Blame the system

Blame the system

The government is responsible for everything that happens to Kenyans and non Kenyans within our borders, and Kenyans without our borders. The government has the mandate and the power to control everything (literally), every aspect and all sectors of human life.

This mandate, whether given by the people -democratically, stolen from the people, purported to be from the people, passed down in the family, gotten through revolutionary means (both popularly and unpopularly), acquired through a coup d’etat or gotten through whatever means, is a mandate that any government must fulfill as long as it is in power.

In Kenya, people have this habit of blaming some things on themselves, or amongst themselves, instead of putting the blame where it belongs (in the government!). Kenyans also have this habit of praising other quarters for their successes, which should not be the case.

For instance, here is a person in my village, called Mwangi, who drinks irresponsibly, and talks vulgar, sleeps on the streets, causes some village fights and commits other SOCIAL misbehaviours, which not only irritate the other villagers, but sets a bad example to the younger generations.

It is the role of the government to apprehend this fellow, take him for counseling, and probably together with his family and other neighbours, get to the root of his behaviour, and come up with a method of helping this fellow change.

If the government tries all this (and other measures) and still fails, Mwangi should be removed from our village, and taken somewhere where he can receive further help.

If it is realized that Mwangi does all these misconducts intentionally, fully aware of his mischief, then he should be arrested, prosecuted and jailed.

If Otieno is a farmer, and his cow falls sick and dies. He should blame the government for that. It is the role of the government to inspect livestock in the whole country. It is the job of the government to employ enough (qualified) field officers who should advice on, prevent and treat any livestock in their regions.

If the govt has already employed and facilitated this officer, but the fellow is not doing his rounds, then the fellow should be dealt with accordingly.

If the cow died of some incurable disease, it is the role of the govt to prevent further spread and deaths by ensuring that the dead cow is disposed off appropriately, and that all the other animals in the area are screened and probably quarantine till the situation is arrested.

When Wafula, who pursues some strange convictions, decides not to take his son, Wanyonyi, to school for some reason (including a vision from God), the govt must compel Wafula, to take his son to school, and ensure that Wanyonyi has the best environment for learning. Wafula should also be warned that should he continue with his convictions which go against the govt’s policies, he will be arrested and charged.

If Wafula is a member of some cult that promotes these kinds of ideas, then the leadership of this church should be taken into custody, and the followers should be de-educated off these teachings.

Should Wanyonyi go to school, but performs miserably, it should be the role of government, through the teachers, supervisors and inspectors, to know the reason for this poor performance,,,, Could it be that Wanyonyi lacks the necessary reading materials? Is it that his teachers ignore him? Could it be that Wafula doesn’t give him space and the moral to learn? Could Wanyonyi be having some brain problem? Then the govt should come up with some solution to help Wanyonyi.

If Wanyonyi sits his KCSE, the govt should provide him with an option of furthering his studies, sharpening his skills, or building on his talents. Should he make it to the University, he should be advised accordingly on what to course to select, the expectations in that course, and basically what it entails. On Wanyonyi’s final year at the university, he should fill a form on where he wants to work, or what he wants to do with his life after school. If he wants to go into business or agriculture, the govt should help him build on his idea, interrogate it and make it feasible, and eventually loan him the necessary funds to start off.

This type of responsibility should obviously be duplicated to higher govt (and private) offices, and should be implemented in much bigger scenarios.

The same case applies to whatever good happens in the citizens’ lives. We eat, sleep and work thanks to the systems of the government.

Benedict Wachira Mamluki