Traditional African social fabric has been eroded by wazees

In summary

• ·         Youths lack role models to ape in a corner cutting society that give elders an edge for opportunities
• ·         The young people in my WhatsApp group agreed that they didn’t get Census jobs because of lack of qualifications.
• ·         Some even made fun of ‘connections’ that favoured wazees as they lost hope of what was meant by the youth being ‘leaders of tomorrow’

By Chris Vundi and Musyoka Ngui

African culture has been eroded by interaction of African societies with the West.

With the interaction, Africans are slowly losing their identity. A glance of a name of an African man will portray that person is a mzungu. Not first name nor last name. Middle name and ‘baptismal names’. I put baptismal in quotes because some have never been dipped in water for Holy Baptism and those that have don’t follow the commandments of the Bible.

In my shallow knowledge, I understand that being baptised connotes being born again. Leaving old ways and embracing new lifestyle. Much like being saved in Christianity. But you’ll find an African with Christian names but engaged in rotten corruption scandals and other immoralities.

I don’t profess moral highroad but what I find hypocritical and being later day Pharisees is the notion of preaching water and drinking wine-literary and figuratively.

Musyoka Ngui coauthors this piece to remind the Kenyan society that wazees have been a let town to Kenyan youth. Photo/FILE

Nowhere is the rot of African morals exemplified more than in Kenyan public service transport- PSVs. I’ll cut both ways.

Police bribery

This being Africa, there is no denying that people are crammed together and the number written as the maximum loading is ignored for profit of the entrepreneur at the expense of the commuters. The passengers. The police who are supposed to check overloading don’t and won’t mind getting a bribe and looking the other way as the overloaded and speeding PSV flout all rules of the book. Some end up causing horrible crashes which could be avoided if traffic rules were enforced and observed.

In the same matatu, you’ll find an elder standing while a youth sitting. Granted, African decency doesn’t provide for such a situation but why does an elderly board a full PSV? Anyway, they could have run out of options as a whole African village could be boasting of a single PSV which if it leaves you in the morning, you better cancel your plans for the whole day-however urgent.

African Politician

But the worst rot of African decency is in politics. People who are entrusted with keeping watch of government becomes the first to breach the same laws. The recent proposals to increase MPs 17 allowances when punda amechoka clearly underline the selfish nature of our politicians. Some tell the youth to employ themselves when they themselves have never employed themselves in anything.

Big names are implicated in corruption, some resign, some don’t. Life goes on. Any convictions? Children lack role models who work hard and make it in life and can be aped. The common cadre is the need for short cut which involves plunder and disregard of all common decencies.

Perhaps it’s time to rewrite the African culture which was hereditary and authoritative in wazees teaching vijana to man up and do the right thing. When the wazees crowd out our vijanas in census jobs by taking leaves from government and private practice to snatch the opportunities from the young people, there is no hope. Kenya went to the dogs. That was my line in a comrades group that went unchallenged as the hopeless youths acknowledged that they didn’t get the census jobs because they don’t sit well with their local chiefs and none mentioned lack of qualifications. Some even, dejectedly, agreed that your qualification can be your disqualification in a deeply insecure public service. Sad but very true.