KENYANS FOR KENYA
Kenyans are dying of famine. And a campaign has been started by various firms to feed the 3 million starving Kenyans from the North Eastern Province. Dubbed Kenyans for Kenya Initiative. Our target is 500 million in 4 weeks. Kenyans are urged to send their donations to MPesa PayBill number 111111 (six ones just incase I typo). To Kenya Commercial Bank account 1133333338 (woi! Someone please tell me that is the correct number of 3s). Apparently there was another initaitive that had been started in January by the Red Cross dubbed Feed Kenya Initiative. But it did not achieve its targeted goals. To donate to that initiative: M Pesa Paybill to 10000 Acc feedke. Airtel nickname REDCROSS reference feedke, or by going online to kenyaredcross.org. Personally I think they should have just kept with the initial initiative but this is the first paragraph so I should not be giving my opinions just yet.
Yaay! Second paragraph, so I am free to think. These initiatives are awesome... on paper. In reality I am not sure how they work. I just have to believe the media if I want to get some sleep. Because the media is what is controlling this. I am sure there are a few Kenyans that think there was no famine in Kenya until they saw it on the news this week. Some may be inclined to even think that it affects only the people of the areas shown on TV ( Northern Kenya). Knowing Kenya, all this hype will die out and we then be feasted by news of how our MPs think that 1 million Kenyan shillings is too little of a salary to be taxed. But as long as we now know, let us all contribute to save our fellow Kenyans. It maybe for that short while but it may save some folks.
And when I say contribute I do not automatically mean money. Yes we are targeting 500 million in 4 weeks but that is very little money. Yes I say this with only 50 shillings in my back pocket and those four coins over there. 500 million is very little money. I remember sometime back one of the spearheading firms, Safaricom reporting a 20 billion shilling profit. And reading somewhere else that Kenyan commercial banks overcharge on their interests. If these two firms were serious about raising 500 million they would do it in one hour. By the way how much have they pledged?
This being Kenya, obviously there are people out there that are ready to cash in on this crisis. You might be quick to place Safaricom in that list but they have made it clear that they are not charging for sending money to the Paybill number 111111. I asked the customer care rep about the Paybill number 10000. She was clueless on whether or not it charges for sending donations. She actually knew very little about the #FeedKe campaign and kept insisting that at this time they are supporting the #Kenyans4Kenya campaign and that is the one that does not charge for donations. What the fuck, right? where is the money going to Paybill 10000 going to then? It might actually still be going to the same cause but it would not hurt to be clear on that now, would it?
There are probably others who have started their own paybill number and started asking for donation to feed Kenyans but the only Kenyans they will be feeding are themselves so please if you are willing to donate use the six 1s number. It would be even wise to avoid using the 10000 no matter how legit it looks. It feels fishy to me. And do not get the number wrong because we were toying with the idea f starting our own Paybill number that can be easily confused with the six ones. Something like five ones or seven ones. To cash in on those that mistake because they do not know that the number is six ones (111 111). We did not start any paybill number but still make no mistake. Someone might have.
But then again, to some point it does not matter which of the two you send money to unless you ask yourself why you are donating. Is it because you want to help or is it because you want to feel like you have helped? If its about feelings then you are out to please yourself. If it is about helping, you would actually make sure that the money serves its rightful purpose. So if you are helping (and please do) make sure its for the right reasons. And do it without asking questions because you may not like the answers. Actually that is how we Kenyans do it. We are generous like that. Get a cause and support generously even if it is not our responsibility. And that might make the government actually not bother doing its role. And why would they? They know that next year we will also contribute just like we did last year and what we are doing now. Because Kenyans are generous and have a short memory. Soon those pictures of dying kids will stop being shown on telly and we will all think that they have stopped dying. Until the general election time again next year when candidates will promise to do something about it when you vote them in. I would like to say to Kenyans do not vote wisely but I dunno how to do it without making them feel that they have been stupid before.
