The disturbing images circulating all over social Media showing Kenyans dying of hunger in Turkana are the clearest indication that as a county, we are still lagging behind in key areas of development.
Anyone that has lived in Kenya for over five years knows that at this period every year, drought hits the country and food is in short supply especially in the arid and semi arid areas so how comes no one planned for this occurrence? Why do our leaders have to wait until people die before displaying their relief food packed lorries heading to Turkana on Social Media?
Truth is as Kenyans, we have adopted a very immature culture where most people are not held accountable for their actions. The same government that is drilling oil in the county where citizens are dying of hunger should be able to drill boreholes and ensure that water is available throughout the year! Instead, the leaders are out here debating on whether the latest scandal that has rocked the nation involves 21 billion Kenyan shillings or 7 billion taxpayers money. Fact remains that billions are unaccounted for while thousands of Kenyans are facing starvation.
Do our leaders really care? Do we as Kenyans care beyond our half hearted Twitter rant and hastags? The situation will be dealt with for the short term now that everyone is fully aware, Paybills will be set up, relief food ferried in the affected areas but the root of the problem will not be dealt with and we will be back to default settings in the space of 365 days.
The rains will soon be with us, everyone will forget that people died of hunger in 2019 until more people die of the same in 2020.
So before you take to twitter to defend your tribal kinsman after he is named in a major scandal, remember your fellow Kenyan dying of hunger, not illness or an accident but really lacking food and dying! Ask yourself whether your kinsman cares, but most importantly ask yourself whether you care and do your actions and decisions truly reflect on your answer!