The Kenyan economy is somehow cursed. This is in reference to the various monopolies we have in the country.
Examples include, Kenya Power, KenGen, Bata and though Safaricom may not be a monopoly, it does use its dominant position to force onto consumers charges that are absurd and excessive and of a greedy nature.
Although the real monopoly game is a very useful tool in instilling financial education especially in our children, the Kenyan monopoly game is an oppressive exercise that involves the hiking of prices so as to gain abnormal profits just because you are the only one that has that the commodity in the region.
Granted, for example, if I was the only person in Kenya selling chicken, i’d probably sell them at 5,000 shillings each and still be able to sleep at night. But chicken is not an essential living need.
Electricity is an essential need in every household in Kenya, and yet Kenya Power are actually selling it more expensively to those who consume less of the power. Its a step further than oppression, the act of oppressing those already oppressed by their financial inabilities.
It is not a problem that a common mwananchi can resolve. Unless you have a couple of billions of dollars to start your own electricity distribution company, the only hope we have is in the ministries of energy and trade and regulation commissions to lobby for us as citizens and to act as a watchdog against these greedy monopolistic companies.
Then again, most of the times the watchdogs are just given a few bones and small pieces of meat to keep them distracted and alas they forget all about us. Leadership for the leaders and not for the people. Sad.
everythingpesa 