Horrified members of the public looking into the Ngong River where some of the victims of the Sinai fire tragedy were found lying dead.
I want to go against the grain in this time of mourning and sorrow in our land and chide victims of the tragedies that we witnessed in our land lately.
A few weeks ago, I asked here who was going to save Kenyans from themselves. This was after the Member of Parliament for Embakasi Ferdinand Waititu incited tenants in Pipeline estate not to vacate their houses when Nairobi City Council officials declared their houses unfit for human habitation.
Just this past week, what I feared at that time happened. More than 100 people died from burns after fuel from a pipe spilt into the Ngong River which passes through Sinai estate, and burst into flames. Up to now, no government authority has identified what the cause of the fire was. The same week, a number of Kenyans died in Nyahururu, Muchatha and Ruiru after drinking alcohol that was laced with toxic substances.
I was sad when I visited the Tom Mboya Hall in Buruburu where the victims of the Sinai tragedy are camping. It was heart-rending to find men, women and children who don’t belong to the same families sleeping together in the hall. This is not acceptable even culturally and is the worst kind of degradation that can happen to any human being.
What is saddening about all this is that we are going through the usual national charades when a tragedy of this nature occurs. Many of us get angry, the politicians and government officials suddenly appear on the scene, ‘console with the victims’, make promises that such promises will never happen again (the Prime Minister is notorious for this), then leave. In the course of that, the politicians also remember to shed tears. Then the victims are left alone.
At such like times, Kenyans, led by politicians, would like to blame every other person other than themselves. This time round, the Member of Parliament for Makadara, Gideon Mbuvi and his Embakasi counterpart Waititu are blaming the Kenya Pipeline for the mess at Sinai. Other Kenyans are blaming the government for the tragedies. Unashamedly, the company has refused to take responsibility for this tragedy.
The people who are most at risk in this country need to wake up to the reality that the government and the politicians will not help them out of their situation. It is only their collective resolve to make things better than will save them. Politicians will use anything, even death, to gain political mileage. They are like those who are drowning, they will clutch onto anything to survive!
It was ironic that even politicians who have been at the forefront telling people not to move out of Mau forest water catchment are now blaming the Kenya Pipeline for the Sinai tragedy, forgetting that the continued encroachment of people in the Mau forests is risking the lives of the people and is going to have catastrophic effects on thousands and even millions of Kenya in future. Some of the tragedies that we suffer today are a result of politicians taking populist positions and misleading gullible Kenyans against good advice from government. We must accept that government is not always wrong. Sometimes government is right and we have to heed its advice when it comes.
After all is said and done, each one of us needs to think seriously about this tragedy and what we as Kenyans need to do to help avoid such tragedies in future. One thing that I have noted is that everyone is trying to put blame on government, Kenya Pipeline, brewers of illicit drinks and the larger society without mentioning the people who are directly affected.
I know it is painful for those who lost their dear ones in these tragedies. The truth is that each of us as a Kenyan has a responsibility to take care of our lives and try as much as possible to act in a way that protects our lives and well-being.
It is natural for human beings to always act in self-preservation. That is how it should be. And this is why I think that Kenyans at all levels of society have to act in ways that are in their self-interest. I don’t think the fact that one is poor or disadvantaged in one way or another gives them the freedom to act in a fatalistic way the way we have seen in some of these tragedies.
It is unbelievable that even after the tragedies in Sinai, Nyahururu, Muchatha and Ruiru last week, people still lost their lives in Busia this week when they attempted to siphon fuel from a tanker that rolled while transporting fuel.
It is only a fool who does not learn from his folly or the misfortune of others!
It is true that for some of the tragedies that we have witnessed in recent times, the victims have to some extent contributed to their occurrence. This may seem callous but it is the truth. Rather than glossing over these issues and putting the blame elsewhere, it is important that we as a nation advise the people who are risking their lives by defying the government and going against all conventional wisdom, to do what is not in their interest.
We should not just blame the government for everything and anything. At the same time, the government needs to be serious and come up with tangible and long-lasting solutions that will help the disadvantaged in society for a long time to come.
Meanwhile, those who are putting their lives at risk need to decide whether they want to continue listening to wily and uncaring politicians or make wise decisions that will preserve their lives and their property.
NB: This article apeared in the weekend Star of 24-25 September 2011 as the Letter of Week under the headline ‘Don’t blame state for tragedies, we are responsible for our own lives’
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