When crisis becomes feast for privileged few

Motorists and motorcycle operators in Naivasha queue at New NNUS petrol station seeking fuel following an acute shortage in and around the lakeside town. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

There is an old tale of a village where a few traders controlled the only well. In times of peace, they sold water at a fair price. But whenever distant thunder rolled across the hills, signaling storms far away, they would quietly lock the well at night, dilute what remained, and reopen at dawn with higher prices. The villagers, long accustomed to hardship, would grumble, pay, and move on. Over time, this became the order of things: the many clutching the short end of the stick, the few polishing theirs into a staff of power.

Kenya today risks becoming that village. For too long, Kenyans have endured a system where exploitation is routine, resurfacing whenever opportunity arises. The tensions in Iran should have remained a distant concern, yet they became a convenient excuse locally. Some, ensconced in posh offices, seized the moment to hoard fuel, import substandard products, and manipulate supply for profit, while others simply hiked prices.