The BBI Underbelly

We are being inundated with the BBI narrative to the point that we are being stopped from thinking about anything else.

I want to look at it negatively as a minister, expecting enough insults. And I will start with a verse all of us know.

For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. (Proverbs 28:2)

Let me use another translation

In rebellion, a land has many rulers, but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge.

Why must we change the constitution to create more positions, increase representation and devolve more resources?

The basic reason is that our leaders do not trust themselves to do the right thing. They know they cannot be trusted with the money citizenry give as taxes because they will steal it all.

BBI is therefore a scream from their side that they are thieves and Kenyans must be protected from them at all cost.

In short we must protect ourselves from our thieving leaders by entrenching very simple basic rights in the constitution, things that would take a simple act of parliament to pass. In fact we may not even need the parliament but just a leader in tune with the needs of the citizenry who wants to better their lot.

We created devolution because the president is a thief who cannot be trusted to follow on his oath of office, especially concerning resources. We therefore made sure money is devolved to a few other leaders.

But we also do not trust them and therefore must create a fund for parliamentarians to also get in the name of CDF.

But they are also thieves so we must bring the money even closer to us by entrenching stealing to the ward in the name of Ward Development whatever.

Why use a referendum to create constituencies when we have a constitutional commission with officers earning very fat perks unless we know that they are like us leaders, plain thieves who will use their offices to create some for themselves and their cronies like the leaders do nominating their concubines and relatives to office.

This of course tells us something else.

These leaders are not creating BBI for us common Kenyans. It is a scam, a system that will create even more avenues for them to steal from us.

They are simply sugar coating the document to hoodwink us into believing that a thief can all of a sudden become anyone’s guardian angel.

What will stop a thieving governor, who could not keep his hands off 15% allocation from doing worse with 35%?

Why talk about empowering the youth when you are calling them thieves when questioned about employing ‘youth’ in their 90s? Will a constitutional change alter your mindset?

Yet the worst part of it is not about thieving leaders. It is the burden we will be paying for those changes.

We are already swimming in debt almost to the point of drowning.

What will expanding all those governments cost us?

We already have a shortfall of 20% due to the money that will go to the counties immediately the amendment passes.

But maybe the leaders want to buy us off this land we call ours since some of those loans we are taking end up in their pockets, at least indirectly. We therefore will be paying loans that they are already in possession of.

But let me remind them of this simple truth, they are not God.

Mobutu was probably richer than Zaire. But he died like a pauper and was buried like a tramp. Abacha was super rich but he died miserably. Amin was the emperor of the British Empire but he died in exile.

And it is not only those who were deposed.

Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. (Proverbs 20:17)

There is more to life than things. But things are so deceptive in that they convince us that they are the only reality, causing us to neglect things that are of immeasurable worth like family and health.

How much pain does a parent have over their wayward or drug addicted child? How much of that is caused by the busyness of looking for that extra coin or property that the child is overly left to themselves and the toys you have given them in exchange of your presence?

What about a body that is weighted with worry and exertion that it breaks down because you can’t take a break or your wealth will disappear?

Let me leave us with a verse as my final word.

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. (Hosea 8:7)

And it is the same whether we will pass or reject the BBI.

There will be a reckoning.