 Thank you for keeping us company again, this is why in the morning my name is Adereva Hilawee, time for politics, now we have seen our politician floating the guidelines given by the Ministry of Health and indeed the World Health Organization, why is this so? Then we have this faction that is allowed to hold meetings, then there is another that is not allowed, if they do the police will be there to tear gas them and disperse them. Why do we have this dispensation of the laws of Kenya, if we don't have the meeting then it should be for everyone, not the individuals. But then we have to put things into perspective, helping me to do that is Bechis Kairu, health economist and an analyst, good morning. Good morning, how are you? I'm very well. I'm very well, I've been enjoying myself during this COVID time, it's a time of reflection. Now, when I feel really na feel about this COVID-19, if the father of the house says something, the family members or that kwa family will have to obey, they will have to. Yes. But of course even the father, he put in the Pianama Sharti, in a way na fa Piatronishinji. Yes. We have our leaders, elected leaders. Yes. But what has been given by their colleagues, they are not leaving by that. We have seen even our own senator, Nairobi senator being arrested for violating the guidelines given by the Ministry of Health. I wonder whether that was essential. We've also seen meetings being held, political meetings being held. Yes. They are not observing social distancing in the name of speaking to our community. A good example is what was happening in western. Actually, the western region has been highlighting all these political meetings. What do you make of them? I think we are a nation again and this has always been my stand. We are a nation that we don't have a value system. We don't have ingrained values within us that govern us. So right now we are seeing spikes in the number of COVID cases. And Motahikagwe the CES comes out and tells people, take precaution, social distance. That's a song they are singing. But now the same leaders are the same ones now violating and they expect the citizens to also follow suit. So it's not possible because a leader always comes from the society. And a leader is a reflection of what kind of society you have. If majority of the people within the society are people who don't follow rules, people who don't adhere to whatever guidelines that have been given, chances are even the leaders that we are having are going to be of the same kind of caliber. Now it is interesting that in this country we have whereby laws are put, they only apply to some people and not apply to others. So for the number one a inchi uta pigwa rungu na karao umpaka to death because you don't have a mask. But our leaders will meet, there will be no social distance and they will not be taken anywhere. A number one a inchi a kishikosaiika mahakuna social distance ama hajavaa mask, ama hajaput in the guidelines, they will be fined heavily. But someone like our senator was caught violating the rules kafu past kafu nini. Atashikwa, nothing will happen. Are you seeing that? So what kind of, why can't we have leadership by example? Lead by example, even Jesus led by example, even Paul told his disciples, follow me as I follow Christ, as I do it, do also. But now our leaders are telling you don't follow me but don't do as I do. You do as I say. That's the kind of leadership we have do as I say, not do as I do. But most of the chances are when you are a leader people will do as you do. They will not do as you say unfortunately. So I think that is I think carelessness in terms of our leaders and the worst of it is that this whole COVID if per se based on the data that is being aired out that actually we are losing lives. And these lives like the other day we saw a medical doctor succumbed to death. Previously there was a nurse the week before that though it was not so much highlighted. I don't know why because I think all healthcare workers matter. So previously there was a nurse who also passed away. Now we've seen a comedian in the media industry. And if just like Motahikagu had said to behave abnormally, this is it to treat abnormally. So if we cannot see that over time if the government officials, our leaders do not take precaution what will happen is then everybody will just follow suit. People will start going to burn. Now apparently they are previous clubs are now being opened. Unfortunately they are now opened. They are just operating as normal up to even 3 a.m. in the night. Some of you here they belong to them. Exactly. So now it reaches to a point then what are these measures and guidelines are you trying to give out if at all nobody is adhering to it. And is it that may be because now it also heightens the issue of people questioning whether is now COVID for real because if our leaders are behaving in such a way could they be using COVID as a way of controlling us. Are you seeing? So if COVID is being used as a way to control us then people will start now thinking that COVID is not real. So as much as the medical experts would be shouting COVID is real but they are like how can you say COVID is real and yet the same lawmakers are the ones breaking the law. Now speaking of violating the rules and actually the one for the social distancing do you think it has been politicized in the sense of there are people who are allowed to have meetings political meetings and then there are those who are not allowed to have meetings and if they do so the police will be with them. I once made a comment and said it seems now COVID-19 has ceased from being a medical issue to now a political issue and we can see it all over the world not only in Kenya we look in even in America now it's more of a political it's now being used for political gain so it's now going to be used as a