I can remember the sounds of people running in jubilation back in sometimes late 2022 when the supreme court of Kenya upheld the contested results of elections just conducted a few months prior. The people were happy of their chosen leader the now current and fifth president of the republic Dr William Ruto. It was the ushering in of a new family to the leadership dynasty, breaking away with the per se tradition of the country sticking to dynastic leadership by the families of the founders of the country. There was a wave of excitement in the air, new beginnings, for the first time the common lay person felt heard and seen by the new government, everyone was excited with the possibilities a fellow lay person could achieve if he put in the effort, from at one time in the past, at a well known highway pass in the Rift valley region, the now president used to sell chickens, growing the venture to now fetch him millions on a daily basis. It was a perfect tale of devotion and the understanding of the "Hustler," and perfectly paired with a strong belief in religion, none like seen before with the past two presidents, the nation had found its new savior.
People believed the new regime could affect much needed change towards the overall development of the nation, in turn helping the economy recover, and help with the management of the problem at the back of every Kenyan, but we all act like we aren't much concerned, the national debt, figures above ten trillion. But alas what has the reality of the situation finally morphed into now with the regime in full swing?
At the beginning to stay true to his promise of financial support for all "Hustlers" to finance whatever small business or venture one is into, he launched Hustler Fund. But wait it was a copy and repackaging of an already existing service in the country offered by Safaricom Mpesa - Fuliza (basically allows one to borrow an overdraft from a bank partnered with Mpesa to offer the services), so the president thought it genius to get a new ussd application *254# from where anyone can register to access hustler funds, starting from ksh.500 ~ $3.87 and then allowed for the transfer of the funds to Mpesa for regular mobile transactions. The whole process was pretty much seamless and the developers I will admit were selected the best, well for a copy and repackaging that is. For those who had been already catching weird vibes from the regime, the launch of Hustler Fund was another proof that really the new regime was maybe all talk, but these were still the early days and people held on to that tiny thread of hope that maybe the next thing would turn to be well not a copy at least, but well. People hoped for too much.
In the year to follow 2023, there were changes here and there as the new regime took full government control and the president had all his men in the right positions for the ultimate game of chess with the nation's funds and resources. But he was on the wrong path, the president chose to ignore custom and in a way disregard the former president and his family, in his push to pursue his narrative of ending with the dynasties. The former president Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, is the son of the first president of the nation, so his family is basically the original dynasty of the nation. The president went much further to even stop the disbursement of presidential pension paid to a former president's estate till his death. The former president's office had to reach out through a televised interview describing the plight of the former president affairs in the hands of the new president who were declining all forms of communication on the matter, but due to the public outcry raised by the interview and opposition attacks, the president complied with tradition and in a way seemed to apologize and even want to make peace with estranged family, but that was all for show, the new regime meant business, and they meant going at anyone who according to them were the untouchables, those who were above the law so to speak due to their financial privileges, most out of corrupting the government coffers. This entailed taxing and promising to go after franchises owned by the Kenyatta family. But there was even more to come.
One thing I will give to the president is that he is a good strategist, and he knows how to form teams that achieve his aims. His first deputy Gachagua, an infamous character in his own right, was at the frontline spearheading the smear campaign against the former president's family. Something worth noting is that the president was very aware of what he was doing, he had a bigger play in mind, oooh, a much bigger play than the pawns could even realize. In the meantime the deputy allegedly organized goons who attacked one of the estates owed by the family of the former president, Homelands, located along Thika superhighway, close to Kenyatta University. The goons were able to find a way in by cutting access through the various perimeter fences, and escaped with quite the number of sheep, and since the attack was well coordinated with another attack happening at a different part of the city, the authorities were blind sided and the attack on the farm was executed in broad daylight, and the goons made clean getaways with their loot. The happenings were further proof that something was not right in our society, there was something terribly wrong, for how else would you have a society with a few willing to commit such an attack all for a few shillings notes and maybe a share of the meat from the sheep stolen. I wondered what example was the government setting for even themselves when they retire? A society where it is okay to invade and loot our former leaders premises once they are no longer in power?
But more was still happening in the government, to the people's total surprise the cabinet ministers first nominated by the president for vetting were mostly characters with then ongoing corruption cases involving embezzlement of funds and misuse of public office, but slowly the cases were dismissed one after the other, and they all went through the vetting committee made of members of different arms of the government and led by members of the parliament. And with the president's party controlling most parliamentary sits, everything the president said was go was go. The loyalty was further cemented by a hefty envelope being passed around parliament building during ongoings to pass bills favoring the regime and it's enablers. But people had already begun noticing the cracks, there was an ever present sense of distrust and lose of loyalty to the government and its agendas.
