Echoes of WW II in row over Ukraine war

The beauty of modern flights is tracking. At any given time, you know where you are overflying with maps and landmarks like towns.

Geographers love it. Many travellers do not focus on that; they are watching movies or listening to music.

A few play games. Some planes allow you to see directly on the screen what’s on the ground.

On a recent flight to Europe, I noted we avoided overflying Sudan. Could it have been because of the civil war? 

What is this beef over foreigners acquiring a Kenyan passport? Do you recall we used to visit the UK without a visa?

Remember why that stopped? How would freedom fighters react to this passport saga?  

Once over Ethiopia, we flew along the Red Sea and finally over the Mediterranean to Istanbul through Turkish Airlines.

This airline seems to be replicating the success of Emirates: charge reasonable prices till you get the market, then slowly adjust the prices upwards. Can Kenya Airways do the same? What of Turkish Airlines’ use of Airbus planes? 

Just to the west of Alexandria, Egypt, and in Libya, a lonely town cropped up in the desert and on the map. Its name is Tobruk. Why did this town capture my attention?

Almost three decades ago, my barber, Njuguna Njau (Guka wa Sungura), talked about Tobruk as he cut my hair. There was no electric power in my village.

We are still waiting for tarmac. The 2027 elections could finally bring the last vestige of civilisation to my village!

I will disclose its name once the tarmac reaches there. It’s in the white highlands. For now, keep guessing. 

He narrated to me how they found Tobruk badly damaged during World War II. He could have been referring to the siege of Tobruk, which ended on December 10, 1941. I wish I had recorded his conversation, a witness to real history. 

It’s strange how much more we know about Zinjanthropus than heroes like Njuguna Njau and others who fought in World War II. 

Is Zinjanthropus in the Competency-Based Education (CBE)? Can we run him out of our books?  Why so much focus on mythical prehistoric characters and not real people? Who has a father or grandfather who is a war veteran?

Does his portrait in your living room look like the “graduation photo?” Do we still hang such photos?  Are there so many graduates today that such a photo would make you a laughing stock? 

Tobruk matters in another war – the debate over Kenyans fighting in foreign wars. Why are we pretending that we are surprised by the recruitment of Kenyans to fight in foreign wars, specifically in Ukraine?  

Kenyans have fought in foreign wars in the past. The contentious issue is how they are recruited, not if they have fought or should fight. Kenyans fought abroad in both World Wars I and II.

I am confident of that because three of my uncles fought in World War II – two in Burma and the other in the East African theatre.

My father missed the draft by a whisker; his brother went to Burma, fought for the Empire, but still made his way to Manyani detention camp. Any memorial to such men at Manyani? I have a lot of pride in my family’s military history. The 

Chiefs forcibly recruited young men in their jurisdiction for World War II.  Now you know the origin of their bad name. Add poll tax collection. The recruits trained at the current Ruiru GSU camp, a veteran of World War II, told me. 

Kenyans were then shipped to North Africa, Burma, and Madagascar. Some possibly got to Europe and Palestine. Some died abroad and are buried in various Commonwealth cemeteries. Are their families aware? 

Kenya was a British colony during World War II, and fighting for the Empire was expected. I need to find out how patriotic the Kenyan fighters felt.

Luckily, their recruitment became the seedbed of independence. They saw the mzungu (white coloniser) die, and their invincibility ended. That is how Mau Mau got its boldness.  

Kenya has participated in many peacekeeping missions. Did that raise our brand as fighters? Closer to home, are our troops not in Somalia? 

Today, the motivation to fight is not about patriotism or forceful recruitment. It’s mostly economic.

That is not a paradox. The freedom fighters fought for independence and economic freedom. They got poor wages on their own land. 

Economic freedom is still contestable, going by unemployment statistics. Those fighting in Russia are seeking economic freedom. The promised economic incentives outweigh the risks.  

Let’s be blunt, war is profitable. That is why war entrepreneurs are emerging, recruiting or duping men to fight in a foreign war and possibly getting their cut. Recruitment to fight in foreign wars is yet another indicator that our economy is not doing well enough to offer young men opportunities within the borders.

I doubt if a young man would risk going to the frontline if there was a better job at home. Why is the word ‘mercenary’ being avoided? Remember Executive Outcomes? Wagner Group? 

The best way to keep Kenyans at home and avoid recruitment into foreign wars is to improve the economy and create jobs and opportunities.  

That is what has eluded every regime since independence. And it’s not that hard. The government creates a conducive environment through good laws and regulations, provides public goods, confronts corruption, and rewards those who go beyond the call of duty. 

Give individuals freedom to be creative and innovative, and they will surprise you. Think of Toyota, Walmart, Meta, or Google. 

Like immigration to other countries, recruitment to fight in foreign wars is an economic issue. It needs an economic solution.  

Finally, the Ukraine war is entering its fifth year. Some say the 12th year, if you include the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

When will it end? Is the recruitment of foreign fighters a sign of its rising cost or its expansion? When will Ukrainian children play in the snow or chase butterflies in summer again?