Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party launched its manifesto the other day (6th June 2022) in a colourful ceremony held at Nyayo Stadium. The only take away from it, at least if the online charter is to be believed, is that mitumba are dead people’s clothes culminating in a Twitter trend dubbed the #MyDeadPeopleClothingChallenge that is still running. The Former Prime Minister H.E. Raila Odinga is quoted to have said that “our people are only wearing clothes from outside the country that have been worn by people who are dead, we are going to go to primary production so that our people who are importing mitumba can have good product to sell here…”. The defenders of mitumba have been shouting their throats hoarse about the number of people the mitumba industry employs (approximately 2 million Kenyans) and the amount of taxes the government collects from mitumba imports (Kshs. 15 billion in 2019). While the detractors of mitumba have been making points about the gains the revival of the local textile industry could mean like the value addition and loose monetary policy improving the local economy and giving Kenyans the dignity of wearing proper clothes as the first owners of the garments. While both sides of the mitumba debate make very valid points, this whole hullabaloo and chatter is all for nothing because the premise on which it is built is a statement that was taken out of context for political reasons. While that may be how political propaganda works, hats off to the machinery behind it, what it has effectively done is completely distract the public from discussing the manifesto and interrogate its contents.
All in all, may we stop being distracted by small things and stay woke during this open season of shenanigans that are political campaigns. Stay Taliban!
A cursory glance at the 84-page document presents an aesthetically pleasing and well put together document that is easy to read. The centre begins to unfold as one delves into the details of the contents there in and begins to ask the simple but critical question of the feasibility of the proposed plans. While there are a number of good proposals especially for the youth, people living with disabilities, the vulnerable and the aged, which if realised would be fantastic for everyone. The glaring “pie in the sky” of it all cannot be wished away. The practical realities of making them possible are just articulated in the document. Recovered funds from corruption seems to be the mainstay of funding a big chunk of the projects in the manifesto because the country loses a lot of money( approximately Kshs. 2 billion per day) through corruption. If we are being honest as Kenyans, to some we are all corrupt. We all hate corruption blah-blah-blah but only in speech and not in reality juu kwa ground vitu ni different. So long as we or our kith and kin get to benefit from it somehow, every last one of us will not miss a chance to look the other way.
A manifesto for all intents and purposes is supposed to be a social contract between political candidates and the electorate and is largely aspirational by its very nature. The manifestation movement has gained quite the popularity with babes manifesting vacations, homes and cars on these streets by humming mantras and daily affirmations. While we all know that nothing could be further from the truth, some type of work is involved in getting anything to manifest from your imagination into reality. I urge the youth to take some time out of their day to read and chambua the full document for themselves even it will take you a few days or weeks to get through all of it juu si kila mtu ni msomi au a fast reader. Read and make up your own mind on what seems logically feasible as you wait to also read the Kenya Kwanza manifesto (whose principal supporter Senator Wetangula is claiming has been plagiarized by Azimio). All in all, may we stop being distracted by small things and stay woke during this open season of shenanigans that are political campaigns. Stay Taliban!
Mimi wako kwa hali na mali @SquareOblangata
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