By Rev. Dennis Nthumbi
His success record on wealth creation and never missing a vote is a sure sign that he knows what he is doing.
William Ruto is the champion of social good and the landlord who wants to make other Kenyans landlords – en mass.
Poverty nauseates him bigly.
He has changed the demented cultic personality-based national political narratives to people-based issue-centric policies.
From the hustler fund that is a tool that is engineering financial inclusion to now tackling the shameful national housing eyesore. His campaign and his government shaped towards empowering the least at the bottom of the pyramid indeed are a radical departure from the traditions of forming governments for the mortal lords to be pampered and overfed.
The obesity at the top is now being rationed for the bottom to eat a balanced meal.
The President has indicated that the new dawn will take work and sacrifice. And we have to make tough choices.
Either we build our nation or we surrender to the fate of Neo colonialists or foreign debtors.
The finance bill should therefore be seen as the cost that patriots will have to pay for building our nation afresh. There’s a cost to building a nation that was shredded apart by neo-colonialists and imperialists.
How will we relieve ourselves from the yoke of poverty and control by external forces who currently own the nation from debt if we don’t take back and own the funding and building mechanisms? There’s never any self-rule if you are not funding your own life.
It’s a tragedy that after 60 years of self-rule, we borrow everything including bread.
What a pity that after 60 years of independence, Kenya holds a reputation for having the largest slums in the world and having a population that over 90% are not homeowners and cannot qualify for mortgages.
That our home building sectors are building houses for a paltry 3% of the population.
The question is who is going to pay for our debts? Who is going to build houses for us? Who is going to pay for the education of our children? Who is going to fund for universal health care? It has to be us.
Should we resign to the fate and dictates of lenders, to the 2% autocratic force that administrates state capture?
How do we achieve the financial inclusion and independence of every Kenyan if we don’t think of plugging our own money and building a national treasure for the common good of every child, woman, and man?
Prosperity and posterity of nations take work to advance.
Israel was strengthened by the Kibutz system. A kibbutz is a collective settlement that is unique to Israel, and is based on the Marxist principle of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
The kibbutzim was a revolutionary idea of a voluntary society in which people live in accordance with a specific social contract, based on egalitarian and communal principles in a social and economic framework.
The main characteristics of Kibbutz life were established in adherence to collectivism in property alongside a cooperative character in the spheres of education, culture and social life. With this came the understanding that the Kibbutz member is part of a unit that is larger than just his own family. ( Jewish Agency).
80% of Singaporeans live in government-built flats from the Lee Kwan Yee Singaporean housing model which we have heavily borrowed from.
Singapore has developed a unique housing system, with three-quarters of its housing stock built by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and homeownership financed through Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings. As a result, the country’s homeownership rate of 90% is one of the highest among market economies.
At different stages of its economic development, the Government of Singapore was faced with a different set of housing problems. An integrated land–housing supply and financing framework was established in the 1960s to solve the severe housing shortage. (ADBI Institute 2016)
A section of the political class has labored to keep us poor and unhinged from financial inclusion and yet again they are now champions of disinformation and propaganda without a plausible alternative plan. They want the slums while they have enjoyed state-funded home ownership.
The same section of the political class who thrive in controlling the poor are worried that when this vulnerable social class is liberated from squalor they perceive that they will lose footing since their quality of politics is not issue-based but rather personality cults and besmirch.
Let’s support the president in his efforts to collectively rebuild the ruins and everyone pulls his/her weight. And let’s put our hands on the plough and never look back.
The next 10 years are core to the rebuilding of Kenya. We only have one choice of making it.
Again, I repeat that – The President is right on this.
Rev Dennis Nthumbi is a current affairs commentator
