Every
time Members of Parliament do something outrageous, such as awarding
themselves a sh. 9.3 million "gratuity", we claim to be surprised by
their perfidy. Why? Listening to the likes of Adan Keynan and Rachel
Shebesh extolling the virtues of the Tenth Parliament, one would be
hard-pressed to deny the MPs their pound of Consolidated Fund flesh. It
is the gullibility of Kenyans that should be the subject of examination.
How we constantly underestimate the avarice and cruelty of our elected
representatives is a complete mystery. This is not the first time that
the National Assembly has ignore the prevailing mood or circumstances in
the country to treat itself to or taxes and it is most certainly not
going to be the last.
Every time we find ourselves in the middle of a general election campaign, MPs pull off such an outrageous move. Looked at in context, it is not surprising. This is the one time that they can get the presidential candidates to dance to their tune. For their political support during the campaigns, the presidential candidates shall not interrupt their colleagues as they award themselves billions at the tax-payers' expense. This impunity has now become an ingrained part of our national psyche. It is exhibited annually by the spate of school-dormitory fires that continue to claim lives of students and their keepers alike. Last night's televised images of the dormitory fire at Le Pic School in Nairobi's Riruta area is an excellent example of the impunity that we refuse to acknowledge we are guilty of.
There is no way that the mixed primary and secondary boarding school should have been authorised to operate in the compound that does today. The property is insuficient to support not just a primary school, but a secondary school and both being boarding schools at that. The dormitories, clearly, are not desinged with health and safety in mind but with the protection of personal property and not much else. Even from the images n TV it was clear that many of the dormitories at Le Pic School are crowded beyond their capacity, the windows are barred and the rooms are generally poorly ventilated. Their design meant that they became death-traps when fire broke out. The deaths of the caretaker and five students is a stark reminder that Kenyans have come to accept impunity in every part of their lives, even when it places the lives of their children in grave danger.
Take a stroll through any residential area and you will witness our acceptance of and participation in acts of impunity. Every time one sees a "school van" hustling children from school to home and vice versa, one gets the impression that their parents simply do not care for their scions' welfare. These, often, fourteen-seat vans are not designed to be school-buses, they are frequently driven dangerously, they are frequently loaded beyond capacity and the children inside get no safety equipment such as seat-belts. When road traffic accidents occur involving these vehicles, children suffer the greatest casualties. These acts of impunity are reflected in everything that we do and they are having a pernicious impact on the psyche of the young. Our blatant contempt for the rules is inculcating in the young a general disrespect for rules and an understanding that they will not be held to account for what they do.
It explains, to some extent, why children have no qualms about setting their fellow-students on fire or setting alight their dormitories and other school facilities. It also explains why children are no longer the responsibility of the community but of the nuclear family. Without a common purpose, especially in the raising of the young, parent have no recourse but to get paid help, frequently from people who may not have the best interests of the children at heart. Coupled with the degeneration of formerly strong institutions like the village, the church and the school, there is no moderating influence on our more baser instincts. We emulate our leaders by taking extreme positions regarding our own hedonism. Even the fates of our young are not enough to temper our appetites. WE are swiftly hurtling towards destruction. We don't care.
Every time we find ourselves in the middle of a general election campaign, MPs pull off such an outrageous move. Looked at in context, it is not surprising. This is the one time that they can get the presidential candidates to dance to their tune. For their political support during the campaigns, the presidential candidates shall not interrupt their colleagues as they award themselves billions at the tax-payers' expense. This impunity has now become an ingrained part of our national psyche. It is exhibited annually by the spate of school-dormitory fires that continue to claim lives of students and their keepers alike. Last night's televised images of the dormitory fire at Le Pic School in Nairobi's Riruta area is an excellent example of the impunity that we refuse to acknowledge we are guilty of.
There is no way that the mixed primary and secondary boarding school should have been authorised to operate in the compound that does today. The property is insuficient to support not just a primary school, but a secondary school and both being boarding schools at that. The dormitories, clearly, are not desinged with health and safety in mind but with the protection of personal property and not much else. Even from the images n TV it was clear that many of the dormitories at Le Pic School are crowded beyond their capacity, the windows are barred and the rooms are generally poorly ventilated. Their design meant that they became death-traps when fire broke out. The deaths of the caretaker and five students is a stark reminder that Kenyans have come to accept impunity in every part of their lives, even when it places the lives of their children in grave danger.
Take a stroll through any residential area and you will witness our acceptance of and participation in acts of impunity. Every time one sees a "school van" hustling children from school to home and vice versa, one gets the impression that their parents simply do not care for their scions' welfare. These, often, fourteen-seat vans are not designed to be school-buses, they are frequently driven dangerously, they are frequently loaded beyond capacity and the children inside get no safety equipment such as seat-belts. When road traffic accidents occur involving these vehicles, children suffer the greatest casualties. These acts of impunity are reflected in everything that we do and they are having a pernicious impact on the psyche of the young. Our blatant contempt for the rules is inculcating in the young a general disrespect for rules and an understanding that they will not be held to account for what they do.
It explains, to some extent, why children have no qualms about setting their fellow-students on fire or setting alight their dormitories and other school facilities. It also explains why children are no longer the responsibility of the community but of the nuclear family. Without a common purpose, especially in the raising of the young, parent have no recourse but to get paid help, frequently from people who may not have the best interests of the children at heart. Coupled with the degeneration of formerly strong institutions like the village, the church and the school, there is no moderating influence on our more baser instincts. We emulate our leaders by taking extreme positions regarding our own hedonism. Even the fates of our young are not enough to temper our appetites. WE are swiftly hurtling towards destruction. We don't care.
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