In this article, I
seek to analyse some of the issues brought out in the recently released
‘wajinga nyinyi’ by a Kenyan rapper, Kennedy Ombina alias King Kaka. I discuss
how governance has been interfered with by the misuse of funds, seasonal identity
crisis and unrealistic taxes in Kenya from the poem’s point of view.
Hours
after this legend of spoken word, a rapper gave us the poem ‘Wajinga nyinyi’,
his security was at risk and I found myself questioning freedom of speech and
expression in this country. I maynot be an expert in human rights rather a scholar of Governance
and Regional Integration. However, the general question has been…, to what extentdid
we get exactly what he was risking his blood and life to tell Kenyans and the
entire Africa where countries are almost characterized by the same vices?
Misappropriation
of public funds
Misappriopriation
or the misuse of funds is using funds for a purpose that is not intended while
corruption in the Kenyan context is the use of power by government officials or
any of their contacts for illegitimate private gain. Corruption may appear as a
bigger scope so I have decided to deal
with misuse of public funds which many Kenyan leaders have been accused of. In
his line ”Ati waiguru ako kwa office na story ya NYS tulishasahau Biro moja
alibuy thao Biro tunanunuaga mbao”’ (Waiguru is still in office since we forgot
about the NYS scandal she bout a pen worth intended. 20 for ksh8000 ‘City stadium on renovation for 3 years
budget ziwatoshe while Sonko anadance tu kwa ofe swali’ (City stadium has been
under renovation for three years budget to satisfy them while Sonko is still enjoying
in the office). I will not dwell on
Kimwarer dam, Mumias Sugar Company, and land grabbing issues in this paper. While
heading to Morocco for CAF Confederations Cup, Gor Mahia players found themselves
on the floor for lack of funds to pay for their accommodation but guess who is
jetting in private jets to attend a funeral and a rally for personal
advertisement. Teachers were demanding a raise in KCSE papers marking rates
from ksh 46 (USD 0.46). Who’s serving who in this country?
The
poet outlines how we have forgotten the cases of corruption in this country and
how such people who have been caught up in corruption scandals are free and remain occupants of public office. I get to
wonder whether our voices are silent or those supposed to hear them filled
their ears with wax. Unfortunately, this is not a private issue and thus we
cannot ignore and assume that we didn’t listen to the poem and again, we cannot
argue that this is the first time we are
hearing this. Surprisingly, we brought these people to offices to serve us, and
again, we re-elected them to serve us and it is no surprise in 2020, we shall
still bow our cravings to the corrupt leaders. It’s Africa anyway where our tired
grandparents must lead while their great-grand-children are already qualified
and expired for the job (unemployment). They did put programs for young people
to gather, un-learn, re-learn and get charged to change Africa but let me ask,
did they give the young people the platform to apply what they used all that
money to fund? When exactly will the
voices of a common man be heard? It’s a problem of Africa, a friend of mine in
Governance class once said, it’s not about the leadership you got, it’s about
that chair you sit on’ and then I kept wondering, can we just do away with the
chair if it’s the problem? Hahahaaa…
Who
is benefiting?
On
his line ‘KRA wanatuibia ndio wapatie wezi pesa Deadline ya tax return ni
Tuesday Jengeni tu, sips tea iko na mercury kwa shuge wali,’ (KRA -Kenya
Revenue Authority are stealing from us to give the money to thieves…we sip
mercury-rich tea). ‘Uko na account offshore zimejaa money na account ya
daughter ya Waititu iko na depo ya 100 mita’ (You have an offshore account full
of money…Wititu’s daughter’s account had ksh 100m deposit). In these lines, the
question I want to pose is who is suffering? Do we, Kenyans and Africans know
this exist and what have we done about it? We keep going to the court to stop the
appointment of so and so to such a seat, even with individuals dead long ago
getting appointed to positions. Surprise! I believe there are more alive and
dying honest people to lead this country This is Africa where we work hard and
sweat to make money for the government through taxes, expecting that the funds
will be used for development and growth and that in some years, Africa shall
become a global player and a partner just as Aspiration 6 of African Union
Agenda 2063 stipulates. Unfortunately, the tax, our sweat doesn’t benefit the
public, but a chosen few individuals whom I sometimes think they own our minds.
Are we not squatters in our own land? If Chinese Exim Bank fully controls
Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Zambia and ZESCO power plant and Kenyan
Mombasa port is risking the same over SGR loan which is a goodwill for the
Northern Corridor Railway Network connecting the port of Mombasa to inland
Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi just
to mention a few; Is this our Africa, African-developed? What is African owned
if we don’t own our tax?
Identity
crisis and political entrepreneurs
In
Africa, we are all black, people of the same mother until the election period
comes in when I become the son of so and you become the son of nobody. That is when
these same people making economy dry, our country Kenya, the Republic of China
come in and ask me and you to introduce ourselves as ‘they’ vs ‘we’. Ethnic
conflicts in our communities, (I call them communal because these African
countries were never states-until they were born from colonialism), are thus
from the hate speech and prejudice created by such ethnic-guided leaders, not anobody
but you and I, but again, do we care? This is
exactly what King Kaka implies when he says ‘na hiyo wiki ndio najua Jirani yangu
huwa Mjaka Kamah kumbe ni Msapere hata salamu hatapata Piga tu kura na utalala
bila kukula, A night of tears naniii sikiza na macho na ona na your ears’. It is
the only time I get to know my kin, culture, language and identity is different
from yours! Because they told me if power flows from my hands I stand to lose
and so went on and manipulated my ethnic group to vote in Mr. M, who actually
doesn’t have any leadership qualities. Through spreading hate, isolation and
fear, I become an actor in blood shedding. What have I gained in the last 7 to
10 years? You and I are common Kenyans
living under the same political, social and economic conditions, almost unable
to breath in our own bedrooms.
I
am not ashamed to use the word ‘wajinga sisi’ because I am part of the group. Having gone through why
governments are crippling in most African countries, even after blaming our
colonial masters, I would still say we haven’t yet worked on the solution
rather we are still struggling to accept that we have a problem let alone addressing
it. While we are here crying over who is doing what and what, the West is on
our porous borders fighting for the 2nd scramble of Africa. My dear readers, Africa won’t rise unless our
dear elected leaders decide so, because as me and you continue to work day and
night to change Africa, we don’t really get a seat on the table with the
players at the forefront changing Africa. Young people have risen with Chimanda
Ngozi walking inside the minds of Africans with the ‘The dangers of a single
story’, Dominic Offei, my Pan African University-IGHSS 5th batch
delegate questioning why the Ghanaian parliamentarians would want to construct
a new chamber while the old one isn’t actually fully occupied, Amadou Chico
Cissoko working hard in investing in Africa’s most impact driven innovators,
Olutope Olatilewa working extremely hard to ensure young Africans understand their role in changing the picture,
voice and the game Africa play in the global arena through African Changemakers
Fellowship and more youths, including me and you who are working tirelessly to
make Africa habitable and acceptable home for us and those in the diaspora. Isn’t it sad sad, in every five
young Africans two understand the African Agenda 2063, and are already doing
great things about its’ 6 aspirations while two are in ideation stage and one
is prototyping their idea. So I still say, our stupidity ‘ujinga’ is real.
