Next to the Luo you will not believe the other Kenyan tribe that has suffered the most neglect in terms of development assistance from the central government. It is of course the Kikuyu.
Most people reading this would be incredulous at my assertion, but let me explain.
Contrary to what most Kenyans think many areas in Central province are the most underdeveloped in the country and things would have been much worse was it not for the enterprising and creative spirit that most of our Kikuyu brothers seem to possess naturally. The community has also been greatly aided by their proximity to Nairobi.
Under the Kenyatta regime, the president was very careful to be seen as a national figure and was uncomfortable about taking development projects to his Gatundu constituency. The result is there for all to see even today as this is one of the most backward areas in the entire Central province.
During the Moi era, the president did everything to sabotage the revenue generating activities that were perceived to give the Kikuyu economic might. Even at the expense of national interests. Just ask a few farmers what really happened to the coffee industry and the tea industry. To date things have never gone been the same again.
The situation during the Kenyatta years was replicated in uncanny detail during the Kibaki administration of the last 5 years but to make matters worse the house of Mumbi now finds itself in a precarious position where other Kenyans are claiming that they have had too long a time at the centre of power enjoying the national cake. Many members of the Kikuyu tribe get very angry at that suggestion and quite rightly so, because there is really nothing that they have enjoyed or benefited from directly from producing two of Kenya’s 3 president’s so far.
Sad;ly the truth is that most members of the community are gladly taking the flak on behalf of very few individuals who have used their position to rob the country blind but who are very quick to fall back on the community for support whenever they feel threatened.
Most Kikuyus are highly intelligent people, in fact exceptionally so and this is one reason why they have been able to survive many things and still come pout looking like they are on top of the situation. However now is as good a time as any for our Kikuyu brothers to disentangle themselves from those few wealthy individuals and draw a clear line. Now is as good a time as any for our Kikuyu brothers to join the rest of Kenyans in saying “No” to bad governance and many years of being lied to. Now is the time for them to realize that Kenya really has ONLY 2 tribes. The corrupt wealthy and the majority who are without wealth.
It is time they said “No” to being used by a few people to achieve their political objectives.
