The Star’s question of the day in the Monday, March 2023 edition, ‘Are the Azimio demos justified’, and the expert comment by Javas Bigambo, ‘Raila’s demos an exercise in futility’ were incongruous. Civil disobedience and Raila-type maandamano (protests) are two different things.
Call for protests and picketing must be founded on strong conviction. It is evil to lead people to protest or picket without a cause. None of our leaders, professional bodies and civil society organisations, or even the opposition, have cared to explain the cause for which we must picket and protest on empty stomachs.
In Israel, citizens have protested for over a month. Their complaint is the Executive's threatened domination of the Judicial Selection Committee; emasculation of the Supreme Court and conflict of interest in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's push for judicial reform while still on trial for corruption.
In France, like in Kenya, the rising cost of general comestibles is the cause for protests and walkouts since mid-last year. The only difference is that President Emmanuel Macron was reelected while President William Ruto is hardly six months in office.
This is significant as Macron is probably part of the woes facing the French people. In our case, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga are the architects of the inflation that has caused the spiralling food prices.
We should be protesting against them. But Kenyans don't protest for a cause. The major political changes that ensued from some of the bloodiest protests were not the initial goals of the leaders of protesters.
Shouldn't Kenyans ask what caused the rise in the prices of food? Why BBI was bankrolled by government and the court refused to surcharge the principals? Where was Sh6 billion taken hours before the last election? Who benefitted from fuel and flour subsidies? And what effect did all this wasteful government spending have on inflation and food prices and the upward push of the cost of living generally?
Raila should hoodwink those 'wise' contributors at Bunge la Wananchi. They do not understand why we have budgetary allocations and why we surcharge public officials for unplanned expenditures. They will protest for a fee, and not a cause.
