I'm no tribalist. Indeed for most of my life, I have eschewed tribalism and any other form of pointless bigotry. Sadly, it appears a lost cause if Public Campus politics is anything to go by. Check the link.
I start by stating these so that the following is not misconstrued as as sentiments borne of tribalic patriotism: Central Kenya men are drowning themselves in cheap alcohol. And since we're not big on political correctness here, the Kikuyus, my mothers sons are drinking themselves into poverty. While it is sad that anyone (Male, female, kikuyu, Kamba, green or red) would be wasting away their potential to cheap illicit brew, it becomes sadder in contemplation of the following circumstances:
1. The Kikuyus are the most populous ethnic grouping in the region; it follows that their sons and daughters enjoy numeric superiority among their peers. By extrapolation, a large percentage of Kenyan Youth are drinking themselves into oblivion.
2. Central Kenya has a large concentration of the 17% arable land in Kenya. You need no telling that drunkards are unproductive members of society. If they who have the land would rather till at the mgema's, small wonder farmine is periodoc in these parts.
3. The Kikuyu's are not exactly a group that can claim their drinking to forget their communal problems. The Lord, or happenstance, has been gracious to them. The first president made short work of giving them an economic advantage at independence (what is now referred in political circles as historic injustice) and 24years of Moi's rule did little to shift the imbalance. That such a blessed race should steep themselves in filth is the very definition of poetic irony. More specifically, the common stock 20something or 30something Kikuyu is drinking away the industry of an older generation.
See more of the story at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10770370 Yeah we made the BBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXsogn295kw
No comments:
Post a Comment