The government was asked what it was planning to do about the hunger and the government spokesman response was something close to 'What hunger? Where?' Apparently he has no report of any Kenyan dying of hunger. Its like he is insinuating that all those Northern folks are committing suicide. Or that the media is lying. Guys are pissed at him so saying that. He is now a punch line to every dumb jokes. Hashtags have been started (#AlfredMutua). Groups have been joined. Everyone now hates him. I also do. But I know he is the government spokesman. He says what he is told. He is the Kenyan puppet. So if you are looking for someone to hate, look for who told him to say that.
Yaay! Second paragraph, so I am free to think. These initiatives are awesome... on paper. In reality I am not sure how they work. I just have to believe the media if I want to get some sleep. Because the media is what is controlling this. I am sure there are a few Kenyans that think there was no famine in Kenya until they saw it on the news this week. Some may be inclined to even think that it affects only the people of the areas shown on TV ( Northern Kenya). Knowing Kenya, all this hype will die out and we then be feasted by news of how our MPs think that 1 million Kenyan shillings is too little of a salary to be taxed. But as long as we now know, let us all contribute to save our fellow Kenyans. It maybe for that short while but it may save some folks.
And when I say contribute I do not automatically mean money. Yes we are targeting 500 million in 4 weeks but that is very little money. Yes I say this with only 50 shillings in my back pocket and those four coins over there. 500 million is very little money. I remember sometime back one of the spearheading firms, Safaricom reporting a 20 billion shilling profit. And reading somewhere else that Kenyan commercial banks overcharge on their interests. If these two firms were serious about raising 500 million they would do it in one hour. By the way how much have they pledged?
This being Kenya, obviously there are people out there that are ready to cash in on this crisis. You might be quick to place Safaricom in that list but they have made it clear that they are not charging for sending money to the Paybill number 111111. I asked the customer care rep about the Paybill number 10000. She was clueless on whether or not it charges for sending donations. She actually knew very little about the #FeedKe campaign and kept insisting that at this time they are supporting the #Kenyans4Kenya campaign and that is the one that does not charge for donations. What the fuck, right? where is the money going to Paybill 10000 going to then? It might actually still be going to the same cause but it would not hurt to be clear on that now, would it?
There are probably others who have started their own paybill number and started asking for donation to feed Kenyans but the only Kenyans they will be feeding are themselves so please if you are willing to donate use the six 1s number. It would be even wise to avoid using the 10000 no matter how legit it looks. It feels fishy to me. And do not get the number wrong because we were toying with the idea f starting our own Paybill number that can be easily confused with the six ones. Something like five ones or seven ones. To cash in on those that mistake because they do not know that the number is six ones (111 111). We did not start any paybill number but still make no mistake. Someone might have.
But then again, to some point it does not matter which of the two you send money to unless you ask yourself why you are donating. Is it because you want to help or is it because you want to feel like you have helped? If its about feelings then you are out to please yourself. If it is about helping, you would actually make sure that the money serves its rightful purpose. So if you are helping (and please do) make sure its for the right reasons. And do it without asking questions because you may not like the answers. Actually that is how we Kenyans do it. We are generous like that. Get a cause and support generously even if it is not our responsibility. And that might make the government actually not bother doing its role. And why would they? They know that next year we will also contribute just like we did last year and what we are doing now. Because Kenyans are generous and have a short memory. Soon those pictures of dying kids will stop being shown on telly and we will all think that they have stopped dying. Until the general election time again next year when candidates will promise to do something about it when you vote them in. I would like to say to Kenyans do not vote wisely but I dunno how to do it without making them feel that they have been stupid before.
The government was asked what it was planning to do about the hunger and the government spokesman response was something close to 'What hunger? Where?' Apparently he has no report of any Kenyan dying of hunger. Its like he is insinuating that all those Northern folks are committing suicide. Or that the media is lying. Guys are pissed at him so saying that. He is now a punch line to every dumb jokes. Hashtags have been started (#AlfredMutua). Groups have been joined. Everyone now hates him. I also do. But I know he is the government spokesman. He says what he is told. He is the Kenyan puppet. So if you are looking for someone to hate, look for who told him to say that.
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