Wajinga Sisi/Nyinyi!!

Why I don't see myself attending another protest

(This post comes from a place of anger and disappointment so it sounds kama nashoutia watu… And I actually am, tf do you think this is?)

I have gone for my fair share of protests. It was terrifying but exhilarating to be honest. The 2024 protests were just…wow! The baddies were outside, the niggas were outside. I even saw parents and grandparents on the streets standing with the youngins. My mom ata aliniamsha and gave her blessings on the 25th of June bc she realised I had lied to her about my whereabouts to attend the previous protest. The running, the shots fired, being chased by horses felt absolutely terrifying in the moment. And if you’re asthmatic like me, even tear gas carries the ability to kill you. But my friends were with me so I was safe. And then there’s also the fear that your loved ones won’t make it back. I remember my mom calling me on the day parliament was breached because my sister wasn’t picking her phone. Dunia ilisimama walai. Anyway, it turns out she was at the damn fence near parliament when people had started marching that way and she lost her phone when shots started being fired.(Leos and their inability to control their impulses istg… But apparently all fire signs are like this? Idk) Long story short, I had a lot of hope for us even if we didn’t have a change of regime.

Then came 2025. Protests come again because we seem to have a government hellbent on making it’s people suffer. This time the government was ready and less people turned up for the protests. But I still went out to the streets to remember those who passed away and protest police brutality… Bro! You could ask anyone who was around from late afternoon, the cops had us beat bro… We were too few. And then the goons… Wah wah wah… The looting done by those people was actually insane… And even people got robbed leaving town… But I still had hope for Kenyans… But that’s since changed for the following reasons:

A. Kenyans forget too quickly and are easily distracted

I’m sure you remember(at least if you’re Kenyan) in 2024, a score of MP’s voted in favour of the Finance Bill. Right now, we’re welcoming these people to events and stuff and treating them like they’re better than us. Keep in mind, these people were willing to tax us into the damn ground for cushier paychecks. Right now, they’re even changing their health insurance to private health insurance while SHA/SHIF has Kenyans fighting for their lives and it’s sinking in debt. Bro! There’s people with cancer who can’t get treatment! And politicians will have the audacity to have medical procedures done abroad instead of fixing the damn hospitals at home and getting them to the levels they’re looking for abroad. We paid a shitload of money switching from NHIF to SHIF by the way.

And another thing, we have forgotten how certain politicians behaved while in government and we’re now endorsing them for presidential positions or gubernatorial ones. Someone literally oversaw bodies being dumped somewhere and another one said on bloody national television that Kenya and the govt has shareholders. And when he was being questioned he had the audacity to say “I am in power.” Now that he was spurned and he is attacking the government out of spite, people are here shouting praises for him. Another one shot someone and was captured on CCTV, right now people are singing his name like he’s a hero. ARE KENYANS FUCKING SERIOUS???!!!

And another thing… As I’m writing this post, Kenyans are bashing Usikimye which has been accused of being a scam (allegedly). And the proof being brought forward? Screenshots. Meanwhile, we have leaders who’ve stolen billions, built themselves mansions and there’s overwhelming proof of their greed. Instead, Kenyans decide to attack a woman who’s consistently fought against sexual and gender based violence-which btw is a big fucking problem in the country. And the messed up part? People are acting like the allegations are true and they would never hold their politicians to the same standard. Si people wait for her to be proven guilty before crucifying her?? Agh mnanisinya saa zingine! Ptho!! I’m sorry, but I refuse to risk and potentially lose my life just so that you deify the people responsible for any harm that happens to me. Fuck no.

And the tipping point for me? We are back to tribal politics. We’re supposed to be educated and better than that goddammit!! We are supposed to be better than this! But anytime I’m opening the goddamn apps or watching the news, it’s back to tribal politics. It’s enough to dishearten anyone walai. We actually need to lock in as a country.

B. We are just like our leaders

I’ve lived in Nairobi for pretty much my whole life. And everyone who’s lived here will tell you it’s a dog eat dog society. Everyone’s looking to take advantage of someone else. Everyone wants to one up the other person. And I know this doesn’t happen only in Nairobi. In every part of the country, we exhibit the same mannerisms as our leaders. The inability to keep in line on the road so you overlap, the people who cut in line at the bus stop, the ‘business legit’ and deals za mitini… We (myself included) are always looking for the easiest way to get ahead.

We want to be like Japan, China or any other well developed country but the truth is that Kenya is a low trust society- we lack integrity as a society and it’s just the truth.(I’m using the law of averages here guys, in its informal meaning of course… Basically, exceptions don’t make the rules.)

I honestly don’t know if it’s worth risking my life when the next government will be just as bad or worse. I think we may be too far gone and the best option is to teach the young ones so that they don’t have to suffer like we are right now.

C. Kenyans are unwilling to accept reality(election talk)

I keep hearing people talk about elections like it will be a miraculous thing and while I agree that they are important I think we should remember just what happened during the protests and the lengths some people ( I obviously can’t name names) went to ensure they retained power. And it’s not the first time they’ve used violence as a means to an end. Furthermore, if you take a look, the three East African heads of state are boys. Do you actually think they’d allow the status quo to be overturned? They’d rather pump you full of bullets and it’s just the truth.

In my own honest opinion, as long as Kenyans keep giving themselves an out via elections, there’s no point in mass protests to get 001 to step down because we won’t give 100%… And he knows it too.

Honestly, if we want to go the elections route, we are better off electing good MP’s as the majority(which is a pipe dream because we vote for the loudest monkey in the zoo all the time) and then impeaching the guy… And remember you can also recall your area MP.

As I conclude, it’s not that I’m anti-protests… If you want to go please do so! I just don’t want to end up as a casualty for people who are okay with their suffering. Those who died on 25th June 2024 thought we even got to the house on the hill. Instead we’re seated here peddling stupid tribal politics and praising people who’d rather see the common person die of hunger or disease while hoarding resources instead of doing their damn job. I feel like these problems persist because humanity stopped killing the political class when they did too much nonsense, but that’s a story for another day.

Anyway nimeongea ikanitoka-mostly. (I have tried to reaalllly cut down the curse words… Nimejam mbaya istg)