonstrably so!
Along with the supportive “business communities”, Kenyatta and Ruto are heartless and selfish. They also have zero compunction inflicting violence against me, my family, friends and neighbors – for crass political gains.
Any business associated with any one of them is a no-go for me – IF at all possible.
The reality is that my life has to go on.
On the other hand and as best as I can manage, decisions related to that life will be based on the stated goals of NASA’s resistance because they align with mine – not because “Baba said so”.
The fact is:
Jubilants and their “business communities” have a disturbingly high level of disdain for Luos, Luhyas, Kisiis and the other 66% of the country that rejected the duo’s re-election. All one need do is listen to the pejorative tone and words they adopt towards any one from these groups they disagree with.
Kenya’s presidencies under Jomo, Moi, Kibaki and now Uhuru attained and solidified their hegemony over Kenya and Kenyans using coercive methods predicated primarily on economic dominance and as witness this past two months, brutal and deathly violence. This dominance which they’ve had since independence has ALWAYS been predicated, NOT on any innate personal ability or superiority they had or have over other communities in Kenya.
These people and those around them set out to engorge themselves while simultaneously inflicting long-term damage to Kenya’s economy AND to the economies of the regions they deemed unfriendly to wit:
– What happened to the sugar industry in Western and Nyanza?
– What of the cotton industry and paper mill?
– Who owns the most acreage of prime pieces of land in the most arable parts of the country – the silliness of the recent (politically expedient) issuance of title deeds by Uhuru notwithstanding?
– What of the plight of the country’s elephants and rhinos? Who is singularly responsible for their decimation?
I won’t even touch on the conspiracy theories surrounding introduction of the non-native Nile Perch specie and waterway-choking hyacinth growth into Lake Victoria – the Kenyan side of the 26,564 square miled mass of fresh water.
Jubilants economic dominance was and continues to be a function of theft, graft, tenderpreneurship, patronage, outright strong-arming opponents and worse.
And for them, it has always been an absolute zero-sum winner-take-all proposition; this even when there was an understanding re: power-sharing and fair distribution of “matunda ya uhuru”.
I know I may not have an alternative to Safaricom, Brookside or the many other consumer goods and services dominated by the Kenyatta/Moi/Kibaki and soon-to-be Ruto led cartels, but I will make it a personal goal to look for alternatives.
And no, it will not be easy.
And yes, it WILL be discriminatory. This latter gripe is particularly galling because the country’s presidents have been anything BUT magnanimous and non-discriminatory in dispensing the “fruits of independence” or death and destruction to others outside “Mumbistan” and now “Kalenjinistan”.
I will end with this thought:
Someone posted a comment re: boycotting Safaricom’s MPesa which on the surface looked supportive of the resistance. This they did with the requisite “Alutta Continua” battlecry of most resistance movements. When I asked them, coyly but tongue-in-cheekish, whether they were migrating to Equity Bank’s rival Equitel service, they went silent with the patronizing “love” emoji.
‘enuff said.
The Equities, Safaricoms, Brooksides, Windsors, Commercial Banks of Africa, CENTUM, Two Rivers’ Mall etc. have all been built on the backs of the very people their owners and supporters could care less about tossing to the side!
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