The Tale of a Caveman amidst Legislators’ Extravagant Send-off Perks

Picture courtesy of citizen tv kenya: Otieno the caveman

Otieno is a dreamer just like so many other people in Kenya and indeed the whole world. He left his rural home coming to Nairobi in pursuit of his dream of a better life, but unlike a good number who have either achieved theirs or are in the process of doing that, Otieno’ s story has a totally different script.

Just before he was evicted in the place he called home, Otieno was living in the middle of Ngong forest in the outskirts of Nairobi in a cave- yes you had it right, a cave. According to Otieno, who used to live in the sprawling slums of Kibera, he could not afford the rent demanded by his landlord and therefore to avoid conflicts he decided to vacate the house and look and look for an alternative. As some of you may know, Kibera is a slum where one can secure a single semi-permanent house (mud-walled, wooden, or corrugated iron sheets) with electricity (illegally connected) for as little as five hundred shillings which translates to roughly $5 using the current exchange rates. But this still was too much for him to afford considering that he lacked neither a permanent source of income nor the necessary basic skills to secure him a job. So with his little possessions, Otieno packed his bags and started walking to a destination he didn’t know where he ended up at Ngong forest where he lived with beast and snakes but at least he had a roof or rather a cave over his head and his worries would then be reduced to getting something for his stomach.

While there could be so many other “Otieno’s” out there who probably are in a worse situation, the kind of deplorable life such people are forced to live in is an indictment to the government and a shame to the entire nation.

Mahtma Gandhi once said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. While this was said in reference to animal rights back in the days; the same saying can even be more resounding when referring to humanity in general. A country that abandons its weakest men and women is as strong as the weakest member of that society and it should be judged as such.

Chapter four of the Kenyan constitution under the bill of rights clearly stipulates the rights of every citizen. Article 43 sub-article 1(b), states that “every person has the right to accessible and adequate housing, and to a reasonable standard of sanitation.” The government of Kenya under the Ministry of Housing in its attempts to adhere to this statute and in line with the millennium development goals, partnered with the UN-HABITAT, civil society, the private sector and the participating communities in what was known as the “Slum Upgrading Program” (KENSUP.) The aim of KENSUP was to develop low cost housing for slum dwellers and Kibera slum where Otieno used to reside was to become the first beneficiaries. The project was later on mired in deep controversy when the beneficiaries turned out to be the rich folks who could afford the rent. This comes in the wake of the statistics from UN-HABITAT painting a grim picture about the status of our slums. According to a report by the UN-HABITAT, Kenya’s slums are growing at an unprecedented rate with the urban population standing at 40% of the total population. 70% of the urbanites are said to live in slums with limited access to water and sanitation, housing and secure tenure (UN-HABITA, 2008.)

While all this is happening, the Kenya’s tenth parliament passed a bill on the last day of its session that would see each one of them take away a hefty pay package. The outrageous bill which is still awaiting the president’s signature to make it legal, will award each MP nearly $110,000 in bonus, an armed guard, a diplomatic passport and access to the VIP lounge at Kenyan airports (Associated Press.) If the president ascends to this bill(which many fear he might considering the enticing perks for him, the prime minster and the vice president), it would mean that the Kenyan tax payer will have to work extra hard and dig a little dipper again into his pockets in order to sustain this lavish lifestyles. It also means that people like Otieno will have to wait a little longer (if they have the time) to attain their dreams and rights which are enshrined in the constitution as the wage bill continues to balloon beyond control.