Op-Ed: Today, Al Jazeera reported that the Kenyan police opened fire on a crowd of advancing protesters in Nairobi on Monday, a Reuters reporter said, as scattered demonstrations broke out across the country to mark the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies.
One man was subsequently seen lying motionless on the road with a bloody wound in the latest demonstrations to hit Kenya since the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month gave fresh impetus to public protests.
Earlier on today, as the youth threatened to storm the Kenya Statehouse, HE Ruto Samoei was recorded in video circulating on leaving the Office amidst the most tight security.
The planned demonstration, dubbed #SabaSaba is being evidently supported by several local in partnership with foreign actors ignored overtime who are now simply riding on a wave of mass youth discontent over unemployment, inequality and disenfranchisement by the Kenyan Leaders and planners overtime to attain more anarchy. In times of anarchy and instability, many shrewd Capitalists benefit.
The current President HE William Ruto inherited not a country to govern but Ramifications of several decades of economic mismanagement, corruption, poor planning for the masses (majority young and black) as regards wealth creation as well as food security, Health and even Social Security.
The pace of Industrialization in Kenya has also been slow since the 2000s as Uganda’s industry grew to Surpasses Kenya’s as a source of Export Revenue. Colgate alone has over 20 quality Ugandan Made Products to compete with in a Ugandan Shop, plus even Herbal.
But there is only Colgate. When you go to Kenya, you shall find more Ugandan products on the shelf than you can the Kenyan ones today. Yet as a child, I remember seeing mostly Kenyan products in Uganda and Kenyan shops.
Whatever happened in Kenya during that time frame (2000-2025) as Ugandans Opened up more Toothpaste factories is is exactly what is causing today’s unrest in Kenya and these are;
1. lack of meaningful Social-Economic transformation
2. No proactive urge to champion Pan Africanism but Trade and Human protectionism against neighbors like Uganda and so, Colgate and any other new would-be product industrial products they would have made must now pay taxes in Uganda and everywhere.
Uganda still has about 2 decades to attain Kenya’s misery as Kenya’s overly overstated and reported booming Economy has been exhibiting itself faster than Uganda’s due to the early years of Uganda’s political stabilities.
Today, Kenyan citizens are only survived with EMPTY *Patriotism* (National Pride at Nothing you really own not even drinking water) and *Democracy* (the Right to Change Leaders meaninglessly).
Meanwhile Uganda as a Country is still lucky to be performing Well as the above 4 Pillars untilized by the NRM to transform masses are performing fairly well in a balanced way, though with a few challenges thanks to the Visionary UNINTERRUPTED planning and Progress set by Gen Y.K Museveni of the NRM leadership party for the last 3 decades.
Just like Russia defeated USA and the West under only ONE leadership of Vladimir Putin, or Ayatollah saved Iran after over 3 decades in office unchanged, Uganda is benefitting too from such absence of turbulences that usually distort or curtail societal growth.
In a household which is still growing economically, its usually unwise to Change the FATHER every 5 years. For a well established Estate, well you may try as there is Nothing much to Create anymore anyway, just Expansion of Assets by compounding Interest as in the case of American and Anglo-Saxon imperialism and neo.
Unlike Uganda, these Kenyan Economists have been borrowing heavily (leverage) just like Ugandans BUT not to create direct Production that boosts sustainable mass livelihoods but only to enhance Luxury of a Minority few elites who own everything.
What is the use of having perfect Democracy and Patriotism in a Nation whereby only a small fraction of Kenyans, estimated to be less than 0.1%, own more wealth than the vast majority (over 99.9%) of the population. ?? Tell me today. This is where Ugandans must be CAREFUL and WISE,, ,or continue to BE SO.
HE Daniel Arap Moi had organized and modernized the Economy of Kenya for over 2 decades that he led them, using PURE Dictatorship (this simply means LOW levels Bureaucracy in Administration) and uninterrupted planning and execution of one common manifesto for all, after he LEFT,,,, so Called DEMOCRATS came in,,, every FEW YEARS,,,, a NEW Leader came in and erased the Progress and Plans of the Past administration with a new Executive Order. Imagine a new Next President of Uganda cancelling PDM in 2026.
