The Kenyattas want a generational change they could not initiate, after 25 years in charge

Kenyatta Muhoho, brother of President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Requiem service Hannah Mudavadi, mother of ANC Leader Musalia Mudavadi at the Friends Church, Ngong road, Nairobi. January 7th,2021 [File, Standard]

I thought I didn’t hear right when the TV bulletin reported Muhoho Kenyatta is a trustee and regional boss of an outfit called Duke of Edinburgh International Award Foundation. Yes, you heard right: The Duke of Edinburgh.

For those who have forgotten, the Duke represented the Queen of England at Independence Day celebrations on December 12, 1963, when the Union Jack came down at midnight to pave way for our national flag to mark the birth of our nation.

So, this Muhoho guy, whose grandfather, Muhoho, was a colonial chief; and whose father was the founding Prezzo of this nation, and whose elder brother served as the Fourth Prezzo of Kenya, what business does he have promoting the interests of the Duke of Edinburgh? Does that mean he’s an agent of ukoloni mamboleo?

Muhoho’s other major claim is that he’s the younger brother of Prezzo Uhuru Kenyatta, so I was surprised to see the younger Kenyatta looking elderly, complete with a grey beard. But I liked his regal deportment that so reminded me of his father, Kenyatta I.

But what I liked the most was the man’s clipped English. That can only come from proper dynasts, not from cheap accents acquired from TV programmes.

“Africa’s youth population is projected to reach…” he started, before twirling his long fingers to enumerate his points. “Being not just the youngest continent but potentially the most dynamic workforce on the planet, this demographic remains, and I emphasise: one, largely untapped, and two, constrained by systems that were not designed for the scale and speed of change like we now face.”

This was kizungu mingi for a simple analogy: youth empowerment has remained on the fringe of government priorities, including his father’s and brother’s. In fact, the latter’s government was peopled by thieves who stole the future of our youth by stashing money in gunny sacks and keeping it under the bed.

Now, the future looks so bleak young people are selling their body parts, when not migrating to UAE and returning in body bags. In his short speech, Muhoho urged the youth of the continent to step forward and take the mantle, but he didn’t tell them how.