While watching the feature by KTN on “the
untouchables” I found it interesting how one Artur Margaryan while being
interviewed joked about Kenya having 30 million presidents. I honestly can’t
remember what he talked about for most of the interview but that statement on
Kenyan’s habits stood out. At first I thought he was just being his arrogant
and obnoxious self, but I also understood the truth of what he was saying. What
he meant by the people of Kenya going to bed and wake up presidents is the fact
that Kenyans eat, drink and sleep politics. So is it true that Kenyans are so
absorbed in politicizing that they eat, drink and sleep politics?
I wonder at times whether we Kenyans are oblivious
to how much we elevate politics in this country. We love politics and
politicians as Kenyans. The fact that we can violently go at each other
violently as shown in 2008 is evidence of how much we love politics and
politicians. Politicians ride take advantage of this to do what they want, they
play around with minds of Kenyans like puppets to achieve their own selfish
ambitions. It’s amazing also how much they get away with in terms of salaries
and benefits. In a survey ranking some of the world’s most highly paid politicians,
Singapore’s Prime Minister tops the list and in 3rd place is Kenya’s
Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga. Hon. Raila Odinga is ranked even before
Barrack Obama who comes in 4th in terms of annual salary!! The list of
annual salaries is as shown below;
·
Lee Hsien Loung, Prime
Minister of Singapore, $2,856,930.
·
Donald Tsang, Chief
Executive Officer of Hong Kong, $513, 245.
·
Raila Odinga, Prime
Minister of Kenya, $427,886.
·
Barrack Obama,
President of USA, $400,000.
·
Nicolas Sarkozy,
President of France (Now former), $345, 423.
The way we pay politicians in this country is a
reflection of how highly willing we are to let them run things, recently the
taxpayer forked out millions to allow the politicians sit on leather seats
worth 200,000 each. I don’t know what is so special about a politician’s bum
that he/she would require a seat worth that exorbitant amount. Currently there
are 216 MPs and that number is to rise to 347 MPs once the new constitution,
which was approved by 67% of Kenyans, takes effect. This probably means that
taxpayer’s will have to reach further into their pockets to fund the MP’s
salaries and benefits.
Though Singapore is leading when it comes to paying
its politicians, you can clearly see why. Singapore is one of the fastest
rising economies in the world, with one of the lowest corruption rates and is
actually the cleanest country in the world. Can the same be said about Kenya? The state of our infrastructure doesn’t reflect directly with what the taxpayer
pays the politicians. It would be excusable for Singaporeans to talk politics
all day since the politicians really give them value for their money, but when
Kenyans are politicizing what are we talking about? There isn’t much to talk
about when it comes to the politics in Kenya, at least not yet, so let’s not
give too much time politicizing instead of doing other useful things.
REFERENCES:
http://www.thetorchlight.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3164:who-are-the-worlds-highest-paid-politicians-part-1&catid=49:opinion&Itemid=71
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