Decades of fear-mongering against former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has often come to play when elite Kikuyu’s want to pursue political agendas that benefits their lot. And Raila having an inferior advisory team has always fallen for the “us against them” bait, shadow boxing with a few elites and dragging an entire vote-rich community into a toxic discourse, much to his bid’s detriment.
But if you think about it, who stole from the Kikuyu’s? Why are there Kikuyu’s living in Kuresoi or Subukia, areas far from their original home-lands? It is definitely not Luo’s or Luhya’s. The biggest perpetrators of impunity against the Kikuyu’s have largely been their cabal of tribal or political elites.
For instance the collapse of the coffee industry is largely blamed on former President Daniel Moi. But who were the old men looting from giant cooperatives like KPCU, Othaya Farmers District Cooperative Union, Murata Farmers District Cooperative Union? Those were not Government officials but fellow Kikuyu’s who used their positions to gain at the expense of poor farmers who would deliver coffee to their factories, and wait for years to get paid.
Yes ofcourse the narrative can be framed to insinuate that middlemen are the source of coffee woes, but coffee sales at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange are carried out transparently. Lots are bid, with price reflecting with global index of the commodites exchange at the New York Board of Trade. By law, the “middlemen” who allegedly steal from farmers pay their respective millers or marketing agents within 14-days. So why does the same money take over one year to reach the small-scale farmer, with over 70% of it going in officials’ pockets with fictitious charges and deductions? Was that Moi’s work?
The lie that former President Moi killed the coffee industry continues to dominate debate, despite the fact that large estates who mill their coffee using private companies and not societies where old Kikuyu men are elected into managerial positions, are still intact.
The truth is that Kikuyu’s killed their own cooperative movement by electing thieves who in turn looted and plundered their institutions to the ground. And now the same scenario is playing out, where blame is being apportioned on middlemen who are the innocent party in the matter.
Instead of the leader who met President Uhuru Kenyata at State Lodge Sagana discussing serious matters like subsidies, incentives, credit-lines, tax-free imports of fertilizers, etc, they were still dwelling on narratives being propagated by the very people who have been behind the collapse of coffee. Nobody even mentioned how prime agricultural land is being converted into real estate threatening our country’s diminishing sources of foreign exchange.
The same can be said of tea, milk and other sectors that have been key drivers of the Kikuyu economy. Once you elect old men in key positions, they embark on enriching themselves rather than serve the community at large. Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) is another giant firm staring at imminent collapse. Directors embarked on an expansion program, building multiple factories in-order to facilitate grand heists, using EU loans that will come back to haunt the farmers. And despite the investment in production, there has not been a proportional outreach in search of new markets to offload their products, with the simple minds running KTDA to the ground relying on the Mombasa auction. And when senior KTDA officials do attend foreign conferences, all they do is shop and use farmers money to go sight-seeing.
But who will explain these and other glaring facts to Kikuyu’s in denial that their tribal elites are behind their historical pain and suffering? Why is an entire community being held hostage by a few elites who thrive on the anti-Raila agenda for the gain of their community?
Perhaps the biggest fear of a Raila presidency is that he would crack down on the historical thieves that have threatened the very livelihoods of the Kikuyu community. But then again, that’s just a matter of conjecture because in Raila’s backyard, giant sugar outgrower companies have also been looted to their death-beds by fellow tribesmen like Evans Kidero who oversaw the collapse of the giant Mumias Sugar Company, that would have had the potential to boost farming using fair practice and help elevate Kenya into a sugar exporter.
In a near-identical outcome in both regions, individuals who have plundered giant cooperatives companies and outgrowers have gone and joined politics, distorting people’s minds using deceit that what they could not achieve in their previous assignments, they’ll pursue in political office.
The saintly Peter Kenneth is one such example. Beginning 2002, individuals were responsible for the collapse of the giant Murata Farmers Sacco were his main political advisors as regards to his tenure as Gatanga MP. He also appointed them to head key positions in his CDF and also elevated some into national positions. That particular act sanitises corruption because most of these individuals belong in jail, not occupying positions of influence.
So in essence, both Raila and Uhuru have nothing to offer struggling naive farmers who hope for a brighter tomorrow. But still there is an election in 2017. What is the most likely outcome?
Well it is no longer a secret that Kikuyu’s are becoming increasingly disillusioned. The man they pegged their hopes on to change their dwindling fortunes, who presented a larger-than-life manifesto has been nothing but a disappointment. Since assuming office, President Kenyatta has never visited or gone on a meet-the-people tour in Gatundu, statistically one of the poorest constituencies in the country. With less than 18 months to the next general election, Uhuru seems disconnected with the plight of his fellow Kikuyu’s, looking like a puppet to thieving and conniving Governors who have fallen out of favour with the electorate.
Uhuru has opted to remain silent even when large interest groups have continued being short-changed by the Government, like doctors/nurses and teachers. Teachers were only asking for 17B, money which we as Kenyans know is available going by the amount of money that Anne Waiguru is stealing, and yet the Government opted to frustrate, withhold and even dismiss teachers, much to the citizenry’s disappointment.
President Kenyatta has allowed Governors to run riot over County coffers, looting every penny that’s meant to work for the people. Residents of Kiambu are forever complaining about roads where potholes have developed in areas that have never seen potholes since independence. A recent scandal between Governor William Kabogo and Construction Company Njuca Consolidated Limited where a 350metre stretch was allocated 300 million has not caught the eye of Uhuru or investigators. Residents of Nyeri are in a dire health crisis with perennial strikes by health workers. There was a big curtain scandal that was never looked into. Garbage is a thorn in the flesh of Nyeri. And yet, a delusional Uhuru still imagines parading Governors will earn him a second term. How sweet.
The most likely scenario is voter apathy. Kikuyu’s who feel aggrieved by Uhuru’s seemingly endorsement of corruption by associating with the school of thought holding them hostage, will come back to haunt his hunt for votes. There is no motivation for a normal Kikuyu to wake up at 6am, queue for 8hours under the hot sun, so as to make a choice between Waititu and Kabogo, both being disgusting thieves and visionless tribal lynch pins. And with Uhuru’s know history of forcing candidates down the people’s throats, by either rigging them in or openly endorsing them like he did with Moses Kuria who would have definitely lost the election hadn’t the other candidate not been bribed so as not to run, voter apathy will be rife in Central Kenya. That difference will be sizeable enough to assure his lead opponent secures a 1st round win.
And that in itself is a fact that you can take to your Family Bank account, KTDA Plaza Branch.