Kenya's economy is great, the problem is our mindset

I recently overheard a conversation between two elderly men in one of the eateries in Thika that really got me interested and juggled my mind.

The conversation centred around the state of the Kenyan economy and the behaviour of young people whenever they start earning a living.

According to the duo, the Kenyan economy was very healthy but the problem was really on the young people's mindset and their misplaced priorities.

They argued that whenever they started earning, young people rushed to spend their money on consumables instead of investments; They will buy big cars, rent expensive houses, spend most their money on luxuries (beer and expensive but needless trips) as well as living beyond their means so as to impress their peers and prove to them that they had already made it in life.

These wazees also pointed out how the youth exhaust all their resources trying to outdo each other during events such as dowries, weddings and visits to their folks in the village. In the end, they end up living heavily in debts and so dependent on loans so as to "maintain their status.

The stress and disappointments that follow make them lose the value of work. This is where they start blaming everyone for their own mess. They will blame their employers whom they will accuse of paying them "peanuts", the government, the leaders and everyone else that they presume is doing well.

This situation leads them into temptations and they cave into corruption or stealing. Others will turn to betting and gambling as a "quick fix" to salvage what they have lost or "to be as rich" as their peers or maintain their "class".

By bad luck, if they end up losing their jobs (or if their businesses collapse), most of them find themselves without a fallout plan; no savings, no investments .... other than big cars, expensive house rents, designer clothes and such like luxuries that eventually drag them into more depression.

The two seniors concluded that the kind of infrastructure being invested by the government were avenues to untapped opportunities and that if well taken advantage of by the people, could benefit them a lot. They argued that infrastructural development only opened up so many opportunities in the affected area.

In conclusion they said, "If you lose a step in your youth, you will eventually end up in a very miserable old age, trying up hustles that are way out of your age bracket."

Do you agree with these two gentlemen ama wanaona zao?