TRIBALISM-SPEWING MEMBERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA (demographics)

Source: Gado

#UkabilaniUjinga. So goes a twitter hash-tag. Tribalism is stupidity. So can be the translation. Tribalism, according to Hornby S., is a way of behaving in which people are more loyal to their tribe than their friends, their country, or any other social group.  Kenya seems to be contaminated, now more than ever, by a mutant form of olden tribalism which streams furiously on the social media as a wireless tribalism.  Yes, some of us are very alive in the media but we are wiser than that.

Much as we are still nursing heartache wounds due to the March 4th election sequel, we have conceded defeat humbly and moved on with usual life as expected.  What boggles my mind is the rekindled bitter exchange within the social media between the imagined or real loser and winners of the said election. You follow keenly the updates, comments, or the tweets teeming, you cannot fail to see virtual arrows and matchetes hovering over your head.

It is true the wars on facebook walls are a manifestation of our internal bleeding as a nation. We have cosmetically maintained peace but given the right -or wrong- trigger we might end up a 'barbeque' worse than 2007/08.

Being a responsible Kenyan citizen (above 21 years) with Kenya at heart, I sought to find out the rudimentary facts about the people behind the wars in the walls of Facebook and Twitter.  After a choreographed research, the appalling majority were found to come from our tertiary and middle colleges.  Have a look at the demographics:

• 98% of the people throwing up the tribal flummery on social media are from middle-college-age to university-level-age (ie 20—27 years)
• 09% of the lads & lasses spewing the tribal nonsense got lucky scholarship, live in diaspora, vomit back at their countries...
• 97% are still ‘students’ in their colleges, campuses, polytechnics, technical, or universities.
• 97% are not even near the so called ‘Middle-Class’

• 95% own at least one phone; a WAP-enabled phone mostly, others bearing phone-OS.
• 86% still depend on their parents for income/pocket money if HELB is swallowed.
• 82% survive daily on the following:
• Breakfast – Sh.26 (Chai Mandazi Mbili=6+10+10);
• Lunch – Sh.28 (Rice Beans=15+15);
• Supper –Sh.33 (Ugali Beans Sukuma=12+15+6)
• 43% cannot afford two packets of fries from Sonford in tao.
• 87% spend at least 12 hours on facebook or twitter scrolling and ‘thumping’ hogwash.
• 46% have difficulties in studying. Most time spent on facebook thus ending up with preparation of mwakenya to survive exams.
• 15% have just cleared being students ‘pirating’ within hostels (mis)using the free WiFi/hotspots.
• 55% have just cleared being students and stay with friends or relative within Nairobi or its boroughs.
• 63% are still real jobless with only facebook-ing and twitter-ing on phones as main day’s activity.
• 49% are employed as either interns or assistants with a salary of about 22k which gives them too much pride.
• 69% are male and 31% are female.

The numbers here given are absolute truths, observed from facebook accounts of the various juvenile delinquents, and personal views as a well rounded magat.  a young gentle man who works as a consulting engineer by day and a writer by night. All the midnight oil is burnt, believe you me. Jenga nchi, wacha upuzi wa UKABILA. Ukabila ni Ujinga