Time for the big move. All of a sudden there are talks of major changes in the government, the president is apparently very not happy with the deputy who has gotten overran by his ego to disastrous effects. And then one day there are talks of a motion being tabled in parliament, an impeachment motion, who now in his recent egotistical rants touched borderline tribalism and in a way that was what the president had hoped all along for, he had only made the deputy choice due to the area from where the deputy hails from, the greatly reputed "Mlima" an area around Mount Kenya, Central, and part of what used to be the Eastern provinces, and now with the seat secured, the deputy was no longer needed, and he drank on the high of young power and money he never saw it coming, unfortunately the deputy did not have a very good portfolio so far, he was fond of making very borderline remarks that could be termed harmful and could cause riots and violence, something he was well aware of, but well still made the option to make his stand. Caught unawares by the impeachment motion he scrambled to put together a team of lawyers who were gonna ensure he didn't lose his gig so early on, but try as they might, he was still sent home by the majority of the electorate. Most of it was of his own undoing, but it was a further show of the power the president had.
Funny enough the president chose a new deputy from the same "Mlima" region as the former, showing the importance the region controls in the country's politics. The Mlima is made up of bantu settlers from different clans of sort, there are the prominent Agikuyu, the Ameru, the Akamba and the underdogs the Aembu. The descendants of these tribes combined control most of the Kenyan economy, the Somalis controlling a key share too to the economy. The first deputy Gachagua came from Agikuyu, while the second Kindiki comes from Ameru. The region controlled by the tribes boasts more than four million votes, a share always very crucial in the determination of who ultimately gets to win and get the chance to lead the nation. To the now former deputy the diss was well received and he vowed to overtime try his best to bring down the regime that impeached him. But really if you ask me, he really is like just the rest of them, the only difference is he got to taste the goodies but not for long, if it weren't for the impeachment he would not be currently parading around doing interviews on different media channels attacking the government he was a part in forming and orchestrating its existence. He like the rest of them all is just but power hungry but not for the good of the nation but rather for the ultimate netting of personal wealth, and settling of personal vendettas using the resources afforded by the such a high public office. Currently, the now apparent lion of the Mlima people is always on interviews attacking the government, and well there is always a lot to attack, and especially with his insider knowledge from past dealings with the president, he seems to have quite the advantage, but in reality he is not to be trusted either, a very peculiar figure with a past of funds mismanagement and even allegations of robbing the estate of a late brother from the wife and kids, like I said a very peculiar character.
The new vice president, nothing much to say, he is just but another pawn in the game, which deep down I know he knows, so he is in for the ride, in for the deals, and the money, and of course a life pension paid monthly after the end of their wantam.
Big play time, the president now has rid himself of the problem, he can now shift focus to a financial bill, termed finance bill 2024, which was basically an ultimate fuck you and diss to the people of the nation who had placed their bet on him delivering change. He was their messiah and then all of a sudden he decided to show his colors. There was unrest across the nation, people were angry at the taxes the new bill was going to impose on them, on top of the taxes that they already had, and included in the bill was the housing levy, a three percent cut on all civil servants for the next seven years, the fund is supposed to fund the development of the Affordable housing project, inline with the presidents ultimate development agenda, at times bragging that he aimed to turn Kenya into the next Singapore with his ambitious development plans. People took early on to the streets led by the especially notorious Gen Z, they were basically tired of empty promises, they were tired of a regime that only cared to enrich those in it only, while the rest of us suffered, but their luxury is through our suffering, we are their providers. On the 25th of June 2024 will always be a historic day, a yet another proof of the power of the presidents envelopes, the MPs passed the bill, while outside in the streets of the capital Nairobi thousands matched against riot squads who were using all means necessary to disperse the crowds, but as luck would have it through all the chaos a part of the parliament grounds were breached by a group of youngsters who went in the building vandalizing the premises, the house was still in progress when they breached the premises and all the MPs had to be evacuated to an adjacent building through a tunnel. After trashing the premises and realizing the squads were gathering the youth run to escape the premises where they came face to face with hails of live bullets from the riot squads. Many died on that fateful day, live on the eyes of millions who were watching on TV. It was a sad and a very dark day for the nation, the young generation had shown their ingenuity in getting rid of systems they disapprove of, and they had attacked an institution never previously under such an attack, the parliament was in flames outside channels of blood formed from the fallen bodies after the masquer. They of course tried to hide the truth, but it couldn't go like that, the blood of the young solders who fell on that day and days to follow cries for justice. But finally their eyes were open now, there was no hiding the fact of the matter, the people could now see that it was a fox all along wearing a sheep skin.
For a long time now, the situation in my country sucks to say the least, and the world situation also isn't doing much in terms of helping. Any way above are my thoughts about something currently happening in my nation, a lot is happening, and I plan to write in a parts, I realized it is already too long and there is still more I would like to share about the state of a nation, my nation #Kenya.
See you on the next one!