A Kenyan the other day was trying to explain the precepts of Kenyan business to me, abou the concern for making money and especially easy money. This is why crime and corruption are easy to find here because the easy way out is accepted, shortcuts are rewarded and society suffers. What about the average Joe that lives his live as honestly as possible? The businesses that he works at in both the formal and informal economy suffer because of these shortcuts. The opportunities available dwindle because of the reward of shortcuts and these opportunities in the slums of Nairobi are already small enough.
The old biblical quote of “give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life” does not take these limits into account. While the lesson from this of empowerment and self-reliance is important, it does not talk about resources available and competition. In the slums of Nairobi, opportunity for everyone is limited. Moments of creativity and innovation certainly happen, such as the revolutionary M Pesa system which transfers money over mobile phones. But the economic system that separates the developed and developing worlds shows that when rich people gain opportunities, the poor suffer.
Part of the problem with opportunity is the amount of competition between people to grab their piece of the pie. Going back to the ‘teach a man to fish’ quote, this type of action is hard when fifty people are competing for the same fish. An example of this occurred when my three fellow Waterloo students and I went to the tourist hotspot Masai Market to purchase gifts for friends back home. These people’s livelihoods come from selling items, from jewelry to paintings, to rich tourists coming through Nairobi. At one point, I literally had two men arguing who was third and fourth in line to take me to their stall and try to sell me their wares. I also daily pass multiple identical stalls selling the same items, from vegetables to clothes. Some vendors would later go home that day and tell their family that they did not make enough and they would need to tighten their belts for a week. This is counteracted by other vendors that did well with what was bought and might raise themselves out of the slums. But in Kenya I am seeing far more separation than balance.
An example of this separation is the big companies that have factories in an industrial area near my place. Products as diverse as Goodyear tires and Sara Lee cakes are made by locals to serve all of East Africa. The profits of these companies go to the West while the workers return to their families in their dirty homes in the slums. These employees are not being taught how to fish as much as working in a machine that creates special fish that they will never use or eat. Can an answer be the idea of sustainable livelihoods and more people living within their means and the means of their environment? The inhabitants of the slums need to set attainable goals for their businesses and work together to achieve balance. Yet, so much of the competition is ruthless and puts the individual first. How do we get Nairobi and its three million inhabitants to care for each other at all class levels? How can business be used to protect humans rather than benefit some while exploiting others? Maybe more important than teaching others how to fish is ensuring that the world we live in has enough fish for everyone.