campaign to against Donald Trump. So it has also been used to also fight Tanzania for example the WHO, the UN they all trying to fight Tanzania because they are saying they are not reporting any cases at the same time they are saying Maghufuri is going with an iron fist. So now when we look at now COVID it has shifted from being a medical issue. You know it's not like the HIV AIDS was initially although to some other expert and other investigators they feel HIV AIDS at some point was being used as a political tool to control the masses but now when you look at now how COVID has approached now it has become politicized rather than using expertise or professionalism in dealing with it. So now people I shall say every leader uses chaos to their every crisis you can always use every crisis to your advantage. So now we are seeing this crisis of COVID is being used as a tool to tame political laries of your opponents and if you are the one in governance use it to your favor so that you can disarm your opponents and how do you do by it so when your opponents tries to hold rallies they will be held accountable the police will be there we saw how Bonikaluware meetings were disrupted but if you are pro government like Kakinoparanya what will happen is people are not even being taken to court all the police being involved so that tells you already what does that process a picture to the public if our leaders are not taking this COVID seriously then why should we also take it seriously so even the spiking of the cases don't blame the common one in chi because manki see manki do if you guys are meeting for meetings even me I'll have my own bash my own birthday party to convene my own members I'll have my own bread of shower I saw another comedian they held a bread of shower they held a bread of shower so now when you think about it but they will just copy what the politicians are doing so now COVID-19 is becoming now more of a political issue than a medical issue scientific issue because now the politicians are the one now going ahead of us and that's why I keep on insisting there's so much intellectual dishonesty that is going around this whole COVID thing and as we play around we are playing around with the lives of people we are playing around with the livelihoods of people because right now we are still having that rooming of an economic crisis and it's keep on threatening threatening our economy but it seems we are not so much so much into how this COVID thing is affecting people it's affecting people mentally it's affecting people financially it's affecting people even physically so and then remember even now high school students and even primary school students and other school going children have lost a whole year which in the whole lifetime they may never recover it it's something that has been indented in them for the rest of their lives why because we have careless leaders who don't think about the masses they don't think about the people they are leading and I'm sorry to say but for seeing the near future we'll have very several politicians several leaders actually contracting that disease themselves so that they can also feel the pinch the common citizen and experiences because the thing about this whole COVID a high bagui it will attack anybody whether you are rich whether you are poor, whether you are old whether you are young whether you have a medical degree or you don't have any medical degree the only funny thing is that I have not seen chokoras I'm still seeing them rooming around it seems God is really protecting them or maybe the immune system maybe it's an investigation people should do but the leaders should know that as much as they are taking it so casually and using it as a tool I should say sometimes healthcare is used as a political tool to manipulate the masses but for how long because the same masses you want to manipulate even you are a human being with blood flowing through you no one is immune to death I should say nobody is immune to death nobody is all susceptible to death so you cannot go around and play around with people's health thinking you are immune to death it could be you nobody would have thought some of these celebrities would succumb to death but we are seeing many of them succumbing to it so nobody is immune to death so you cannot go around joking and thinking you are above your immortal nobody is immortal they think because they have money because they have access to better healthcare facilities they feel that they are immune to this whole situation but they forget life and death does not belong to them life and death belongs to the maker and they should stop playing around with people's lives and I think I wish they were intelligent enough to take advantage of this whole COVID because now they have been exposed actually what we have been building as a country for the last 56 years is now being exposed in the open we realize we have a poor education system we realize we have a poor healthcare system we realize we cannot even cushion our own people when it comes to financial losses we realize even our old people we don't even have a system of protecting our old people we realize we don't have manufacturing industries that can help but by now I was expecting them promoting individuals like now they came up with a ventilator thing they would be promoting individuals who are coming up with a material that can make better masks imagine a country like Taiwan that is close proximity to China right now they are COVID free you find that they only had around 486 cases and what did the government do it started making masks the correct mask what is a cloth mask that people are wearing around and moving around and we are thinking that people are safe because the only thing that it's been prevented is maybe the cough droplets and whatever but in Taiwan the government