Some African leaders perpetuate corruption and incompetence, while the US and Western Europe avail convenient justifications for such behavior, which hurts Africans.
Kenya’s president William Ruto complained that Russia-Ukraine war delayed the arrival of fertilizer, and made the input expensive, just before information surfaced that Moscow had donated over 560 tonnes of raw fertilizers to Kenya last year, which Mr. Ruto’s leadership likely misappropriated according to Kenya’s Auditor General (here). The fertilizer which is reported to have ‘disappeared’ in transit may have been registered as private consignment by politically-connected individuals who resold it, denying farmers and the government input and revenue respectively. This paper looks into how African leaders’ incompetence worsens citizen’s wellbeing, while the US and Western Europe avail excuses for ‘allied’ African leaders to advance The West’s supremacist goals.
Brazenly Corrupt, Weak to Admit Responsibility
As Kenyan’s protests subsided in early July, the role of corrupt and irresponsible leadership in worsening citizen’s life became clearer, as details emerged that over 560 Tonnes of raw fertilizer donated by Russia to Kenya last year had disappeared (here). Only 33, 835 tonnes were received by the agency responsible for distributing farm inputs. Responsible receipt and distribution of the donated 560 tonnes would have contributed to easing citizen’s cost of living and improving the government’s financial positions. The fertilizer would have lowered farmers’ cost of production while increasing agricultural output and hence lowering food prices. Meanwhile, the government would have received some income selling the fertilizer, noting that the small amounts received were sold to farmers, which may have reduced the need to raise taxes, and probably averted the recent protests, an opportunity that was clearly missed. From the foregoing, it is clear that the efforts of Kenya’s........