Political convenience of unga, land

 Ugali lovers in Kenya are celebrating the halving of maize flour prices. Phew! However, the recent timing of the price hike to coincide with political campaigns raised eyebrows.

Ukraine war was an excuse that landed on the laps of the government as they were looking for a reason to manipulate food prices. I did wonder, too, what could have led to the hike in the price of maize flour when we produce most of our maize.

It’s not the first time that ugali has been used as a campaign tool in Kenya. The last elections were also won on ugali. Politicians love impoverishing Kenyans, then turn around and use food, for instance, as carrot and stick. Milk price has gone down too, while the Ukraine war still rages.

Politicians know the way to the hungry poor in Kenya is through their stomachs, hence manipulate them for political gain. How cruel! Why do middle-class staples such as pizza, caviar and wine never feature in price manipulation during elections?

Kenyan politicians invest in social injustice by targeting the poorest and undermining their rights to food, water, land, and healthcare. They have kept Kenyans in servitude so that they can always come back to beg. UDA presidential candidate William Ruto, who, ironically, is still the Deputy President, has joined the call to condemn his own government for manipulating unga price when, in fact, he was there when manipulation of unga prices began in 2013!

He cannot absolve himself now because he is an ‘opposition’ presidential candidate. The leadership he is part of is guilty of creating subservient populace through hoarding of resources and using them as bait during the electioneering period.

Only recently, President Kenyatta and some Cabinet Secretaries travelled across the country distributing title deeds. Both UDA and Azimio principals also promised to resolve the long-standing land issue for the coastal people. The issue of squatters on the Coast is a historical one.

Subsequent governments have promised to address the issue but to no avail. What is coming out now, nearly 60 years after Independence, is that there is no intention to streamline landownership on the Coast or anywhere else where Kenyans still live as squatters.

Those who now purport to look into land ownership in Kenya are owners of the largest tracts of land at the expense of millions of Kenyans. If the intention was to distribute land fairly, then those in the leadership with many acres would have realised by now that they are the ones causing land shortage and should subdivide the land to help the squatters.

Bad habits

The distribution of title deeds should not be handled by politicians either. There are officials mandated and remunerated to do so. Politicising issuance of title deeds is delaying development and keeping many Kenyans poor, as they are forced to wait for politicians to give them title deeds at their convenience during campaign seasons. Title deeds should be issued in privacy, with dignity and promptly to enable owners to utilise their land sooner and contribute to the economy.

Landownership is not a privilege from the government but a right. On the same thread, ownership of large tracts of land by a handful of Kenyans must end so that as many Kenyans as possible could own land. One farm, one family policy would help in that regard and hopefully reduce fraud and corruption around land as people fight over the few parcels left for millions of citizens without land.

Build swimming pools

Another issue that should not be condoned by the next government and taxpayers is the use of state resources to benefit private entities. It has been the norm for presidents to give state funds to churches, women’s groups and buy buses or build swimming pools for some schools without approval. The Sh100 million given to the Akorino Church recently, unless it came out of private pockets, is too much money if taken out of the Budget. State resources are there for the benefit of everyone, not just select few. Neither is it to be used as bribery during election campaigns.

The subjugation of the citizens is something that subsequent governments have encouraged because it’s a status quo that works for politicians and corrupt government officials. Kazi Mtaani is one such scheme. The money spent on hiring youth from villages and informal settlements could only have been set up to help corrupt officials.

Why else would they duplicate the work of the county governments, which are mandated to clean and build roads and sewers? The national government should have paid the money directly to the youth as a grant to help them lead dignified lives by starting businesses or enable them to buy essential items to minimise crime rather than scoop up muck for wages.

Caring leaders should be proud of leading dignified, healthy, and prosperous people, not those subjugated with cheap ugali and squatting in their own country.

Ms Guyo is a legal researcher. [email protected]; @kdiguyo