distributed masks to every citizen to every single the correct mask the three ply masks and to the ones who are more atrix who have been distributed to the point they even did they did not do a lockdown people are still going on with their businesses people are still carrying on with the economic activity wearing the mask because it was free so now we have a government you are given funding by the world bank you are given funding by the IMF you are given funding by the WHO but imagine at no single point did they even ever distribute masks so how do you expect the cough to flatten it can't because already where you could have genuinely come in as a government and saying you love your people and distribute masks to each and every individual but now people had to go out of their way to be innovative wana rarua and go mahali wana shodna so as to have masks so by now we should have seen people coming up in scientific ways of inventing the material for making masks and we make a lock and even the two small loops for putting kumaskio we couldn't even manufacture that but now I was expecting because for over 56 years we have been having graduates who have done a lot of technology and production and engineering this was the high time that we could have brought these individuals together and said can we create this material where do we get these chemicals can we create our own by now we should be thinking of how can we be inventing our healthcare system for the future now we have governors and high profile people putting ICU beds in their own hogs so what about that Wanjiko who cannot afford even a meal be able to put an ICU bed in their own institution in their own compound speaking of the meal the CS Motaikagu is on record telling the members of the public if these politicians call you do not go, do not be foolish enough to go and actually there's a point he said you are a foolish to go of which it's okay but now tell me this person has no food at home and then you hear your Mweshimiwa is somewhere giving out food won't you go whether there's COVID or not they will always go now do you think now this COVID until like you were saying politically the manipulation will use the dishing out of food and the mask to the populace just to listen to them but of course exposing them to COVID 19 you should say politicians are opportunistic kind of individuals sorry to say rarely do we have politicians who are genuinely leaders so for them because we see from March from the lockdown it was like 5 also months and sometimes they felt my competitors they're also looking at 2022 they have sort of like anaesthetic kind of personality I would say quote and quote because why can't you if you're an MP of a certain area you know the MCS of that yes why not involve the chiefs must you stand somewhere and declare that you are the one who has contributed for what gain even Jesus said if you're doing good don't let the right hand know what your left hand is doing but because it is for selfish gain not really for helping individuals so that they can show on social media they have been helping individuals show that they are doing something but this is your right as a citizen for your government to provide these basic necessities so why should we be at the masses of individuals for us to access basic necessities right so if they were genuinely working for the people they don't have to call people and to scramble and then they are the same ones saying social distancing even I'm disappointed with why can't you put what is it called put policies that can govern and ensure that beyond a reasonable doubt that these individuals should be prohibited right because he is a CS he means he is part of the executive there is the police and the army why not stop these senators and these politicians from doing that and we have a government that does not have a tooth that it cannot be able to stop a lawmaker because now what is happening it seems like the MPs the senators are above the law but yet we have a constitution around March and April the public were furious of their leaders they were saying we are not seeing our leaders where are they now do you think they are not trying to respond that we need to strategize things and that's why we are calling you for meetings but do you have to appear so that people can feel your leadership I don't think so because if you have set systems in place you don't need to appear because things would just be flowing right but because we have leaders who are again I would say they like feeding from the energy of people and they have to appear so that they can feel as if they are working you know in Kenya we have this this value whereby even when you are working in a place so long as you have appeared it's assumed you have worked but that's not true I may keep on appearing every time but I am doing literally nothing I am just appearing you come and hang your coat just to show that your presence is there but in actual essence you can work even a single hour in that office this is something we have seen in government office people just come hang their coat and they go and carry on their daily things but a whole 8 hours and they will still pocket in a salary they have done nothing to the service of individuals so you don't have to appear for there to be effects that you are actually doing something in that society so why could they they calling MCS kwa chacha kuli kwa atu kwa the chiefs the chiefs knows each and every individual in that village if it's unga na mafutia kupika na unga angano why not package in inba and you don't have to declare that writing your name in bowl it's very funny so you just go and tell them the MP of this area has decided to give you this kind of food it's distributed per home this is the time even we should have involved now technology Rwanda right now is using robots even to test