Kenyans on social media have expressed their anger over the government’s plan to honour late politician Ronald Ngala with a statue.
In a tender advert published in the local dailies, the National Museum of Kenya (NMK) announced that it’s in a process of procuring the services of an artist, who will design the life-size bronze sculpture, that will be a permanent reminder of the achievements and contributions of Ronald Ngala to the nation.
According to the state corporation, the statue will be erected along Ronald Ngala Street, Nairobi city.
“The sculpture is envisaged as a dynamic statue showing a recognizable likeness to Ronald Ngala and conveying through stance a heroic presence,
“It is anticipated to be an imposing, powerful and engaging pose of Ronald Ngala with his right hand lifted up, ” it adds.
However, netizens, who saw the post, criticized the government saying its priorities are misplaced.
Why does Nairobi need a Ronald Ngala statue??? Beatrice Marshall wondered.
Why does Nairobi need a Ronald Ngala statue??? https://t.co/AiEg8ZS725
— Beatrice Marshall (@BmarshallCGTN) September 18, 2019
Some opined that some people in government are keen at using such projects to embezzle the taxpayers’ money.
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This, a tweep identified as Gabriel Oguda, noted that the same people had refused to renovate the Tom Mboya statue that recently put the government on the spot over negligence.
“Here we go again. Just when you thought the government would allocate cash to renovate the Tom Mboya statue that’s been an eyesore for years, they’re instead planning to construct another statue. No one wants to handle small money anymore – the bigger the cow, the fatter the meat, ” Oguda said.
https://twitter.com/gabrieloguda/status/1174193639100207105?s=20
Blogger Robert Alai stated that the government should have directed the money to other much-needed services such as solving the unemployment crisis infrastructure and healthcare.
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“Ronald Ngala statue in a country where kids are homeless, youth are jobless, road coverage is poor, hospital admission personnel are like “M-pesa lady”, security starts with the weapon owners etc……Another statue. President Uhuru is presiding over a very INCOMPETENT govt, ” said blogger Robert Alai.
Ronald Ngala statue in a country where kids are homeless, youth are jobless, road coverage is poor, hospital admission personnel are like "m-pesa lady", security starts with the weapon owners etc……
Another statue. President Uhuru is presiding over a very INCOMPETENT govt pic.twitter.com/W09TfuA4uY
— Robert ALAI, HSC (@RobertAlai) September 18, 2019
“First address the plight of the others already done. Or you have already made a budget for it, budgeted theft, ” Daudi Muya said.
Another user said, “We demand for something they give us what we don’t want . Imagine this was Java or Kempinski would you eat Cake when you have clearly ordered for Chicken biryani. #CallTheManager right now . #whatIsthis .”
“Tragic. Their world is fantasy & comedy, as the gorge themselves on public coffers! They can manage what the Mzungu left or what their predecessors, created! Race to oblivion, creating “self-made” millionaires!” said Otieno AJ.
Ngala, a late politician from the coastal region, was the leader of the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU) from its creation in 1960 until its dissolution in 1964.
He was among the leaders at the Lancaster House Conference in which the pre-independence Constitution was drafted in the early 1960s.
After independence, he served as Minister of Cooperatives and Social Services in the President Jomo Kenyatta government.
He died in a road accident on December 12, 1972, aged 49.
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