When the Rich Make War, it’s the poor who die

At least 800 people have been killed since the eruption of post-election violence that began after the announcement of presidential elections. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and hundreds have been maimed and we are still counting. Property of enormous value has been scorched, looted and destroyed. But amongst all those who have died and suffered under the auspices of this man made calamity, it is worth noting that the poor are hardest hit. This is sad because most of the poor absolutely have nothing to do with the cause of these clashes, few even understand the machinations and chemistry behind the post-election upheavals. The poor may have nothing to do with the current power struggle, but the battle is being fought in their home ground. Why for example is there no fighting in Muthaiga, or Karen or Runda? Why Mathare and Kibera? It is probably because that the poor are easy to manipulate, bribe and exploit. Exploit by promises of a “better” future, entice through handouts and incite against the other tribe on basis of their economic status.

But even as the political party barons continue to incite the poor against each other they sit together in hotels, with barons of the other tribe that is being slaughtered. Yet they do not slaughter each other, because they belong to the same crop of elites, but they will use the poor to achieve their purpose. At this time the poor are appealing for humanitarian assistance to be able to survive another day, most of them have no idea what a decent hotel looks like, stop a two star hotel. But the political chiefs sleep in five star hotels, hotels, that is where they wake up and start issuing political statements and summoning the press to give another warning of their impending mass action to press for justice. Justice for themselves, not for the poor who slept in cold, not for the mother who lost her son in confrontation with the police during a mass action sponsored by the same politician that is the face of the poor in Kenya.


The political chiefs make good their threat, and there is chaos all over, the poor youths have been bulldozed from their humble dwelling into the streets. Stones and slings their chief weapon against armed anti-riot police. But they have nothing to fear because they are convinced they are fighting for justice, question is who’s justice? Probably the political chief’s justice, who will pretend to be fighting for the poor man’s justice, until he gets hit by that “stray” bullet and the cause for fighting for justice gains a double, probably substantial meaning. But while all this is going on political chief’s sons and daughters are studying for advanced diplomas and degrees in Europe. They have never smelt teargas. No relative of the political chief knows how to throw a stone, so none gets killed in the skirmish. When its time for ceasefire, the poor cry fades into the slum, yet another poor man’s son has died in the fight for “justice”.

But not all the poor people are lucky to meet their houses intact, but unlike the rich chief’s who have to retreat to their secure expensive noble houses, the poor retire injured to burnt out shells of tin and carton, their small business reduced into coal and ash. Is this what they call justice?

Ironically the poor have little to gain in this power struggle, even if they “win”. The political chiefs certainly and eventually appoint their elite friends and cronies into all the available positions, and the foot soldiers, the poor who fought in the streets and butchered their poor fellows are forgotten, even in the books of history, they can probably only be remembered for their folly in committing crimes against their neighbors who had nothing to do with the power struggle. The future as promised by politicians remains not only elusive but also unattainable: a pipe dream. Its only then and only then that the poor realize that when the rich make war, it’s the poor who die, and that they cannot resurrect the dead.