people were suspected to be COVID-19 Rwanda was also using drones in terms of delivery of vaccines and delivery of blood and delivery of other medical products now why could we use our own technology because we are sure we have engineers in this country we could have produced all manufactured food distributing gadgets you just we have a database why did we even do the sensors sometimes we don't leverage on the things that we have and we don't have to import these things we can just use it locally it just shows the cognitive thinking is very low it's literally very low because this is something they would have solved by just using the structure really set in place and all these people they know one another is in Yubakumi I should say we have very good policies written on paper very nice beautifully but implementation is the problem and we don't need rocket science to implement some of these a few things the other thing would have been since they were saying they were giving 2500 to each and every family then instead of distributing the food we have to pay a lot of money because at least they won't go drink the money but at least they can actually go and buy but because people have this tendency and they don't have any impact they don't have any skill but sometimes alagasy should outlive you because even wangare maza is not with us for example but we still have alagasy about environment and keeping the environment clean and protecting the environment right but does she have to appear so that now we can protect the environment I don't think so because alagasy was being felt wherever it is now this behavior by our politicians trying to take advantage of the situation violating the guidelines by the ministry of health now what kind of message are they sending to the youth who wants to be leaders in this country what kind of message they are sending to our young people they are just sending a message of impunity right so even people aspiring to become leaders so they can have that power of impunity why am I saying that case in point we saw one politician walk in a club shoot someone and they walk free everybody now would want to aspire to be a politician to gain that power so that they can be careless and break the law and nobody would actually ask them because you seem like you are bigger than life exactly bigger than life instead of them showing the youth when you become a leader show servanthood because leadership is servanthood they don't want to show leadership as servanthood so it even becomes a way of escaping poverty and a way of coming to control people but in ideal sense of leadership the people so that the community or the nation can move in a certain direction but not even when you ask most of our leaders you being a member of parliament of this constituency where do you see this constituency ten years to come majority they will not tell you although they will just blab blab some things of their manifesto but in ideal sense they cannot move from point A to point B if you ask an MC the expectation of these people in this world where do you expect them in the next five years majority of them do not have vision they are all visionless to the extent even to the highest level where do you see Kenyans go in the next five years they will just tell you the big four agenda but where are we moving from Karatina to Moranga to Nairobi because that's what our leader should actually project actually they should be reflecting come on NAMP of your constituency with this whole COVID thing if your dispensaries are not functioning this is the high time to think maybe they need to be allowed within your constituency that can actually help your constituents but they can't sit down to think such things all they think is temporary things or just birak patching up so what will happen is that it creates another aura whereby you want to become a leader or a politician so that you can have control so that you can have wealth so that people can fear you so that you can look above the law just going with that sense of power but instead of having the ability to show people when you become a leader it's more of servanship and people to applaud you and say wow I would like to be a leader to serve my people but now most people want to become a leader no julikana you say mekana you you are above everybody else and you are amassing a lot of power which I think is the wrong thing to to try and become a leader and that is what is ailing Africans that is what is ailing our continent because when you look at most developed countries if you look at the forefathers of those nations they had that servanship they were like we project that there will be better roads in this place we project that our children will have schools we project that our children will have inheritance and that's how you will find them they will come to Africa take our golds, take our diamonds take our silver why to have an inheritance for their children we Africans what inheritance have they left us it's more puvati and more puvati in real sense right but when you look at the developed nations you find that even the poorest of them all is able to be even given 200 dollars in a week they able to have shelters that if you are a child born in that society you can go to a school all the age university without even making any payment but because there is already an inheritance that the forefathers of that nation were projecting for that country we would now bring it here in Africa for me and my family generations to come they will have nothing left for them nothing you would build schools that will enable the children then even if you don't give me money I can access information you won't build infrastructure so that at least with these roads I can be able to to transport my product you won't bring in internet and electricity at least I can create my own