Mr. RAO, while you were away, a convoy came to town. Loud music, lingala dancers and a loud voice howling over all the racket beckoning us all to come closer, quite a tumult with surging crowds and all. For a moment, we thought it was you but as it drew nearer we noticed the colors were not Orange. In fact they branded the colors of our national flag. We succumbed to curiosity and moved closer though a little cautious. Suddenly the music stopped and after a brief motionless moment, a sharply dressed young man stepped forward to address the crowd. He was cool and collected, portraying the image of a man on a serious mission. Unusually, there was no greeting. He went straight to the matter.
Ladies and gentlemen, What is the price of unga? Cooking oil? Sugar? Bread? Milk? Electricity? Petrol? Matatu fare? And he went on. To each question the crowd roared the answers in unison as though it was rehearsed. He stopped for a while and then asked, “is life getting better or worse?” Of course I don’t need to tell you how they answered. The man paused for a while and then continued. How many of you know that we got a new constitution? Like a typical scene in a crusade, the crowd raised and waved their hands in the air reflecting the deep hope they have in that document. “How many of you know that devolution is coming?” Fewer hands went up this time but still an overwhelming majority responded exuberantly in the affirmative “How many of you know that the judiciary and the police are going to be reformed?” It wasn’t surprising that even fewer hands went up but this might have been because people were eager for him get to the point.
He changed the thread and now expressed his personal view on the issues that affect our country, the youth in particular and the stressors associated with living in poverty. Crime, joblessness, tribalism, rape and abuse of children, corruption, nepotism, drug abuse, lack of healthcare, lack of resources for small business, inadequate housing, influx of refugees, etc.
He allowed these realities to sink in for a while and then he asked a final time. “How many of you believe that change is coming?” You can guess for yourself; just a half dozen hands went up, betraying that inner consciousness of doubt in the constitution, government, leaders and the whole system and portraying a sense of evident emptiness aware that these are things they will continue to live with for a long time. The smart gentleman took a step backwards and just then, the loud music started again, the dancers moved to the forestage and the convoy slithered away slowly like a demonic snake, leaving in its wake a primal wound, a completely dispirited crowd.
But before the dust could settle, there came another convoy. This one moved quick and rough and had no music. It stopped abruptly and out came a man. His statement was brief and his questions on point. “Everyone has a choice to make” he said. “Either you spend your life waiting for change or you make the change you want. Either you wait to be made the same promises that haven’t been kept in the past by the same liars, thieves and conmen and continue suffering, or you take a little risk today and breakaway from this system that has used, robbed, raped, and then dumped you. How many of you want to get free from these liars, thieves and conmen?” Of course everyone had both hands up. The man concluded with this statement. “To be forewarned is to be forearmed and to be informed is to be empowered. There is a third convoy coming soon. It comes with good news and solutions for today’s problems. You have guessed right. it is Sonkonomics. It is real and it works. It offers real hope for youth. It does not need to be accounted for and it cannot be contained and while some might talk disparagingly against it, it is saving lives. It is more accessible than youth fund and does not vet its clients. It is for people who believe in life before death.”
The man disappeared behind speakers and amplifiers and the convoy sped off quickly like an ambulance.
Some ODM youth not wanting to let what they had heard turn their faith into despair, decided to do some homework to find out more about this Sonkonomics, what it means for youth and how it might shape politics in the future and this is what they discovered.
Sonkonomics is a movement driven by powerful and wealthy and likely, very dangerous people. Their networks permeate all sectors of the economy and their presence covers the entire country. It is difficult to establish exactly how they acquired their wealth but it is colossal and is unlikely to be exhausted in a long time. They have hijacked the scheme one politician invented and used to get to parliament and whose name the movement has adopted. The difference is that they are not ruggedy ruffians, openly breaking the law and making an ass of themselves like that politician. Rather, they are smart individuals who present the image of professionals who we would be happy to have as leaders. They have perfected the use of propaganda and while you are on your charm offensive, they follow your footsteps quietly to undo while others invade ODM strongholds to create confusion about your intentions, the constitution, the counties, elections, etc and exploiting every opportunity to throw a spanner into implementation of the new constitution.
They will invade every joint where young people hang out and in time they will scale the antics used by the real Sonko to buy carwash machines, put up kiosks, use their financial institutions to give youth loans for piki piki boda bodas, and so on. In short, they will enforce the notion that promises are there to be broken but money speaks louder than words. Their mission is one, and only one. Isolate RAO and crush him once and for all.
Mr.RAO, these are tough times for all Kenyans especially youth. Poverty abounds and in many ways the perception that the problems of youth remain largely ignored is fuelling feelings of alienation. Youth are victims of lies and most are not willing to sit back and wait for our leaders to renew the same promises they have not kept in the past.
Mr. RAO, now that you are back, can we talk? Please call me. I will be waiting patiently. But please don’t take too long. Things are not looking very good. Good day
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