LET THEM EAT CAKE

For many years, Kenya has been among the top ten beneficiary countries of USAID funds before Donald trump came to office and signed executive order cutting down on the funds.  Funds coming to Kenya through USAID have been important in various areas of mainly humanitarian help. The impact of the cuts has already been felt. For instance, there is a greater risk of death for HIV/AIDs patients for lack of drugs, testing support, testing and prevention services. Other support areas like food security, climate resilience programs and educations have also been severely affected leaving Kenyans at a much worse health and economic situation as before.

A lot of analysis and discussion has gone down since the cuts announcement, and this include why Africa must learn to Take care of its own affairs without help from the western world. Whether Africa benefits more from developed countries or those countries benefit more from Africa is a debate that never seems to go. Africans who are out to fight imperialism and neo-colonialism argue that Africa has lost more to the west. They argue that, for a few aids from the west, Africa has given mining licenses to first world companies that in effect earn billions from the minerals. Long-term concessions have also left Africa as the net loser in the transactions with the so-called aid countries.

Many NGOs running in Kenya and Africa receive funding from different organizations in developed countries. This is unlike NGOs running in the developed countries that receive funding from their country’s companies and countrymen. This raises the question about our culture of giving because we are culturally net receiver inclined people. How many Kenyans give regularly to charity? Of course, poverty levels are high, and many people survive from hand to mouth but of the people that have enough to eat and spare, how many give to help the next needy person? I tend to believe that as a country, we have enough resources to cater for the needs of every member of society without help from outside our borders. How could we achieve good and fair wealth distribution as a country. Could that also be our problem?

Let’s come closer home and ask ourselves; how many of us have stored food in our fridges to eventually throw them realizing they expired? What if the cost of such wastage was given to someone who had a problem putting a meal on the table? What if we would give out the extra furniture or electronics to someone needing them more? How many of our clothing and shoes, including our children’s, have we not worn for over one year? Imagine how those piles of clothes give us headaches, arranging and rearranging to create space for new ones! What if we gave them out to people in need of them and help free up spaces for ourselves? If we maybe developed a culture of giving as a people, then we would not need external aid, even for our NGOs.

The gap between the rich and the poor in Kenya has been growing and apart from a few hard-working Kenyans that gain wealth from pure hard work, there are many whose gains can be attributed to corruption and association with the ruling political class. This wealth could be considered unjust and traces back to after colonial days when government officials allocated themselves large tracts of land and have been rich ever since. These injustices may take long to resolve or may never be resolved but remains as a culture of no ending corruption.  Nevertheless, a resource re-distribution through giving and charity may be a starting point in reducing the pains of our people suffering in poverty.

Marie Antoinette was the queen of France during the French revolution and is well remembered for the quote, ’’Let them eat Cake’’ which was her answer to protesters when she was told that people had no bread to eat. In a highly stratified poor vs rich population, unjust wealth gainers usually do not understand why other people are poor considering the ease with which they make their wealth and Marie’s attitude is the same that the beneficiaries to a corrupt regime treat the poor with.

I think we need to increase our sensitivity to the poor people around us and practice giving which is also a command given to us in the bible, Deuteronomy 15:11:

"For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you: 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'"

 

@ Stephen Mungai