The one thing NASA failed to ask their members to boycott and why

Addressing the media, Homabay women Rep Gladys Wanga read the ‘black list’ of companies NRM supports should boycott for allegedly supporting the Jubilee's government.

The three companies are Kenya’s telecommunication giant, Safaricom and all its products including revolutionary Money transfer service Mpesa.

Other are Brookside Dairies, a company owned by President Uhuru Kenyatta's family and Bidco Industries, a manufacturing company owned by Vimal Shah's family which manufactures edible oils among other products.

“Besides frustrating the legitimate dreams and aspirants of Kenyans these companies have the blood of Kenyans in their hands by providing solid backing for the Jubilee regime and platform for rigging of elections, the rigging of elections has led to the deaths of innocent Kenyans shot by police in 2007, 2013 and now 2017” Hon. Wanga said.

What the resistance movement however steered cleared away from and which in my opinion is the real economic boycott is job/work boycott.

Millions of NRM supporters are employed by these very companies that NRM claims have blood in their hands, should NRM supporters then tender their resignation by latest Friday next week?

How can their conscience allowed them to keep working for companies which allegedly took part in ensuring Raila Odinga does not ascent to presidency by rigging elections?

When asked by Pulse Live if indeed NRM supporters should resigned from their jobs in these companies, ODM chairman John Mbadi become evasive.

"You know these are issues that are difficult, those are personal and individual issues and we are not really going into the details of what one does you know in a period of resistance people have to sacrifice so i am not saying they are going to resign that is employment they have a contract, if the company is going to exist still they will be working there but what we are resisting are the products so once the products are resisted maybe the company will not be sustainable" he said.

Attempts to ask him to elaborate further how one could separate products from a company like Mpesa shops and Safaricom yielded no clear answer from the lawmaker.

"We have said we boycott the products so obviously that is the message and when you are in resistance there is no luxury"

These very companies feed and clothe NRM families, these very ‘bloody’ companies keep the lights on in NRM homes, these very companies ensures NRM supporters have money in their pockets to board Matatus to attend the next NASA rally, these very companies ensure NRM supporters have energy to run and dodge teargas canisters’ as they confront the police while calling for reforms.

In July, Safaricom opened its fourth regional headquarter in Kisumu as part of its regionalization strategy aimed at strengthening customer services across the country and employed several residents of Kisumu in the process.

Should Safaricom then close shop since it is going to make losses? Who would dare be seen walking into a Safaricom shop in Kisumu County, an opposition stronghold?

What would happen to hundreds of families in NRM strongholds who operate Mpesa shops, should they close them or let them stay open? Suppose they do stay open, isn’t that cheating isn’t that undermining the movement by defying the economic boycott?

How would NRM supporters face their bosses once these company start making losses because the same staff are boycotting on the very goods and services that pays him/her?

I agree that companies should always strive to be non-partisan since they are only accountable to consumers and not government; their products are consumed across the country in both government and opposition’s strongholds.

However, National Resistance Movement calling for economic boycott alone is not sincere and the idea is half-baked, if the movement is serious about the economic boycott then it needs to bite the bullet and come clear and urge their supporters to also resign from these companies because after all that is their little way of contributing to the call.

Why boycott products alone when you can boycott work too, boycott that damned cheque as well otherwise this may just be another gimmick sure to fail, more so NRM supporters will be forced to deny any links with the movement in order to protect our jobs and keep the roof above their heads.

Interview with NASA resist movement