Gen Z protests: The difficult question that no one seems to have an answer

Anti-Finance bill protestors match along the streets of Nairobi on June 26, 2024. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Who will pay Kenya’s Sh10 trillion debt is the hard question no one is answering. The President alluded to that in his speeches with a plan to free Kenya from debt. His plan seems to be, “make sacrifices today so that tomorrow can be better and debt-free.” It does not matter who incurred the debts, they will be paid. Even with a task force to audit our debts, they will still be paid!

By raising taxes and prudently using them, we could one day pay all debts and hopefully start lending money to other countries. Why did such a novel idea backfire so badly with protests and even deaths? What next for our debt, now taking so much of our tax revenues? Over 60 per cent.

One issue was communication, even the president admitted. Even the best idea can fail depending on how it’s communicated. Does it surprise you that Kibaki started by making us feel proud and patriotic before taxing us? Paying taxes became a noble duty and patriotic.

The arrogance of some MPs put Kenyans off. Trying to sell a great idea to an angry audience is hard. They say in central Kenya, Ona ígítúnywo mwana ní íikagírio mungu” simply translated as, “To get back a baby from a monkey, you must give it something sweet like a mungu, a type of fruit.”

The baby is our money. Mungu is better government services, projects that benefit us like roads, and good-salaried jobs or thriving enterprises. Add optimism.

Two, we should have put some time frames and numbers. We need to know the taxes to be paid in the next five years and what projects will be funded throughout the country. Who would not have been touched to pay taxes? We could have extended the time till there is a budget surplus.

Three, there has been no concerted effort to address Kenya’s number one problem - corruption. Many Kenyans felt strongly that their hard-earned tax will be stolen or wasted. Videos of opulence among our leaders did not endear them to us. As Gen Z protests fizzle, the issue of corruption is still pending not just at the national government but counties too. And no heads have rolled.

Four, lots of people had invested in 2022 polls and lost. It was their time to vent their anger. I might be wrong, but we celebrate failure.

Five, the feeling that IMF was calling the shots angered Kenyans who are proud to have fought for their freedom. Many countries never did.

Add to my list. Any solutions to our national debt?

Do we add local debt, money owed to suppliers and contractors? Why do we focus so much on external debt? Charity starts at home?

A drastic cut in government expenditure was promised. It was quickly revised. Not so surprising. Government expenditure stimulates the economy. Cut it, and lots of jobs will be lost. The government is a customer for goods and services. Add the fact that government projects have political dividends. Ask why coffee and sugar cane debts are being forgiven and not university student loans?

How about debt forgiveness? If we slay the dragon of corruption and demonstrate to lenders that we are serious, we could get forgiveness or cheaper debt to pay off expensive debts.

The constitution is clear in Chapter 12, Section 201 (c): “The burdens and benefits of the use of resources and public borrowing shall be shared equitably between present and future generations.”

This left my head spinning. Should Gen Z not have supported current taxes so that they have fewer debts to pay in the future? Don’t salute me, just thinking loudly. Clearly, the trust deficit in government made any Finance Bill’s good intention seem bad.

What other alternatives do we have to clear our debts? Some have even suggested harambees. I would add a bi-yearly lottery. If 25 million Kenyans bought a 1000 Ksh lottery ticket twice a year, that would be 5 trillion in 10 years. Give a good prize for the lottery, say 100 million top prize every six months and allow non-Kenyans to buy into it. Why not try it, debt lottery.

How about patriotically bringing back any money stashed abroad? Think of a great Kenyan putting in his will, “the following amount in bank XYZ will go to paying Kenyan national debt.”

The other easy option is for Gen Z to put their creativity and ingenuity into practice. Start the Kenyan multinationals. They will generate so much money that paying debt will be easy through taxes.

The ultimate solution is catalyzing economic growth with new ideas, and making Kenya an entrepreneurial paradise. If the economy grows fast enough, there will be enough money to pay the debt and share the burden between current and future generations. You can’t catalyze growth when a vast majority of the population is angry. Give them a mungu, you will keep their money (tax).

We can also think without a box; discover an exoplanet, colonize it and leave taxes here. Astronomers?

How about Twitter Space with the president monthly and then retire all MPs and senators? Use their salaries to pay the national debt. Have I answered the hard question?