Since the European set foot on African land, they have been advocating for family planning among Africans. This is mainly because African population is growing exponentially, and it was aimed to slow down the population growth. According to them, this was and is still important because overpopulation puts pressure on the environment, economy and on some vital services like education, transport and healthcare. Furthermore, due to the whistling poverty in Africa, family planning is aimed to ensure a family only gets a number of offsprings that it can comfortably provide basic needs for, and take care of.
Last week, two events took place during the burial of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's brother, the late Jack Rerani Gachagua which forms basis of this conversation. First, it was Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua himself. In his burial speech, DP Gachagua implored Kenyans to have as many children as they wish, who he said were investments for the future. DP Rigathi Gachagua lamented that during his time, the white men lied to Africans to get a few children and he too, fell for the "foolish" idea and in turn, he only have two sons up to date! Now, he said, he regrets why he did not get more children. The second in command proceeded to give an example of their larger Gachagua family, seven siblings who were brought up by 'peasant farmers' and all ended up in University, now living soft lives.
The second event was about Wangui. About five minutes after Rigathi Gachagua's speech, President William Ruto took to the podium. Shortly after President Ruto began his speech, a middle aged woman dashed towards him in the podium, rolling herself on the ground before the dignitaries and VIPs, wailing and shouting for help from the president himself. Efforts from the presidential security detail to calm down the woman proved futile. Normalcy was only restored after First Lady Rachael Ruto had a conversation with the woman.
According to the Standard media, the lady who was later identified as Lucy Wangui Gichohi from Mathira in Nyeri County had attended the burial with one mission: to catch President Ruto's attention and plead with him to help her with four hundred thousand Kenyan shillings. Wangui said the money was to help her son who works as a tout in Nyeri town to travel to the United States of America where he was to report for a casual job.
"He has a family of three, two children in secondary school and one in Primary. Life to my son has been a living hell. When his cousin got him the opportunity to work as a casual laborer in the United States, I had to assist him process the travel documents and his air ticket", narrated Wangui in an interview. Wangui, who was strategically seated, was so near to the president that her voice was being picked by the microphone of the choir who were in the front seat.
This got me thinking, if Wangui's son had as many children as he wished, what would the situation be like? If with only three children his life was a "living hell", what if he had let's say seven or more children? I believe one should have a number of children he or she can comfortably take care of. It is a high time we move from the mentality of seeing children as investments of the future. I see no need of siring numerous offsprings, only for them to suffer miserably under the sun in the name of investment for the future.
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