Floods Havoc: Exposing the Criminal Negligence of Capitalism

News:

Starting 18 April 2024, floods hit Kenya, affecting people in 21 of the 47 counties. The capital city of Nairobi and surrounding areas were particularly affected. The Nairobi River and the Athi River both burst their banks displacing 40,000 people. Over 130,000 are displaced, 91 missing, 29 injured, and 169 have been reported as dead. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid also reported at least 960 livestock and 24 thousand acres of farmland were flooded. The flooding was strengthened in part due to El Niño. In the morning hours of Monday, 29 April 2024, a dam burst by Mai Mahiu, killing an additional 42 people.

Comment:

It is regrettable once again that lives have been lost and properties worth billions reduced to monuments of shame. The truth of the matter, urban flooding has ever become a burden of the poor, especially for the slum dwellers.

What the country is going through right now is what happens when the leadership fails to plan. The continuing tragedy of the floods illustrates the total negligence of not only leadership but the entire democratic political system that has a record on criminal negligence. It is negligence of the highest order for the Government to wait for tragedies to occur then at the peak of disaster seen counting the losses!

Looking at the damage occurring across the country the problem is a dire lack of proper infrastructure. With rampant corruption, road patches that never prevent anything are done on a daily basis where in case of drizzles, such roads turn into impassable rivers! With greedy capitalist mindset both national and county government’s leaders have been giving permits for construction of houses and buildings on riparian and riverine zones.

The flooding and other natural disasters are continually exposing the capitalist regime’s perpetual cycle of mismanagement and complete disregard for their own citizens. This deplorable situation could have not reached into this level if the government was responsible as it would have taken early measures.

Islam as an ideology and a complete way of life defines the responsibility of taking care of the public affairs is primarily upon to the government. The Prophet (saw) said:

«الإِمَامُ رَاعٍ وَهُوَ مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ» “The leader of people is a shepherded and is responsible for his citizens.”

Kenya and the world at large need a profound system i.e. Islam that produces and nurtures leaders who fear Allah (swt) and feel the sense of responsibility as they always know that they will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment. Omar bin Khattab, the second Khalifah after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), who governed the Islamic State once publicly stated: "If a goat were to stumble on the road, I fear that Almighty Allah would certainly account me for failing to repair the road!" If Umar under his leadership was frightened of harming an animal, then imagine how much more fearful was he of seeing people grappling with chilly weather after their houses swept by floods.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Shabani Mwalimu
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Kenya