Kenyans Must Now Prove To The World That They Are Not From Another Planet

A story is told of a study tour on the sidelines of a conference in Ghana. The participants from all over the world went by bus to the place of interest. Their journey was interrupted abruptly by the driver's refusal to go any further until the water bottle thrown out of the bus was picked, for littering in that country is forbidden. These were senior delegates from countries including Kenya.

Those who witnessed the disposal made it uncomfortable for the culprit, and he had to walk out of the bus to retrieve the bottle. He was Kenyan. He never said a word for the rest of the day. Isn't this why littering is commonplace on our roads? You will admire the nice four-wheel drive vehicle as it rolls away past you, but you get disgusted by the driver's or the passenger's act of littering the road. It is even worse if you the reader find's nothing wrong with this practice.

Another story is also told of a study tour in Europe. Delegates were asked to feel free and our very own took it literally. They consumed several beer cans on the way to a manufacturing plant. And when they could hold it no more, they asked the driver to stop the bus. It was at a desolate place but the driver kept urging them to hold it for another five kilometres. One guy threatened to do it right there in the bus and as he unzipped his trousers, the entire delegation shouted at both the driver and this pressed man to stop testing each other's patience.

And even before the vehicle stopped, the three guys had jumped out to unashamedly irrigate the roadside greenery. For sure, the "shake-well-after-use" moment was plain for all to see, much as it was never filed as a part of the study tour's intriguing findings.

As the bus got back on the road, one of the freshly relieved but unapologetic men, informed all in the bus that the skills they used to jump out were very crucial back home and were acquired by riding matatus. They tried hard to lighten the moment for a disgusted lot of senior executives but no one showed interest.

On reaching the plant, the delegates were subjected to safety procedures and our guys failed the breathalyzer test. So they were asked to go back and sit in the bus, while the rest wore protective clothing and got ushered into the facility.

On the way back, everyone else had hands full of give-aways and relevant literature but our three chaps loudly consoled themselves from the back seats with the satisfaction of having more than enough per diem allowances. The other delegates were appalled by their attitude.

Let us give ourselves some credit. We win more marathon races than any other nation in any given year. The residents of the respective host cities always want to identify with the world-beaters but often, success creates the impression that one is suddenly very coherent, and instead of serving to endear the champion to the crowds, the interview takes away the charm and cheer in the air and replaces it with ridicule. The unanimous decision in the audiences is always that such races need to begin in a speech-facility improvement class for our people. Maybe, just speak in mother tongue and let a competent translater do the rest for you.

Aren't we so good at dampening our glory? If the people in the three instances above are representative samples of Kenya as witnessed by those influential foreigners present, would they wish to visit a country full of such types? Let us turn the coin and appreciate things another way.

An old couple from Europe came on holiday to Kenya. They had saved up over a long time and everything that they had heard about Kenya from previous visitors, fitted perfectly in the jigsaw puzzle that kept getting completed in their minds.

And as this couple conversated with a curious local, something unusual stuck out. The old man kept forgetting to take his blood pressure medicine and had to be reminded by the wife. She too kept forgetting about their daily schedule and had to be told every so often where they were going or where they were all the time. But they made it clear to the local guy that as much as they were forgetful, they could not get the word "Kenya" out of their minds. It is the one thing that they could not forget to come to, and thereafter, to carry away with them in their minds long after they left. The unforgettable thoughts of Kenya could just be a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

High on the old couple's list of why Kenya was a must-go-to destination, was the kindness of the people. The helpful spirit does us good.

Here is one more story. A particular guy was well known at a local pub. He often shot the game of pool and went well with the flow. He was averagely dressed and drove a well-maintained old car.

An unusual occurrence gave him away. A stormy shareholders meeting at a blue-chip company made big news and it quickly spread on social media. This guy was a big shareholder and was very active at this meeting yet his mannerisms at the local pub were like those of the ordinary patron.

Soon after, whispers translated to greater expectations of him, and he moved on to another pub that blended well with his camouflaged demeanour.

So how come we display mixed signals? When luck and hard work pay off, we are too eager to show off and quickly mess up for ourselves. And when we are at our weakest point, we prove helpful. When we have made it, we want to remain ordinary. Quite confusing! Isn't that so? Perhaps the time has come for us to conference together and press the reset button.

To be the best at something, we must test ourselves against the best in the world. So for now, let us not act like the proverbial giant that steps on an insect and ecstatically celebrates an unfair victory aided by the force of his crushing weight on the tiny creature. The poor insect was not even aware of the duel in the first place. We cannot compare ourselves with peers who are no better than us. We must take the village out of the man for sure.

