Running with rumours: Kenya’s “B” dilemma

Rumours

“Unaweza kukunywa pombe” (you can now drink alcohol), the words many Kenyans were waiting anxiously to hear on September 28, as President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the nation about the new Covid-19 restrictions.

Bars and restaurants will now be allowed to serve alcohol and open till 10pm, with the new curfew running from 11pm to 4am.

“Well, surely the next paragraph will deal with education.” Alas, it was not so.

Notably missing from President Kenyatta’s speech was a definitive timeline for school openings. Rumours have it, this was intentional.

A product of collusion between Kenya Breweries and the Kenya teacher’s union and procrastination on the part of the Ministry of Education. This has led to confusion on the part of many students as a result.

The collusion

“It’s a win-win situation” one teacher remarks about the alleged deal between alcohol makes and alcohol takers, “not only can we avoid babysitting these nuisances, we get to have fun all day while doing it”.

The purported back-room deal involved alcohol manufacturers country-wide using their political influence to delay school openings. In return, members of the teacher’s union vow to use their newfound free time to support the alcohol industry by “partying hard” and “celebrating often”.

Opening bars and restaurants and easing restrictions on the sale of alcohol inevitably benefits all Kenyans claims a Kenyan National Union of Teachers representative. In fact, it is mystifying why anyone is in school at all.

“Bar-hopping and nights at the club are proven to be on average 125 per cent more fun than teaching class”, he noted— citing a study performed by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics in July 2020.

The deal comes after a report that indicated that gross sale of beer in Kenya was down 50 per cent in the period from March to September.

“An industry so central to Kenya, how could we just let it collapse?” a Kenyan man noted citing that his wife’s nyama choma clearly tastes better after a few beers— as is the case in many households.

A Kenyan alcohol manufacturer, who chose to remain anonymous, claimed that school closures were also good for business. This generation, blessed by the gap in their education, will be given time now to pursue their true calling: alcoholism.

“We will be blessed with a generation of alcoholics” noted a prominent manufacturer of whiskey in Nairobi. 

In fact, this deal ensures for years to come that the alcohol industry remains central to the Kenyan identity. What better way to indoctrinate the Kenyan youth into the culture of alcoholism than to show their role models in support of the industry?

However, this is not the only reason for delays in school openings. Reports also indicate Kenya suffers from a case of a procrastinating education planning officials.

The procrastinator

In his speech on September 28, President Kenyatta noted that schools will be open when the government can provide safe and effective guidelines for schools to hold in-person classes.

So, the natural question is: why did we not apply the bars and clubs guidelines to schools? When are these school guidelines going to be available?

When asked when guidelines regarding the safe opening of schools will be available a representative from the Education Ministry remarked, “the minister has many important things to be doing, guidelines will come when they come”.

Creating guidelines for school openings required the acquisition of some essential data, a source within the ministry told us. We wonder if this essential data should include things like the total number of leaves in Karura forest; a count over time of the number of potholes on roads in Eastleigh; and a tally of the average number of grains of rice in a 5kg bag. We already did this during the lockdown. So, why repeat the exercise? 

With regards to priorities, why are we procrastinating? It all remains in the “B” dilemma of Beer v. Books. And the Beer won the day.  What impact will this have on students? Mass confusion.

The confusion

In late September, parents and students all around the country were intently listening to President Kenyatta’s speech for indications of how the government plans to bring them back to school. While this was clearly missing.

The result: bars flooded at 8am on Tuesday September 29 with students carrying textbooks eager to begin in-person classes yet again.

“President Kenyatta talked about opening schools, but just after the opening of bars and restaurants” one student reports regarding the incident that ensued, “we just assumed the bars were the new venue for learning”.

The student insists that the government was looking out for students’ best interest as open-air night clubs were clearly better for social distancing as compared to stuffy school classrooms.

To make matters worse, students found their teachers sitting in the bars on Tuesday morning, reinforcing the notion that this was the new venue for learning.

“There may have been no desks or chairs, but we are used to this— actually the facilities were much better than that of our normal schools and our teachers seemed a lot happier too” one primary student noted.

While another student initially found it odd for school to be meeting in a local night club, she noted that education is important to the government. This is why she was convinced to show up to class on Tuesday morning by her peers.

After all, the government clearly cannot prioritize beer, fun and leisure over education. Or can it?

Choices, choices, choices

While these rumours are outlandish, they point to the crossroads Kenyans face today and in the immediate future. Choices, choices, and more choices.

With the Covid-19 pandemic impacting almost every part of the country, from education, to tourism, to industries we must now prioritise how to allocate our time and resources, specially our brains. What are the most essential things to ensure are up and running?

The sectors that Kenya chooses to prioritise in this process, speak to the things our government values most. The things that are essential for the Kenyan identity; the things that will make Kenya to last.

This is why the lack of guidelines or definitive answers regarding the “B” dilemma is so disappointing. As a society, do we value beer more than books? How can we as a nation purport to be a democracy, without an educated youth? How can we expect to grow and prosper? It is only a year lost, but a year in the life of a ten-year-old child is 10 per cent of his life. It is six years of boredom and waste in the life of a sixty year-old politician.  

So maybe, these rumours are not outlandish at all.

This article is part of a long series of articles on the rule of law in the context of politics and ethics. The views expressed here are personal and do not represent institutional views. The series is researched and co-authored by:

• Karim Anjarwalla, Managing Partner of ALN Anjarwalla & Khanna, Advocates
• Wandia Musyimi, Research Associate at ALN Anjarwalla & Khanna, Advocates
• Kasyoka Mutunga, Research Associate at ALN Anjarwalla & Khanna, Advocates
• Prof Luis Franceschi, Senior Director, Governance & Peace, The Commonwealth, London
• Zara Tayebjee, Barnard College of Columbia University;
• Rayaan Anjarwalla, St Andrews University