IS KENYA BECOMING A FAILED STATE?

With the unfolding sad events in Kenya's government and political arenas, most of us tend to look at the qualities of failed states and compare them to the pathetic scenario in Kenya. Kenya is surrounded by once failed states and already failed ones like Sudan and Somalia (thanks Uganda held to the grounds and is now flourishing, so is Rwanda and others). Far away we have fragile democracies or almost failed states like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

All these countries named above have traits now Kenya is developing in a rather sad rapid rate. They have Talibans and other ruthless militias running havoc and extremity if not terror among the populace and for Kenya, Mungiki is the new form or sister to Taliban or Mujahideens, Militias like those of Sudan, Somalia and Kony of Uganda or other rebels of D.R. Congo. It is almost as if Kenya's neighbors have infected them with the contagious African genes of civil unrest and tribal or religious violent conflicts and domestic wars in search of dominance or freedom.

The Kenyan Mungiki, once a sect and now metamorphosed into almost a full-fledged self-styled form of government, religious-political form of extreme government, the group of many faces has now (as reported by the media and not the state's irresponsible ministries i.e. Internal Security and Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ministries) formed their own "legal" courts and processes, with contingency of police force (vigilantes if not militias) keeping or enforcing law and order and even Revenue Departments in charge of taking/collecting "taxes" from individuals and business enterprises on a daily fluent basis...all these without the knowledge of the country's elite intelligence force of N.S.I.S. (National Security Intelligence Service) the Kenya Police and their informers. So far no action, stringent action has ever been taken on the activists or runners of this group and the government wants the nationals to believe the champions of Mungiki are unknown if not untraced and not untouchables among the legitimate political and governmental system.

Such failures and existence of such groups like Mungiki, Talibans, etc. unfortunately, is a clear sign and symptom evident of a failing state in the making where the official rule of law, order and constitution is ignored and abused with impunity and ruthlessness among the socioeconomic community. The majority humble masses are being suppressed and oppressed, terrorized and traumatized socially, economically and politically/administratively while the government and her machinery turns a blind eye to the plight and a deaf ear to the cries or woes...and fail to safeguard her own people.

For ages, decades and eras (errors politically), Kenyans have been victims of economic exploitation and fraud with the perpetrators most of whom are highly influential politicians, well-connected businessmen/franchises and affluent favored community members vanishing or even simply live free along with impunity after looting the people and the country's coffers.

The economy has continued to worsen and the abject plight of the masses, majority poor, deteriorating by the roll of the sun daily and sometimes sadly at the comfort of the minority rich. All this while those in the positions of policy power pretend otherwise and instead keep fattening their salaries, allowances or perks. Kenyans are now, despite living in a healthy ground for agriculture and frequent rainfall or a good network of major rivers, are now facing acute food and water shortages.

The frustration and despair mounting among the masses is evident and it is just a matter of time, if the Kings and Queens will continue ignoring the lack and demand for bread by the masses, that an uprising and revolt will be launched spontaneously but with full force and Kenya will be a forgotten failed state only available in the books of history as a nation that gave the world a historical best ever iconic president to the U.S.A. but had on her own belly, dubious failures that self-destroyed the nation.