As much as we love Kenya, we must grow the world's love for it even faster than our own. At the moment, we are tolerated. Yes, we have a key organ of the UN headquartered right here. And yes, most expatriates love to retire here because of the myriad of favourable conditions. Yes, again, we are an enterprising lot and one of Africa's top economies, in fact, here is a glimpse of some of our vitals versus the world.

What 2019 2020

Ease of doing 61st/190 56th/190

business.

Nominal GDP 61st Loading....

PPP - GDP 71st. 61st

Source - Google quoting IMF / World Bank.

We are so near yet so far. But we are improving and that is laudable.

Motivational speaker, Brian Tracy, says that to make the money and live a rewarding life, you must make it to the top 20 percent in any situation. Anything outside of that bracket leaves you struggling with the rest of the lot.

These numbers tell us a lot of things. Despite all the good things about us, we are not yet good enough. We are still enveloped by the biggest room in the world - the room for much-needed improvement. We need to win the prize for most progressed country repeatedly before affixing a stamp on our envelope, addressing it correctly and sending it to P.O. Box - the rest of the world - and if that fails, then return it to sender for review and continuous improvement.

These figures tell us that our journey to the top 20 percent of the world's nations on all applicable parameters is surmountable. From the time we mimicked Cuba's resolve to fight poverty, ignorance and disease at independence, we have made notable progress but failed to eradicate the three evils. If anything, many have profited from riding on the backs of vulnerable Kenyans. This is a big indicator that we are visiting earth from another planet. Other progressive jurisdictions went to war with ignorance, poverty and disease and eradicated them. We can never make it to the top 20 percent starting at number 40 out of about 200 countries if we don't fight the three ills conclusively.

But of great concern for me, is our behaviour towards wealth. And for sure, a wealthier Kenya won't translate to collective happiness because 3 percent of the population will control over 75 percent of the factors of production. We are one of the most unequal countries in the world and as much as we practice capitalism, we need a clear social agenda that ensures that there is enough for everyone. Otherwise, we continue to prove that we are just visiting earth on our way to our unknown planet beyond the blue. Or was our planet sold? Perhaps the Ndungu land report captures this detail.

We may want to go on and on but that is enough said. We must now discuss solutions that prove to the world that we are very much a part of earth.

We have enough of all behaviours in equal measure. The vices have a neutering effect on our virtues. The folly of being average has engulfed us and we now find ourselves drifting along to wherever we are steered.

The bigger problem for us is transition management. The selfish guys in the study tours, the incomprehensible athlete, the old European couple on holiday and the rich guy operating incognito, are all running in their respective lanes. The guys on study tour had never left the country before, they had never handled huge amounts of per diem and they had no experience or counsel on behaving around senior foreigners. They crossed over into a new lane and carried with them their repulsive habits. They failed to transition and in the process, they never made new friends and useful contacts for themselves and for posterity.

What must we do to transition Kenya successfully into the top 20 most successful countries in the world?

We have seen the health cabinet secretary and senior officials come on live television daily, to update us on the Covid-19 pandemic. Let the country adopt this practice beyond the present times. When fighting ignorance, poverty and disease, it would go a long way if the line cabinet secretaries for the ministries concerned, could give us a daily update on live television. Imagine how far we would be by now if such a practice was the norm from independence? This we must embrace for it will make all concerned officials accountable to the intended beneficiaries of the fight.

Those of our compatriots who went to Ghana, Europe or the marathon circuits, know one thing all too well. Aeroplane travel procedures do not respect your accumulated flyer miles. They don't care how many times one has travelled when they act out the safety procedures before commencing the flight. You just have to go through them every time you travel.

The same must happen for us here. It is not enough to set and read out the rules of best behaviour. We must devise a way of rewarding well-behaved citizens the way mama gave us that extra scoop of our favourite serving when we never let her down before visitors.

There is another fact that we must guard against though. The grass is always greener on the neighbour's side. But it could be dry grass sprayed with green paint or even artificial grass. You only realise the mirage in your craving when it's too late.

The best way of appreciating this country is by travelling out there and also widely within Kenya. Remember that you had always thought that mama's cooking was the best until you ate at Mama Oliech's. There are pros and cons of travelling but it sure gives you a clearer perspective of how well or badly off we are as a country. It is a big issue when the world sees our bad side.

You can rush out of Kenya thinking that you will have great experiences but instead, you return with horror stories. Other times, you remain here and remain horrified too.

It is said that it takes a whole village to raise a child. It is further said that you can take the man out of the village but you cannot take the village out of the man.

Does it then follow that it takes the whole world to raise Kenya? And also that you can take Kenya out of the world but you cannot take the world out of Kenya?

All in all, as the world keeps flattening into a global village, we must prove that we not only belong, but we fit in too.