As we continue to mourn for our young people who lost their lives needlessly due to a whole chain of, at best, neglect or negligence, and at worst … you name it, we are subjected to yet another example of monopoly, of control, by one class over another, and probably one generation over another, as I don’t see many young people in the control tower.
It seems to me that maybe there is now a generation or a generation within a class that is clinging to every pole of power they can to stay above the rest of us and breathe the fresh air on their own. We have already seen it concerning artists, media, language use, political space, and books, but now we have another example to consider.
I don’t deny that there may be a law that says that in such situations, the government must oversee and control any money contributed to those affected by the disaster, the families of those who died, those in hospitals needing treatment, those who have lost their livelihoods, or the providers of those livelihoods.
Requirements
I don’t deny that good intentions may lurk behind the law of control. But two things are required for the law and its lurking good intentions to be valid.
One is rapid response. The young men tearing at the rubble with their bare hands needed support. Those who lost their livelihoods or were the breadwinners of their families need support. Those in hospital or at home still nursing injuries need support; counsellors and those providing psychosocial support need to be given the wherewithal to provide it.
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Not today, not tomorrow, but immediately. So, if the government is serious, we must all contribute to their control number – and control is the right word. They should be ahead of everyone in setting up the system to enable people to contribute and show a good example by being the first to do so.
The second important thing is trust. You don’t need even two Ds to know that ever since the earthquake in Kagera, when the government appropriated money, and those affected got nothing, people don’t believe that if they contribute to a government control number, the money will actually get to those it should.
We have seen other disasters, such as that in Hanang and floods elsewhere, but we know nothing about how much was contributed and how the money was disbursed. Although the public is being requested to contribute, there is no public accounting and no accountability to the public. Such a situation breeds distrust.
If these two conditions of rapid response and trust are not met, people who are concerned and passionately want to help will look for other ways to contribute. And since nearly all those affected directly are young people, it does not surprise me that they came to the fore.
Thus, we should ask ourselves why people were ready to contribute to entrepreneur and socialite Jenifer Jovin Bilikwija alias Niffer. I guess it is because of rapid response and trust. People trusted her even if the government didn’t, and they wanted their money to reach those affected immediately.
Fake prophets
And to be honest, I certainly have far more faith in her than in all the fake prophets wandering around with fake holy water and now even fake sodas. Why are they allowed to continue with such money-making schemes for themselves only? To me, they should be the first to be arrested and questioned.
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Then I ask myself, why the heavy-handedness? Not just the long arm of the law but the ten-ton arm of the law. Ok, a young person who the plight of those in Kariakoo has touched starts a movement that thousands answer immediately, without question. She has not caused the collapse of the building, which has led to the disaster.
She has not embezzled millions of public funds. She has not been involved in abducting anyone. She responded rapidly to a disaster by calling for support to those affected.
Even if you think she has broken the law, why not congratulate her for her rapid response and for the fact that people trust her more than the system? However, help her use the right methodology to ensure that that trust in her is utilised to full effect for those affected.
Lose-lose situation
That is what you call a win-win situation, but honestly, what we have now is a lose-lose situation, including a loss for the government. People are angry that someone has been blocked from sending aid to those affected and condemned without trial. How do the controllers know she was collecting the money for her personal benefit?
So now, even people like Mheshimiwa Mengele, who calls himself Steve Nyerere, who many people have not trusted forever and a day, pontificating about how she has disrespected Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa. We could argue about that, but the point is that this is a diversion from the real issue.
I have mentioned above the issue of Niffer mobilising huge contributions that could have been and still could have been used to support all those affected. Such heavy-handedness does raise suspicions. Why, why, why, and why again?
Maybe the time has come for more semina elekezi about the difference between coordination and control. Coordination is necessary in any disaster situation, but it is very different from control.
The concerned authorities can and should welcome all individual or organisational support for their efforts and work together to ensure that the money gets to the right people as soon as possible. That way, rapid response and trust might be restored for the benefit of all.
Richard Mabala is an educator, poet, and author. He is available at rmabala@yahoo.com or on X as @MabalaMakengeza. These are the writer’s own opinions, and they do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of The Chanzo. Do you want to publish in this space? Contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com for further inquiries.
