GENZEES – GOVERNMENT CRISIS: The Panacea is in Good Leadership and Governance

By Prof. Dr. Halimu Shauri

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

History has been made and is being made and we read it and see it. 

From pre-independence years in Kenya, we have seen good leadership and good governance of the people by Kings and Queens.

Africa too had been dotted with stability and prosperity explained by nothing else, not even formal education from the west, but good leadership and governance and we thrived, while the continent prospered.

Colonisation brought in formal education and European values of democracy.

The missionaries and colonisers made sure they suppressed African good leadership and governance, instead of strengthening it, by introducing their own structures and frameworks of leadership and governance alien to African and of course our country. 

Sad to say, the new structure and framework destroyed the African spirit and core values of good leadership and governance.

Indeed, running to liberate ourselves and even after independence, we completely forgot we are Africans and hence should lead and govern ourselves as Africans. 

We were completely assimilated into principles of democracy and western values which have now created a crisis.

The crisis was created by our colonisers who made sure that they taught us how to oil and maintain their interests in Africa. 

From North to South, West to East, Africa is no longer Africa but a hybrid with more European genes and minute African genes probably manifested in our colour and traditions but covered with European values and mentality in our leadership and governance.

Even after we attained independence, we just celebrated and are celebrating independence without knowing what being independent really means. How independent are we when all that characterise us is borrowed from somewhere, in the west. 

Our systems of leadership, life, consumption, governance, Education to mention but a few are all laced with western ideology and smeared with western dependence anointing oil.

The colonisers planted a seed of dependence that we may not break soon if we don’t sit and reflect seriously and critically. 

We live in Africa but spend in Europe. We eat in Africa but shop for the food in Europe. We wear clothes in Africa but purchase them from Europe. We play in Africa but buy playing toys from Europe. We lead in Africa but get leadership direction from Europe. 

We elect presidents in Africa but decision of who to elect as president is made in Europe. We govern in Africa but who governs and how to govern is decided in Europe. The list is long, but bottom line is that African life, leadership and governance is controlled with a string from Europe.

The Europeans are holding the right end of the stick. The foundation of which was laid during colonisation.

This has brought a development crisis in Africa or a crisis of underdevelopment.

Most countries now have a GenZees challenge. 

Kenya is leading and others are following in the West and East Africa. Kenya has had a lion’s share of the headache from GenZees.

President Ruto has had sleepless nights for weeks now. He has been trying, left and right; to resolve the quagmire but he hasn’t cracked the puzzle.

Burkina Faso in Africa under the leadership of HE Traore seems to have gotten it right.

Watch the video below and tell president Ruto that, the GenZees crisis, including the economic and debt crisis he has been lamenting in each of his speeches can find a panacea in good leadership and good governance.