Chaos over community; a recap of the month of June in Kenya.

I was born at the exact spot where the dream of Kenyan nationhood died; Russia hospital (1). In a way one could argue that I was born in the resistance. By June 1st 2024 I was tired. So I said to everyone who cared to listen: "We are making this political" (2). Three weeks in, our country was engulfed in weekly protests culminating on Tuesday 25th when Members of Parliament passed an unpopular budget and Finance Bill and protestors stormed Parliament to exercise their sovereignty directly. We are the people of Kenya.

On June 1st I asked my friends to unfollow me if they felt that they were not comfortable with me taking a political stand on the issues I was addressing.

You have the opportunity today, May 31st to decide either “I will unfollow you because I was only here for the transport stuff. Politics is not for me. Good luck.”

OR

you decide: “Public transport is political. I will follow you on.

I warned you that ”It really is going to get political. I do not want you to be blindsided." I hope you were not blindsided by what we witnessed this month. Culminating with the government deploying the armed forces to contain peaceful protestors (3). The President chose chaos over community.

What are we fighting over? What is the conflict?

On my end, I realized that the government had no commitment to improving public transport. I read the Finance Bill 2024/5 and noticed that the VAT exemption we had fought for and earned in the previous budget was going to be removed (4). What this means is that electric vehicles would get 16% more expensive.

Is that really it?

No.

I was also coming of age as a writer and June, the month of self-determinism, also coincided with my moment to determine my independence; politically, economically, socially and philosophically.

I had to write about social change (5). Zena had innocently asked me to include more quotes from African writers and she opened the floodgates to the wisdom of Africans.

I dusted my James Baldwin, I listened to Reverend King over walks. I got very mad at some white boy (6) and reflected on apartheid in my capital city of Nairobi (7). I captured - by echoing the words of Ngugi wa Thiong'o - the need to decolonize our minds, and ultimately to decolonize our transport and mobility (8).

Then nationwide protests broke out.

And I was caught in the middle of it.

Notes:

(1) Russia hospital is now called Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital. The hospital is at the centre of the 1969 Kisumu Massacre.

(2) Essay (June 1st): "Where do we go from here? Chaos or Community? - Dr King." Access by clicking here.

(3) Essay: Cry my beloved motherland. Access by clicking here.

(4) Essay: It's all bark and no bite in Kenya (Finance Bill 2024). Access by clicking here.

(5) Essay: It is time in this country to overhaul a great many things, to question everything in fact. Access by clicking here.

(6) Essay: James Baldwin and Uncle Tom. This is personal. Access by clicking here.

(7) Essay: Nairobi and the new apartheid. Access the essay by clicking here.

(8) Newsletter: Decolonizing mobility: The Political Economy of Transport in Kenya" Access by clicking here.