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#BoycottBrookside : A DECLARATION BY A TIRED AND DANGEROUSLY ANGRY KENYAN CITIZENRY

#BoycottBrookside : A DECLARATION BY A TIRED AND DANGEROUSLY ANGRY KENYAN CITIZENRY

ONLY A BOYCOTT OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WILL SPUR ANY ACTION

Barely two weeks ago, after taking his handshake partner Raila Odinga on a tour of the Green Park terminus in Nairobi, had President Uhuru Kenyatta stood with him at the podium at State House to justify a new raft of containment measures aimed at stemming the spread of the Covid-19.

Ironically, Greenpark Golf & Country Club is also the former name of the Kenyatta-owned resort by the name Great Rift Valley Lodge, based in Naivasha, Nakuru County.

In his address, our President who takes no responsibility for anything passed the buck for this very unpopular and economically devastating decision to “other experts” in this case alluding the organizations like the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA).

KEPSA was ominously quiet when the Government borrowed itself into a deep debt hole, silent when Governors in 98% of counties embezzled health funds and allowed their health facilities to decay and become unable to meet any health crisis, they were invisible when loans and grants to our country for the fight against covid-19 were embezzled by tenderpreneurs.

Who has ever heard KEPSA call on Government to procure millions of mass testing kits or bolster its tracing capacity? Did KEPSA, like Trump, believe the speculative fiction that very hot weather we have been experiencing would make the coronavirus dissipate into nothingness?

Or, like in Tanzania, did KEPSA believe in the junk science that we could develop herd immunity by getting as many people to be infected as possible? Why then have they not been at the forefront of using their immense influence and mind-control over the Government, to get millions of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for Kenyans?

KEPSA has epitomised the phrase “in bed with Government” and one of their very first pieces of advice to the Government, one that would negatively impact the entire population, was for a complete shutdown of the economy in the name of a lockdown.

KEPSA leadership and membership have absolutely nothing more to lose, the economic recession caused by corruption, the hundreds of billions in annual debt and debt-interest repayments, and the depressed economy have given them the excuse to lay off more of their employees.

There exists no better excuse to let your employees go than to get Government to order a fresh round of lockdowns.

This last week, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions’ (COTU) long-suffering members re-elected their Secretary-General Francis Atwoli unopposed for what will be his 5th term of office.

Atwoli, a man with no political ambition, but who fancies himself a kingmaker, has not spoken a single constructive word on behalf of Kenyan workers and their plight since the pandemic began. Instead, his tenure has been about dressing in purple like royalty, antics that can only be called buffoonery during labour-day celebrations and hosting Luhya unity parties all over the country.

In 2 months’ time, the entire US economy will re-open 100% when their CDC target of 85% vaccinations have been met. Last week the US Government issued a level-4 security alert against visiting Kenya while the UK did the same the week before that.

What are ordinary Kenyans to do when their very lives and existence are handled like putty in the hands of the moneyed elite?

When the self-same Raila Odinga, frustrated at having his electoral victory stolen twice, called on his supporters to boycott Kenyatta family-owned products, so injurious was this boycott that Uhuru rapidly put together and implemented the “handshake” to cool off the attrition and negative publicity of their top brands.

Even today, Raila has been courted by Moi scion Gideon and Uhuru’s brother Muhoho after he seemed to reach out or make overtures at a coalition with DP William Ruto in the last few weeks.

Gideon Moi, RAO and Muhoho at Karen

 

Even the Mau Mau movement, when unable to reason with the colonialists and their lackeys ordered a boycott on drinking alcohol, using NCC buses, smoking and wearing European style hats to devastating effect. This part of history has conveniently been airbrushed out of existence in post-independence years.

Fact: The looting class will only ever understand what hurts them financially, nothing more!

Attempting to hold rational discussions with the looting class is akin to negotiating with terrorists.

In this regard, we commend Kenyans who are mobilizing themselves and storming the social media pages of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and airing their opinions about corruption in the country. We firmly believe that this is the sole reason why the Energy & Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) saw it fit not to effect a price increase in fuel pump prices, even though we know it is still overcharged when compared with international crude oil prices.

That is why we call on all Kenyan citizens of goodwill to boycott the brands and products associated with this accursed looting class.

Beginning with the Kenyatta family, we single out Brookside Dairies and their various brands of milk and high-value products. Many will remember that Brookside, using its stranglehold on the Kenya Dairy Board rammed through legislation making it a crime to buy or sell fresh, unprocessed milk. What were ordinary cow rearers to do? Sell their milk to processors, 90% of whom have been bought out by the Kenyatta’s. We will start with the hashtag #BoycottBrookside as we escalate to other hashtags in the coming weeks.

Their bank NCBA has us wallowing in shylocks debts through Fuliza and M-shwari while giving poor banking services as seen often on social media.

Heritage Hotels including Voyager Beach at the coast, and K24 TV and its associated radios. We feel for the journalists who work there but it is impossible to exert meaningful pressure without touching them.

If 70% of pump prices are taxes, then this Government has found that we love our cars too much and that this is a viable way to skim of taxes, which will ultimately be stolen.

Kenyans can begin walking to places or carpool to reduce an over-reliance on their vehicles. Those who can ride bicycles, feel free to do so. We remember how Kenyans joined in unison against Matatu cartels and walked to work back in 2004 after Transport Minister John Michuki implemented a raft of measures aimed at streamlining the errant industry.

EABL, themselves members of KEPSA and who have been allowed to bully smaller brewers or to pummel them into submission have not spoken up for their distributors, retailers and stockists in the last one year. They have also ignored the plight of bars, restaurants, tourism and hospitality, entertainment and auxiliary services, all of which drive their brands to massive profitability.

Yet they know that when the smoke clears from these lockdown scenarios, they will be walking among the ruins and ashes of what used to be their sales infrastructure.

Who has ever heard of a horse dying without last kicks? EABL are a strange lot!

We will keep refreshing the list of brands that support this blockade on Kenyans daily and hope that by denying them that 100/- per person will compel them to re-think this ridiculously callous lockdown and to tell our Government this.

With the spaces to protest being encroached upon by the police arresting and harassing activists, we are left with no choice but to take this course of action.

Key Brands To Boycott.

  1. Brookside Dairy Products (Including Ilara, Tuzo, Lea, Ever fresh, Kilifi Milk, and all of Delamere’s milk estate (including Yoghurts).
  2. Great Rift Valley Lodge – Naivasha (ALL Cottages & clubhouse)
  3. Voyager Hotel – Mombasa
  4. NCBA Bank – M-Shwari
  5. MediaMax Group – K24, People Daily
  6. Bidco Oil Refineries products
  7. EABL Products

NAIROBI – 15th APRIL 2021