Kenya – the Small upcoming America

My Rich Uncle

Everyone in rural Kenya has a rich uncle in the city. I also had one when I was young. It’s not that we were poor as a family. It’s only that cool things were seen in the city years before we saw them in the village. My first time to see a TV, fridge, or a car with a floor shift was at my uncle’s place. It was also where I first tasted a sausage and popcorn. My uncle’s name was Sam, just like our favourite uncle as a Country.

Installing Democracy

The United States of America is the only remaining super power and, naturally, the big brother that the rest of the world looks up to. In Africa, we more than just look up to the US. We want to become just like them and we are doing all we can to achieve that. Some countries like Kenya are way ahead of their neighbours in their efforts to Americanize. America has been on a democratization spree with our own African states of Libya and Egypt bearing the brunt. To match that, we have done our part in emulating the same with Somali.

Huduma Namba

The current government campaign to get people to register for huduma number is the latest effort in matching up to America. From all aspects, it resembles the social security number without which you are a nobody in the US.  Once our huduma system is fully up and running, we shall not be able to buy or sell property, get a driving licence or passport, or even operate a bank account.

Home Ownership

There is a new craze in Kenya. Everyone wants to own a house. Land buying companies are acquiring big chunks of land on behalf of their faithful contributing members. They are then chopping them up into miniature plots and allocating them to their excited shareholders. Each of these new land owners will borrow from all and sundry to put up a structure with the saying, “Nothing is as special as owning the roof that is suspended over your head”. It might sound unreasonable, even crazy, to sink into lifetime debt just to own a house but then; Americans are doing it so it can’t be wrong, although it greatly contributed to the famous credit crunch.

Credit Card

The credit card is one popular American fad that has not caught on extensively in Kenya. However, we have our own home-grown version. It is now possible to spend money today that you will earn next week, next month, or even in the coming year. This is thanks to the myriad money lending apps, self help groups, and flexible bank credit products.

Majimbo

The Kenyan federal system of government, majimbo in Swahili, is almost identical to the one in use in the US. Just like America, we have a President, Governors, and Senators, and many other office holders whose exact roles are not immediately obvious. Save for a few minor differences, the Kenyan system is just like the American one. After more than two decades of activism, we have a system similar to our big brother’s.

Status Galore

Be it bling bling, big cars, and loud music, everything in our lifestyle is changing towards American status symbolism. Every Kenyan worth his or her salt has several social media accounts. Facebook is where we showcase our achievements and seek for fame and sympathy. We use Instagram to floss our fashion sense (or lack thereof) and flash our colours. Following in the footsteps of none other than the President of the US, we use Twitter to bash our critics and express unfavourable opinions on various matters. There is even a big community of Kenyans referred to as KOT (Kenyans on Twitter) whose threads on every topic can be seen turning viral online every other day.

The Chinese Connection

A few years ago, ‘self-respecting’ Kenyans could not be caught dead with Chinese products. They were considered fake and unsuitable for people who understand quality and the finer things in life. When the US decided to move manufacturing of their biggest brands to mass production factories in China, we changed tune. Now nobody complains about their Chinese made iPhones or 3D TVs. We have even gone further to get funding for all our fancy toys (such as trains and roads) from China so that we can be developed just like rich Uncle Sam.