My attention this week is drawn to one Mercy Tarus. A 27 year old Kabarak University graduate who raffled feathers after her video went viral on social media. The former hairdresser and current porridge cum mandazis seller candidly lambasted her county leadership over blatant disregard of their time and embezzlement of county education trust funds. Whereas many netizens lauded her bravery and passion, others read utter contempt to authorities and found it self-defeating to seek restitution while bordering insolence.
The Uasin Gishu County Government Overseas Education Trust Fund was established in May 2021. It was meant to enable parents without eligible bank statements to process visa applications. Under the arrangement, interested parents were to deposit atleast ksh. 800,000 to cater for tuition fee, air travel, upkeep and accommodation for their children’s first semester of study. In an unfamiliar twist of turns, somehow somewhere the funds were withdrawn by county officials and wired into private bank accounts. This has since seen over 200 students face deportation as universities terminated their study contracts whilst others stuck home even after making payments. This explains the agitation as parents and students seek a refund for their monies raised through sweat and blood.
For starters, this is nothing but a dewdrop of the already brazen gluttony, deeply rooted exclusion and overriding urge to be perceived as functional. Ours is a government unapologetically founded on deceit and wanton impunity with regular biblical allusions and mega church fundraisers.
It is little wonder that recent protests over the rising cost of living have been met with disproportional violence. Insults, scourge and assault have been meted on citizens for crying out widespread unemployment, punitive taxation regime resulting into fatalities and profiling of dissenters as evil, backward poverty mongers.
Well, that which is good for goose is good for the gander, when a mad cow rages it knows no vegan. Even sympathizers of an insatiable regime often fall prey to its glut. They too get wounded by the very claws of pilferage they sharpen culminating into lifelong scars of betrayal, social inequality and economic disenfranchisement. Notice that no matter how much Mercy Tarus could wax eloquent before cameras, no amount of her confidence nor emotions could deter your God chosen president and his dep from distributing rice and beef stew to hustler government shareholders up in the mountains slopes. No measure of rebuke, heckling and uproar would jet your monies from Finland and Canada. You could shame Mandago all the way to Timboroa to no avail. Instead take advantage of the planting season, hustler funds and subsidized fertilizers to do the necessary as we all await the second coming of Christ.
My two cents folks. We all are netted into this web of predatory taxation, crony capitalism and discrimination. Therefore, mine is a clarion call on behalf of all Kenyans whose frustration take them to the streets to demonstrate. Fellow citizens protesting underwhelming performance by an exploitative government. It’s a call on behalf of Kenyans who knock offices and complain about deception, poor services. They too are sons and daughters of this country. Created by the very God you claim to know better. To this end, before you punch their ribs with clubs, before you call them unprintable names, before you despise their petitions remember there is genuineness in their cry. For no animal cries out of pain unless it’s been hurt. Do not add tears where tears are already flowing, do not inflict pain where pain is already unbearable. Let them mourn their unfulfilled dreams, shattered aspirations, violation of their trust. Let them grieve over the death of their expectations with dignity.
Mane primer 