Page 48 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 14

Economy

Produce Ordinance (1933), gave still, ‘hostile’ and realize that actually visit a county like Marsabit to find
the colonial administrators in the they continue to be punished by out what is really happening on the
region extensive powers of arrest, a colonizer who has long left our ground. It gets worse still when you
restraint, detention and seizure of country (or so they say) – then we consider that the fuel price increas-
properties of “hostile tribes”. The miss the reality of what is actually es are because of pressure from
definition of what constitutes a hos- going on not only in Marsabit, but the International Monetary Fund,
tile tribe was left to the Provincial all across Afrika. It is true what the because of a loan that the Kenya
Administration to determine.” The authors of the document and what government took that its citizens
document also states, “Further, the Farson says about other Kenyans vigorously protested against and
Stock Theft and Produce Ordinance not knowing much about ‘NFD’. did not want. So, not only is this
legalised collective punishment of economic apartheid effect not local-
tribes and clans for the offence of Many stereotypes exist that are ized to Marsabit or the counties of
their member once that tribe was difficult to overcome in the minds northern Kenya or others suffering
declared “a hostile tribe” by the of those who do not take the time like them. Rather, it is an effect that
Provincial Commissioner.” to deliberately find out the truth for is based on an international push
themselves. Even for me, an under- from those who want to control the
I want you to imagine with me, for standing about the truth of how growth trajectory of every nation on
a moment, what an already hostile beautiful Marsabit is came only in earth.
colonial administration was like in my early 40s, when I first traveled to
its dealings with the communities the county with my husband. Can Once you understand this, you will
that lived in these regions. Regions you imagine over 4 decades going then understand that instead of
that they had ostracized and created by before you find out the truth for wanting communities like the ones
psychological biases against in the yourself about a place or a situation in Marsabit to thrive, institutions like
minds of the rest of the Afrikans or a thing? Isn’t that what is happen- the IMF and World Bank are sitting
living in colonial Kenya, such that ing with many who are choosing to in a boat, while Afrika is in the water
when each successive regime took look at the continent and people of and they are busy pushing Afrika’s
power, they continued to enforce Afrika from a new lens of compas- head underwater and waiting for her
these apartheid policies in order to sion and understanding that we have to drown, or be so utterly broken
‘control’ their fellow countrymen. been lied to for the better part of that her ‘stubbornness, indifference
our existence? Once your eyes have and hostility’ will transform into
The final section I will extract for been opened, Wisdom demands meek compliance to all their dic-
you to read is this: “The net effect that you examine everything else tates, without question. A heart-
of these early colonial legislations you have believed about Afrika, the less reality for Afrika to face – an
was to turn NFD into a closed world and the way things work. eye-opener when you see what the
zone, which had no contact or effect is in a region such as Marsabit,
relation with the other parts of That the individual is immediate- where our girls still go to the bush
Kenya. Indeed, the other Kenyans ly affected by the choices that are to squat in holes during the time of
did not know much about NFD. made by central government is their monthly period. So, while the
This situation continued even after evident. In the case of fuel, for areas daughters of those in countries in
independence and is best captured like Marsabit who transport the the west or east have their pick of
by the statement of the American majority of their food from other a wide range of products, or many
writer, Negley Farson, that, “there regions in Kenya and Ethiopia, food of the girls in Nairobi pop into the
is one half of Kenya about which prices go up, the cost of travel goes supermarket to pick up a pack of
the other half knows nothing about up, the cost of electricity goes up, something – their sisters in Marsabit
and seems to care even less”.” If the cost of water goes up, the cost squat and those in Nairobi’s slums
this does not scream to you, “Apart- of production of goods goes up… prostitute themselves in order to
heid”, I don’t know what will. If we, in short, the cost of living goes up, be able to afford a pack of sanitary
therefore, do not stop to consider instantly. In Marsabit, some shops towels – and all this happens right
what the state of Marsabit is now, simply stop stocking certain items, under the government’s nose.
without looking first at the historical because they are too expensive, this
injustices of what was perpetrated results in a scarcity that was created Economic apartheid’s trickle-
against those who were termed by an ignorant and unfair policy and down effects.
‘stubborn and indifferent’ or worse policymaker who never bothered to The IMF won’t consider that the

48 | we tell the true afrikan story