To end poverty, we should change leaders’ mindset

With almost 50 million citizens, Kenya is fairly a big country. There are only a handful of countries with a population of 50 million and above. There are just 25 countries out of 233 in the world that have a population of more than 50 million, Kenya included.

However, close to 40 per cent of Kenya’s people live below the poverty line. In some parts of the country like the Asal region, the poverty rate is above 70 per cent. The main cause of poverty is more than anything else lack of bold economic policies that can reduce inequalities. Kenya is an unequal country. Only a few people have access to basic social services. In arid regions, access to education and health care is limited to a very few selected and privileged people. For example, the percentage of people who completed school in the three counties of North East Kenya is an average of 17 per cent. This number is lower for the womenfolk, just under 7 per cent. There are schools in Northern Kenya where more than 130 kids share a classroom. With no adequate teachers and all necessary tools to strengthen their performance, the kids from Northern Kenya are the real face of inequality.

Ideally, there is nothing that stops us from making bold decisions that can reverse the challenges of poverty and inequality. However, it appears as if our leaders are under some kind of spell and can’t change their thinking. Or, I am not sure if it is the people themselves who have been ‘bewitched’ by these leaders. But certainly, we need a cure for this inaction. Just like the characters in the 1999 blockbuster, The Matrix, I believe we are also under some form of trance and unable to change our situation.

The Matrix is an interesting science fiction film whose plot can closely be equated to the spell under which the Kenyan leaders are hoodwinked.  It depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside simulated reality. In the Matrix, intelligent machines have been created to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source. Human beings became slaves to computers and were turned into zombies. To cure this, a young scientist prescribed a red and a blue pill for those who were possessed by the computer spell. 

The red pill is aimed at enlightening one to understand the challenge one is facing and proactively allowing one to find a solution, though bitter, the red pill ultimately delivers one from the spell of being enslaved by computer demons.

The Blue pill on the other hand makes one forget their situation and just accept the status quo. In the context of Kenya, I believe either people or their leaders need to be given the red pill so that they understand the nature of the challenges they face and learn how to slowly get rid of the ‘spell’. Poverty in Northern Kenya might not reduce shortly if a radical change is not put in place to come up with sound policies that will address the myriad of problems people are facing. No country has ever developed when a part of it is disproportionately poor. Those who have privileges might enjoy their status but unfortunately, those with wealth might not enjoy their wealth forever. Sooner or later the poor people will turn against them.

The writer is CEO, Frontier Counties Development Council. guleid@fcdc.or.ke