Writing on the wall

Let us pray that our leaders, who are so good at diverting attention, will not use the tragedy of the CNN presidential debate, where they told a story about two strange candidates from the two major political parties, to erase the important lessons of Africa currently in Nairobi, Kenya. Yes, our leaders’ cyber soldiers are everywhere, lashing out at social critics who do not praise their underperforming principals. Let us hope that the strong response in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will get their attention this time. Let us believe that they will now realize that it is a small world of transparency and openness after all. I mean, I hope that the propaganda lovers, the liars and the scammers who feed them will now realize what Victor Hugo meant when he said long ago that “no power in the world can prevent an idea whose time has come.” Let us not forget that I hope they will not fall into the temptation of self-deception: the #EndSARS uprising that shook 2020 was not successful after all.

Coming back to the point, Kenya’s angry youth are saying “no” to executive tyranny and democratic quirks: I think most people are beginning to think that Nigeria’s leaders are wily deal-makers and they should step aside and analyse the burning bush in Kenya. This fire that has not yet consumed the Ruto government could spread and consume poor and corrupt leadership across Africa. This is a point of reflection in this new world where the social technology of social media is shaping us every day at the speed of thought. Even Nigeria’s leaders should not feed their spirits with the complacency and laissez-faire attitude that has brought us to this shameful crossroads where even food insecurity is fuelling our organic insecurities.

“Not afraid of death”
We understand President William Ruto has withdrawn the controversial tax bill, but protesters and their families insist it is too late. With more than 20 people dead, they now want him out.
“You can’t kill us all,” a determined protester boasted as heavily armed riot police rushed toward him, according to a recent report from Nairobi, Kenya. He stood his ground, holding a water bottle and occasionally splashing water on his face, his eyes visibly stung by the tear gas fumes that drifted in the air, suffocating police and protesters alike. A group of protesters surged toward him. “We are peaceful, we are peaceful,” they chanted. Some raised their hands above their heads, while others knelt in an attempt to show the police the non-violent nature of the protest. This was reminiscent of the Nigerian flag that #EndSARS protesters reportedly raised in 2020, but which was not respected by security personnel.

Suddenly, sirens sounded. Then jets of pink water dispersed the crowd and water cannons stopped demonstrators from advancing towards the parliament building. These scenes have been played out repeatedly in Kenya over the past week, as angry young people took to the streets to protest a controversial tax bill that many say will make basic goods more expensive. Kenyan President William Ruto withdrew the bill on Wednesday night, a day after protesters stormed the parliament building.

The week-long protests began in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, but quickly spread across the country, with local media reporting protests in 35 of Kenya’s 47 counties, including President William Ruto’s home county of Wasingishu, which overwhelmingly supported him when he came to power nearly two years ago.

African leaders, businessmen, and dinosaurs in power should take note: These protests were initially launched online, driven primarily by tech-savvy young Kenyans on social media platforms Instagram, TikTok, Instagram, and X. The purpose is to oppose the Ruto government’s proposed 2024 fiscal bill, which aims to raise an additional $2.9 billion in revenue.

As we all know, the Ruto government says it needs the money to meet its obligations to repay foreign debts while also pursuing an ambitious development plan driven by infrastructure. But Kenyan protesters argue they are already overburdened. The original draft of the bill increased taxes on basic goods such as fuel, mobile money transfers, online banking, sanitary napkins and diapers.

On Wednesday, Ruto bowed to people power, addressed the nation and agreed to withdraw the bill. Angry young people no longer believed his words: “Listen carefully to the Kenyan people, they say they don’t want anything to do with the 2024 Finance Bill, I acknowledge that, therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill.”

But many Kenyans remain unconvinced and are demanding Ruto’s resignation, as their eyes see his credibility destroyed. “I am not afraid of death, many have died before us,” Andrew Oko said Thursday as he walked 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the Nairobi suburb of Juja to join the protest. “More will die, but we have to stand up for our generation, which has been treated like fools by politicians.” Our leaders should take note of the words that have spread among Nigeria’s youth, who have been unresponsive to protests over rising food prices, a foreign exchange crisis and, worse, a 300 percent increase in electricity prices that has plunged many areas outside Region A into darkness.