innovation from scratch so that I can try and uplift the community so what ends up being people end up looking so hopeless and yet we have knowledge and information as individuals I believe Africa we have one of the brightest minds ever true I want us to shift gears now talk of now the political alignments we have seen the ANC say that now we are disassociating from the DP the Tangatanga team now at this point now that it was believed the DP has made inroads in the western region do you think the disassociation of the ANC from Tangatanga so to speak has made any impact from the western region I would say yes and no reason being right now and I had earlier on stated is the Luya Nation is trying to be wood everybody wants to woo the Luya Nation it's like everybody now is focusing on the Luya Nation because any of the Luya Nation in itself it has numbers but the unfortunate thing about the Luya Nation sorry to say as much as we are not supposed to go tribal but that's how our country is the Luya Nation in itself it's already subdivided among us itself and what you can notice is now there is Musaliam Dawadi there is now a Tangula here this Oparanya trying to area then there is Atwali you can see already there are already so many subdivision because they are afraid if one of the 2022 projected candidates is able to consolidate old Luya votes as one then there will be trouble there will be trouble and you see now like for the DP as much as people are saying oh the Kikuyu vote nini nini but he is also laying his own ground he can even just split just have a half of it because even we look at in 2002 when Uhuru was vying for presidency the Kikuyu vote did not vote as 100% a portion of it voted for Uhuru a portion of it voted for Kibaki so I think William somewhere was also playing the same trick I don't need 100% no people expecting that he needs 100% Kikuyu vote no he only needs a portion of it and then if he gets the whole Kalejin vote block that's it then if you get the Luya nation vote as a block you're good to go the rest it doesn't really much matter but then on the other end Hillary they have to deter from that they have to stop on that and then you see now right now Musalim Davidi feels he has a greater chance he has a greater opportunity as I said earlier sometimes people think he's more of a safer what a safer bet in terms of neutralizing the temperatures in this country he looks a bit neutral because the other two types of candidates there will be a lot of heated tension Musalim is also trying to buy his cards he's also trying it's like that girl who tries to weigh her options kuna wano mehengia na mkatiya wana jadibu kuwe options but the game being played here is to ensure that the Luya the Luya nation does not go as one block so they have to ensure it's as divided as much as possible because the moment the Luya nation will go as one vote one one block that already tells you kapa kuna kuna first to recon because remember right now they are trying to split majority are trying to split from Raylao Dinka and now they want to go as a Luya nation now they are crying out kama a Luya timi achnyuma sana ni ni ni ni we never get an opportunity and when you look at the Luya nation there is not that one major king standing up and saying we are all running behind because you see like now the Kalenjin as much as Giden Boy is trying here but he didn't have that kingship aspect like William Samoei Ruto so you see now most of the Kalenjin they are like they can all rally up behind William then now already now in the Kiku Nation with people have always been they had a meeting yesterday but a few CACs were there and the MPs it was held in Embo and the story was the planning and I think it's a week earlier they had another meeting here in Nairobi I think the Mote Kenya region is trying now to see who is our next king and some rumors had it maybe they are thinking of Kenya then it was like no it is not him so I think it's a surprise from the Mote Kenya region now going back to western now one of the reasons given by that fraction of leaders they were saying they have decided to support President Uhuru because they have seen the leadership in the house that is the parliament they are not there they want to be in the government for the remaining few days at this point do you think our politics our leadership is maturing or it's only throw out the interest of individuals no we've not yet matured I think until a certain group of individuals pass on that's when we'll have a new kind of Kenya because the pre-colonial post-colonial individuals are still hovering around you cannot put new wine in old wine skin it's not possible so what is happening is the Kayang generation which I call it between the age of 18 to 35 because these are the ones I believe would be the next leaders in the next dispensation remember they are observing and they are seeing the ills and the mishaps that are going round where they would have done better sometimes if you go on the government pages you will find people amazing ideas because they feel this is what you should have done this is what you should have done but because of handles and systems that have been set in place they have hindered so much progression but my belief is that I foresee in the future this old caliber has to go you cannot put new wine in old wine skin it cannot even comprehend but what is happening within the country we are having young voices young people rising up young people thinking different young people coming up and saying we can do this in a different way and as we progress towards 22 and I think maybe that's why William Ruto is really trying to focus on the young people because that is where the next level is going to be because remember the literacy level young people is quite high like the older population and now the world is becoming like a global