That’s Kenya. Within 15 years, they have 3 different Presidents, RDCs, MPS, CAOs, LCVs,,, but Kenya Kept back sliding and deteriorating DAILY and hence culminating into a EUROBOND loan of over $2bn, something Uganda can never imagine with lots of Internal Money to Borrow from.
Yes, Kenya is NOT Uganda, which has had only ONE LEADER and SYSTEM OF WORK (like Moi’s Kenya) for over 3 decades. Tanzania is also Growing and STABLE, Just like RWANDA which Kenyans love to call a Dictatorship. These 3 nations are NOT that Liberal.
Uganda may seem Liberal in Lifestyles and Culture BUT not when it comes to Political ideology because every Political opposer must pass the acceptable standard of the NRM to even get a license to say anything. Same with TZ, RW ,,, but CONGO is like a Lost Continent with several different informal countries within so let us leave them out for now.
In Burundi, if HE Nkurunziza had not left Power that day, they would be better off than today than they are, am sure. In Somalia, those who introduced Democracy to East Africans are the ones who messed up the once stable “Dictatorship of the Clans” tantamount to Gaddafi’s own system of governance which they too messed up.
Same with how Saddam’s successful growth was terminated and today no IRAQI of 1985 understands what is happening to this planet even if you explained as all they can think and drean about is Saddam, Gaddafi for today’s Libyan. Syria’s whips are coming soon no doubt as she is a victim of such interferences too. And ASSAD and SAIF will become Leaders AGAIN Soon, chosen by the same People. What a world!
Big flashy buildings in Kenya and flamboyant mega shiny Stadia, modern looking Airports, and flashy Malls and Sky Scraper mean NOTHING to Sustainability of Leadership, Societies and even their cultures and Economics.
They are just worthless as Mobutu’s Gbadolite in the long run. But not an empowered massline. Modern looters of globalized economics dupe the masses with Flush as they siphon all real product outside Africa, as these of Uhuru, Raila, Mwai Kibaki (Democrats) have been looking on.
Then they now have to go and Borrow that looted money from the Foreign Looter and want to Change finance laws to Make the innocent Massses who never spent that Loan in any way to PAY these Loans? Keyenes was really a son of Satan, not a true progressive People loving Economist at this juncture.
That’s why all so called modern Western Societies of today appear Wealthy but in reality, all are full of impoverished White Slaves now being kept away from such demos by DRUGS supplied by their own Governments. It’s like Citizens of the West had to be Castrated so as to avoid them uprising against such till these of Bill Gates and Musk now own everything in America for example.
Planners in Uganda must therefore remember that meticulous implementation of a Government Mass-line targeting programs like PDM are even Better for their own Future as Leaders than Completion of all access Roads and Having 200 Uganda Airline planes which mean Nothing for the masses surely, who will never fly in them.
This Keyensian Economic models we use including BANK of Uganda (I hear sell and buy dollars from the market to control UGX) we utilize to cause GROWTH must therefore be taken with caution in this African stage of Growth, after observing Kenya turn from a so-called regional Industrial Powerbase and Financial Centre to a LAND of Daily PROTESTS, which NOBODY is WILLING to STOP because None is aware who to BLAME for the mess or willing to take full responsibility and can infact LEAVE the mess to whoever Wants. BUT who is willing to DARE SIT on that SEAT in Nairobi today?? Raila Odinga? I doubt . Not even Uhuru can accept. He already SURVIVED . Democracy then ceases to have meaning at this point.
As I Speak, ANY new Leader who shall become the NEXT President of KENYA will begin by FIRE-FIGHTING whatever mess he or she found already in that office.
This is why it’s Vital for all Leaders of Today in Uganda to maintain and SUSTAIN a moralized and ethical form of administration that sincerely improves the Livelihoods of the Masses (majority) of the People rather than attempting to always appease a minority privileged People who can even afford to Board Private Helicopters to Escape to Uganda or to South Africa in Minutes once such a now LOST generation of Human beings, numbering in millions inevitably RUN MAD due the madness of it’s own selfish and careless and irresponsible Politics overtime ! And it Must collapse, Soon, shortly, Unless ONE of them Begins to DICTATE,,,, TODAY.
The author is Asiimwe Jago Minyang Makombo Patrick, the Pan African Historian, Political Economy Theorist, Philosopher and ARDC Masindi.
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