Many observers in Kenya say the country should capitalize on this new spirit and organize a national dialogue to usher in a new Kenya. Hopefully, this will resolve land politics and become the foundation for the country’s economic development. This should serve as a wake-up call to African leaders, especially those in Nigeria.

Why don’t African leaders learn from recent history? They should also remember the Arab Spring, which was also sparked by an angry young man, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian fruit and vegetable vendor, who set himself on fire in the town of Sidi Bouzid on December 17, 2010. The angry food vendor’s actions triggered the far-reaching Arab Spring that year. The movement, a response to corruption and economic stagnation in Tunisia, spread to five other countries, namely Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. Its effects are still there.
In Kenya, the focus now, economists warn that the Kenyan government is now walking a tightrope. Kenya’s total international debt is close to $80 billion. Therefore, the root of the repression lies in Kenya’s economic crisis. The country is one of dozens of developing economies with a heavy debt burden, which now accounts for 68% of its GDP. In addition, more than a quarter of government revenue goes to interest payments. Kenya has taken extreme measures to avoid default, including turning to private creditors for help at an unbearable interest rate of 10%.

Reports confirm that earlier this month the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a preliminary agreement on a loan, urging the Kenyan government to raise revenue; Kenya has set a target of $2.7 billion in additional net revenue. The government has decided to pass the pain on to its people through a regressive tax policy that will disproportionately affect the poorest. Kenya is not alone: ​​more than 3 billion people around the world live in countries where debt repayments exceed public spending on education or health. Nigeria is not immune.

Ruto has promised to implement several austerity measures, including cutting the hospitality and travel budget of his office. He has asked local government and other parts of the federal government machinery to follow suit. This is expected of the Nigerian government, where even the head of the legislature arrogantly boasts that they will approve any request from the president to provide them with a new plane. Nigeria’s overpaid federal lawmakers had better swallow their pride and vanity and look at the burning bush in Kenya, or it will spread and consume them if they do not act strategically to meet the security and welfare needs of the Nigerian people. They should take note that when Nigeria’s youths, most of whom are now unemployed, rise up in revolt, the fences of the National Assembly will no longer be unreachable.

Like other young Africans, Kenyans do not trust that the taxes they pay will be used for their own benefit. They know the money will be siphoned off by corrupt politicians – a fear exacerbated by the lifestyles of ministers who give themselves generous salaries. A senator earns $85,800 a year, far more than the country’s $2,000 GDP per capita.

It’s a relevant conclusion, too: These young Kenyans are proud to call themselves members of Generation Z, reflecting a broader trend that’s emerging in different parts of Africa. Kenya is a very young country; nearly 70% of its 54 million people are under the age of 34, according to a fact sheet from the Open Society Foundations. But as the International Labor Organization noted in a 2019 report, nearly four in 10 people of working age are unemployed.

Frustrated by bleak prospects and the indifference of a rapacious political class, young Kenyans have formed new, bold, and innovative movements. They seem leaderless, they eschew traditional political parties, and they transcend ethnic divides. They spontaneously organize online, hold large virtual rallies, and fearlessly take to the streets, some of whom livestream their #StopTheFinanceBill protests on TikTok while surrounded by tear gas.

Let’s also note this: while young Kenyans are at the heart of the protests, they have also received support from all sectors of Kenyan society, including the church, which is a core part of Ruto’s political base. Doctors associations have been treating injured protesters, while lawyers and civil society groups have been working to release them from jail and relocate them to the detention centers from which they disappeared.

This also brings inspiration to young people in Kenya:
“I’m not afraid of dying, many have died before us,” said Andrew Ouko as he walked 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the Nairobi suburb of Juja to join the protest on Thursday. “More will die, but we have to stand up for our generation, which has been made fools by politicians.”

Those who lead the less developed parts of Africa also need to reflect on this at this time: when suffering is before us, when adversity knocks at our door, when food shortages caused by the corruption and strategic laziness of our callous leaders threaten us, who will fear sacrifice and death? The “ominous sign” sent by Kenya’s angry youth to African leaders is that those leaders who gamble with the public interest and violate the social contract with the people will always invite rebellion and ultimately lead to their tragic end.