The more things change the more they remain the same……………
The colonial economy in Kenya was highly monopolistic. Capital was appropriated from the African population through primitive accumulation (land alienation and forced labour) and through wage labour. Some of the surplus flowed to Britain as profits and also through unequal trade. The transition from colonialism to neo-colonialism was a planned one, aimed at preserving the greater part of the monopolistic colonial economic structure in the interests of large-scale commercial, financial and estate capital by coming to terms with those leaders in the nationalist movement — a majority — who represented the new petty-bourgeois strata which had been formed throughout most of Kenya under colonialism. This bargain was sealed in 1961-2 under the pressure of the crisis in the colonial economy. The critical issue was the terms of the transfer of mixed farms in the highlands from Europeans to Africans. The decision that the incoming African should pay for the farms at full market value underwrote the position of foreign capital in the remainder of the economy, and the protection of private property in general(Colin Leys 1975“Underdevelopment in Kenya” chapter 8….
Forty seven years later the present day bourgeois some who are off-springs of the first elite Africans who formed the independent government in the 60’s continue with the same monopolistic tendencies, they control every aspect of the Kenyan economy, some of them are in powerful government positions, and some control a huge chunk of the political spectrum in the country. The 2012 or the 2013 general election will be yet another process by the same elite to flex its muscle and determine who gets to protect their interests and perpetuate their influence….regrettably majority of the Kenyan populace is blind to what constitutes an informed decision when it comes to electing their representatives. The average voter is bombarded selective information and half truths that are meant to appeal to their prejudices and when voting day comes the ultimate erong decision is made…..will this be the same thing that is repeated for the umpteenth time?..... ________________________________________
Source: The first paragraph is an extract from this book Underdevelopment in Kenya, the Political Economy of Neo-Colonialism, 1964-1971; by Colin Leys,
