Skip to main content

The revolutionary situation in Kenya

That the epoch of capitalism is on borrowed time is a fact that goes without saying. In its struggle with labour, capital has over the years fought the progressive forces of the people with desperate resistance. But it is the absolute law of nature that everything comes and goes, and everything comes into existence and passes away.

Africa and the South have been adversely affected by this exploitative system, and Kenya is no exception. As a country that has endured decades of betrayal by its bourgeois leaders; agents of imperialism, Kenya finds itself at an increasingly revolutionary situation year after year. The common citizen has to put up with an increase in food prices every year. The ordinary citizen has to fork out extra shillings in tax to the government year after year. The common man has to endure the agony of poor delivery of public services every year, from healthcare, education, transport to security. The state of housing is alarming. The level of poverty is shocking. The rate of crime is appalling. The amount of starvation is pitiful. The ordinary Kenyan, worse still, has to absorb the shock of major corruption scandals every now and then, committed by the very leaders they put their trust in. Shameful. Utterly shameful.

But perhaps the most disheartening fact is the total lack of remorse from the very people committing these atrocities. An overpaid parliament, totally and solely committed toward upholding the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, pitilessly opposed to any genuine development and empowerment of the people of Kenya, sycophantically avowed to promoting and protecting the interests of the global multinationals and international capitalists, is shamefully in bed with this very system and, instead of serving Kenyans, serves itself and nothing more.

But the masses, disillusioned and gullible as they might be, always get their way at some point in history. In the opportune moment, when the contradiction existing in the economic life of our society is unravelled, when the masses clearly see the source of their problems and the necessary way out, they swiftly take action, in order to bring sanity to the society and bring harmony to the life of the people.

The rate of borrowing by the government, or over borrowing, is definitely going to make a tremendous impact on the lives of ordinary Kenyans. In fact, prices of basic commodities have already began to go up, in a bid to collect more taxes to pay up the debt. With an increase in the rate of inflation, one cannot help but relate the current situation to the infamous Structural Adjustment Programmes of the 1980s, meant to majorly increase taxes and cut government expenditure. It is painful still to call them the 'Washington Consensus', evidently showing the origin of the programmes, and whomever they were meant to benefit.

But this is besides the point. The common mwananchi will not understand, or want to understand, that the reason why he or she cannot afford a loaf of bread is because some money was borrowed somewhere, and now has to be paid. Worse still, that some of it was stolen by corrupt individuals. We shall not understand that inasmuch as our lives are largely unchanged we have a massive debt to pay, and that taxes are high for this reason.

The narrow mindedness of the Kenyan ruling class and the fact that they are driven purely by selfish motives will almost certainly mean that the economic situation will remain largely unchanged. For the rest of the Kenyans, the workers, farmers and all the people, this can only mean one thing; taking our destiny in our own hands. Kenyans have to understand that unless this situation is countered by a united struggle, they shall continue to sink further into poverty. Kenyans must know that the real enemies of the people are those directly above them, masquerading as their saviours but catering for their interests alone. Kenyans should realize that the key to the ultimate fulfilment of their aspirations lies in their ability to chart a way forward by themselves. The people of Kenya must discover that the solution to their economic problems lies in a revolutionary undertaking. Above all, Kenyans must appreciate the fact that the present economic conditions are characteristic of the system of capitalism, and the solution lies in the overthrow of capital and the triumph of labour.

Doubtlessly, more and more Kenyans are expressing their understanding of these facts. A revolutionary wave is coming. A few years. And the destiny of the people of Kenya will be in their own hands.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is socialism?

A frequently arising matter in various ideological and political discussions is the economic advocations of the system of socialism, its practicality, and how to achieve it. Oftentimes, one has to foremost explain the scientific basis of socialism as a mode of production, without which it becomes difficult to clarify our agitation for it. Perhaps a basic question would be; what is socialism? A thorough understanding of socialism is critical to understanding the reasons for our advocation for the same. But this is needless to mention. Foremost, contrary to what most people think, socialism is not a ‘ wonderful idea ’ created by some ‘ would be ’ world reformers or humanitarians. Socialism, contrary to the perception of many people, some even within our ranks as the African Socialists, is not an economic system based on charity, helping the poor or promoting welfare programs. It is not an economic model simply geared towards providing social amenities such as housing, healthcare, e...
4 comments
Read more

What is the relevance of the struggle of Pio Gama Pinto to our Revolutionary Struggles today?: Speech at the book launch of 'Pio Gama Pinto; Kenya's Unsung Matyr'

The ever increasing political and economic strife, the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor, the increased militarism of global imperial forces, and the advent of neoliberalism all point to one thing; the class struggle, naturally, keeps getting more and more acute. As the society keeps getting more and more unequal, so does the need for the ruling classes to protect themselves more and more from the people, and, therefore, so does their thirst to maintain the monopoly of violence in a bid to keep the people enslaved. What, therefore, does this mean for us? What are we to do? The need for we as the people to resist this onslaught, as has been done for years and years, cannot be more imperative. For we, as the toiling people, this means nothing but desperate struggle to counter what we can comfortably call desperate resistance from the ruling elite. We have the responsibility to carry through the class struggle to its logical conclusion.   Ushikwapo shikamana, au ...
2 comments
Read more

Analysing xenophobia in South Africa

You know something is wrong with your society when you cannot tolerate people from other societies. But when this intolerance becomes violent, you know something is seriously wrong. The xenophobic attacks in South Africa are as disturbing as they are surprising. Disturbing in that one cannot imagine the violence and atrocities that may be directed towards foreigners in the country, and surprising in that one cannot imagine an African relating to a fellow African with hostility and suspicion. But perhaps it is important to examine the root cause of this xenophobic violence. With this regard emphasis should be laid not on the direct triggers of the violence, but on the general composition of the society of South Africa. South Africa remains one of the most scarred African countries in relation to colonial exploitation. The settling of the Boers, as early as the seventeenth century, was itself a critical problem. Native populations were displaced, and many have never recovered their land...
1 comment
Read more