from: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2013
Today is Labour Day. The Google doodle has marked the day by showing men at work creating building blocks. It shows workers from all walks of life doing their jobs. It shows an IT worker, a gardener, a painter and a plumber. A chopper is also hovering around its blocks.
Although the day is meant to celebrate the economic and social contributions of the workers, in many countries workers are exploited, working many hours with little wages. In Kenya, despite the attempts by workers to walk out during the President’s speech over his failure to set new guidelines on minimum wages has not seen any change.
The minimum wage for workers in the industrial sector was last raised in 2006 when it went up from Sh4,817 to Sh5,395. The amount for agriculture workers is Sh5,346.
In recent months, the cost of basic commodities has gone up significantly partly due to inflation, the effects of post-election violence and the rise in the price of fuel globally.
In his speech, the President always rule out a pay increase, saying the challenge we are facing is in Kenya is immense. The President’s explanations have however, not go down well with the workers.
The day is being celebrated at the time Kenya’s approach to food pricing emanating from grain pricing and imposition of taxes on basic grains like wheat which Kenya is not self sufficient.
For several years now, despite rising international prices and declining local production, Kenya has maintained taxes on imported grain against pleas of consumers – which invariably drives up the costs.
In Kenya we don’t grow enough to meet the local consumption needs and yet they all attract very high duties – made worse by global price increases due to constrained supply in the source markets.
Yet government of Kenya has not managed to provide tax relief on the importation of basic commodities and raw materials that are needed by industry. The government has also failed to consider taking measures to reduce the cost of fuel which has tremendously gone up over the past few months thus increasing the cost of living in the country.
Fuel prices can only go down when the reduction of tax charged on fuel, reworking of the formula used to come up with fuel pricing and measures that will ensure that the country has strategic reserves of fuel stock that can serve the country for at least 90 days at any given time thus preventing ‘shock prices among others.
When the government fails to take these measures then the situation will continue to deteriorate even further, then, many businesses will have no otherwise but either to relocate to other destinations that offer lower cost of doing business or completely close down their operations.
The situation in Kenya is so worrying to the extent that even musicians have used their lyrics to plead with Kenya government to look into the matter urgently. One of such musicians is Odhiambo Osumba Rateng with his hit: Baba Otonglo aka Baba Penny.
The music talks of an erstwhile rich man who has hit upon hard times, clears his throat and gathers a sheaf of papers ready to deliver his anticipated domestic budget.
As his large polygamous family listens attentively, Baba Otinglo points out that since the previous financial year had put a squeeze on the shilling, there was need for austerity measures to survive the slump during the next year.
He, therefore, proposes that from then on meals like beef, chicken and fish would only be eaten twice in 30 days” mid month and end month. Breakfast would invariably consist of strong black tea with one spoonful of sugar or uji, without luxuries like milk, bread and eggs.
Due to high cost of living, Baba Otonglo emphasises with a tinge of sarcasm, even the neighbour is still alive despite not eating such foods. As for chapati and rice, these would be reserved for Easter and Christmas.
Boiled sukuma wiki from Soko Mjinga would be the meal of choice. More importantly, everybody would be expected to eat meals at the same time, as it is expensive to keep food for those who come late. And only bar soaps would be used for bathing, not the many luxury brands hitherto at the family’s disposal.
There would also be reforms in the management of visitors. Ideally visitors are officially banned from the house. But should any turn up without notice, they would be expected to carry their own bus fare and bedding.
Also prohibited would be neighbours who have formed the habit of asking for small quantities of items like flour, cooking oil and matchsticks, with false promises that they would replenish the supplies.
It was a song that brought him and his Sega Sega Band fame, fortune and, inevitably, trouble. Initially, says Osumba, it received sufficient airplay on the Voice of Kenya (VoK) radio. But things soon turned sour and the political class, sensitive to any form of criticism and ready to censure artistic expression at the slightest excuse, apparently ordered the national broadcaster to stop playing the song.
Osumba then got into more trouble when in the flurry of media attention, a journalist convinced him to pose with a briefcase, in the manner of the Finance Minister’s pre-budget posture. When the photograph was published it rubbed some powerful people the wrong way.
Four policemen came to his house in Baba Dogo Estate, Nairobi, and arrested him. They accused him of criticizing the Government and composing a song that incited people.
In Kenya that is normal, anything that tries to criticize the government for its failure and evils are called incitements or hate speech. The best example is the controversial play by Butere Girls High School Drama Club: “The shackle of Doom”. The play, although talked of nepotism and an equal distribution of wealth, it was termed political.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002