Mr President, life in Burundi is cheaper

Dear Mr President, in your recent address on the state of the nation, you told us that Kenya is among the fastest growing economic powerhouses in Africa. You dismissed CNN’s claims that Kenya is a hotbed of terror.

When you later said on Sunday night that a Kenyan teacher earns seven times more than their Burundi counterparts and some of your sycophants hailed you ignorantly, I felt ashamed. You didn’t mention the fact that Kenyan MPs are, undoubtedly, the highest paid public officers in Africa.

Your Excellency, in Kenya, specifically Bungoma, a wheelbarrow costs Sh109,000 whereas my Burundian friend tells me it costs around Sh1,300 in their country. When will a Kenyan teacher afford one?

In Kenya, a gate costs Sh7 million while in Burundi it costs Sh15,000.

Mr President, you forgot to tell us that in other countries, Helb is a grant while in Kenya you have to pay it with a high interest rate.

You forgot to tell us that you are the second highest paid in Africa and the fifth highest paid in the world. You should have told Kenyans that you earn Sh2.5 million while your Burundian counterpart earns Sh380,000.

Your Excellency, you never told Kenyans that a litre of kerosene costs Sh90 while the same costs Sh40 in other countries. The price of petrol in Burundi is Sh65 per litre whereas here in Kenya it is Sh120.

The price of milk is Sh100 per litre while in Burundi, a litre of milk costs Sh30.

The fact that Burundi is a landlocked country, importing a car there is three times cheaper than importing the same in Kenya. In fact, most items are duty free.

You forgot to tell us that your MPs can adjust their salaries upwards and it is approved without any arguments, while other civil servants will be ignored and the pay hike termed unnecessary as it will affect the wage bill.

Your Excellency, allowing schools to be closed due to the ongoing strike is the lowest point of your leadership.