When lawmakers have turned into little boys and girls
Obedient and well mannered
Following the little master’s orders
Finance bill
Yes, sir!
Mambo ni Matatu
Ndio baba!
In absolute service of the burgeoning dictatorship
Defending the insanity of the mad man on top of the hill
When convicted criminals make the laws
When the cost of living is no longer bearable
When the children sleep hungry
When mothers trade their bodies for food
When police are on a killing spree,
Who does this silence serve, really?
When we squeeze in informalized slum
When greedy fools privatize basic needs
When our taps run dry
When they demolish our houses
And beat us while at it, robbing us our dignity,
Who, fellow Kenyans, does this silence serve?
They go to bed with our former colonizers
In broad day light
The red carpet is spread hastily
Mighty king and Queen of Britain here
A dying monarchy there
Wiping the shit on their ass with the collaborators embrace
The commonwealth, they say
Laikipia tells a different tale
The kind that stings at your heart
Subjugation and oppression in your own land
Of women dumped in septic tanks
Of workers overworked and underpaid
Isn’t this our collective story?
I raise my voice and ask again,
Who, does this silence serve?
When homelessness is a societal norm
When street families are no longer an eyesore
When theft of billions is no longer news
When leaders become so bold as to threaten our collective sovereignty
Punitive bills, Mambo ni matatu blurb
When we watch our lands in the hands of the colonizers
Planting flowers and horticultural produce
As we starve in our millions and bear it
When punitive taxes become a lifestyle we embrace
When we hear decree of taxing farmers for their labor
When we sit and watch in shock and despair
Who does the silence serve?
Heck, whose land is this??
Silence is the muscle that gives the monster teeth
Silence is cowardice
Silence is betrayal
Silence is defeat
Silence is loud consent
Silence is in service of the very thing we stand against
Silence is the fear in our belly that we must belch out
For when we lose our fear, their power vanishes
Their light dims out and our collective voice drives out the darkness
So, who does your silence serve?