village becoming a global kind of quote and quote government because that's what the world is going towards so until the old gods are all eliminated one by one because I know nature in itself will have to take its course then that's when we should start seeing better reforms and better unity and better development why am I saying that remember it's still the same age of between 18 to around 35 most of them maybe you are from a mixed marriage maybe babako nmluya mamako nmkiku so we have a lot of intermarriages that have happened over a period progressive period of time to the point ita fika mahali you cannot stand and say wakiku tuna fote even then na mimu enyanim jalom kiku nita ndawapi no that is what actually really happened because you see once education has set in people don't think about the cultural aspect and everything so people have gone to school they have mingled with other communities so over time there is a new breed there is a new caliber of individuals that have cropped up over time and at the heighten of it now there will be the ones taking up leadership and everything so they all are now thinking tribalo sisi wakiku yu sisi wakalengin sisi wanini over time it will now be overridden because of that intermarriage and that interprogression but come 2022 the same card is going to still be played and that is the card because why would people now be meeting for example for what and there was no youth apparently why wouldn't people sit down and say this guy can lead irrespective my name should never be betraying me in this day and era but as we are now we still have the old wine and you cannot put old wine in new wineskin it's not possible but there is a new wine that is being brewed in this country but it cannot fit in the old wineskin if you try to fit in the old wineskin I tell you not be able to be progressive alright now we are out of time and before we get those comments from our audience maybe you could give us your final recommendations on what to think about the whole affair of our leaders how they are behaving the meetings that have been happening like that one in Ember where we have not seen the youth being involved does it mean we lack experience does it mean we lack what it takes and if so we lack it who is our mentor how are we how are we to become leaders of tomorrow because they have refused of today alright I would say that we've not yet have leaders who have the servant kind of mentality we've noted had such kind of leaders we are all our leaders have taught us selfishness competitiveness you know there is not that like I can do good for the sake of humanity every Kenyan even to that teacher who is teaching they all think mimi mimi mimi that's the culture we have in this country we must agree that's the culture we have in this country you will find even a doctor who is himself over the welfare of even a patient because we have that mimi mimi kind of mentality and that has been been brewed in because that was not the African setting the African setting was for the benefit of the whole community but came in a culture where it's me, I and myself I don't care what the rest will happen to them but me, I and myself if I am okay I'm good to go because how can the whole governor be putting up an ICU bed in his own home and the local hospital that is there you have not been able to put ICU bed really that already shows you the level of selfishness that we have in our leadership so I think we need people who are genuinely servant leadership and as I had earlier on commented is that we really need to ask ourselves what kind of fabric are our leaders made of what do they stand for what are their values and can we look back and say for sure over the last 10 years this kind of a leader stands for these values because for example if we brought uhuru what is the value system of at least kibaki we knew he was an economist in the essence him it's my merit if you can do the job you can do the job now we have to go home now so we need to sit down and look at our leaders who has that servanthood kind of thing who has that love for the people and can we observe that previously from the interaction with individuals because if somebody abuses their mother then there is no way they are going to maintain a good wife it's not possible so that's the same concept if looking backward this person has no value system this person has no culture this person by his interaction does not love the people then that outright tells you what kind of a leader this person will outright be but the message I would send to our leaders is that if they want this whole COVID-19 thing flattening of the curve and Kenyans overcoming it it has to start from them they have to show they have to show that they also are trying to to be able to ensure that they are also trying to contain this whole situation but if they continue behaving the way it is then don't expect the cases are going to reduce and don't come on TV and start blaming Kenyans actually we should start the blame from the leader and Motake Kago should not come and start telling Kenyans oh CG you guys are behaving nini what were you doing in a meeting in Eambu you yourself so we should try and stop this blame game let's pretend a lot of time apparently there is someone who is trying to mention like you have said now Shugandini and Asama they are taking advantage of this time to prepare themselves for 2022 elections and Anto Vanto says they are making citizens to question corona what they don't do and the vice versa thank you so much Beatrice for coming and highlighting your whole idea how you think of the current events of our politicians she has been my guest Beatrice Cairo health economist and an analyst my name is Dereva Hillary I will be seeing you again in the evening have yourself a very good day and good morning for them that I have woken up this time