Mixed reactions after Morara Kebaso asks Kenyans to help him raise Ksh.1.2M for sound system

Fast-rising political activist Morara Kebaso, whose spot-on mimicry of President William Ruto's speeches and political mannerisms has made him wildly popular online, has now decided to broaden his public outreach programmes by investing in a Ksh.1.2 million public address system.

According to Morara, in order to counter the President's failed promises and physically reach as many Kenyans as possible, it is important to invest in a vehicle that is akin to that of the President - as far as addressing huge crowds is concerned.

Taking to his popular X account, Morara has now asked Kenyans to help him raise the said amount to buy some equipment which he will then fit into his vehicle to create a 'campaign-style' mode of transport and public address system, in order to effectively reach the masses and improve his civic education programmes in rural areas.

He wrote: "Dear My Sponsors the People of Kenya. We can do a presidential sound at 1.2M or a middle sound at 838,200. Kindly review the quoted prices and verify if they are within market rate. For the sound system I have already raised 325,000."

"I hope more Kenyans of goodwill will continue giving. As for the vehicle to be fitted with this sound, I still don’t have one but I own an old LR Defender somewhere that doesn’t have a gearbox, I can fix that one tusonge mbele."

He added: "These assets will be used only for purposes of civic education and good governance campaign. I will be organizing caravans where you can join me as we make a combined effort to redeem our country."

In the tweet, which has since been viewed by close to half a million people, Kebaso attached a breakdown of some of the items he needed to purchase, including a generator, front LED lights, mixers, equalisers, signal links and speakers.

Morara's new proposition, however, has not been roundly met with overwhelming support as some Kenyans have expressed their misgivings with his new route, seeing it as an opportunity for the lawyer and furniture trader to siphon monies from the public for his own benefit.

Others have read mischief in the initiative, claiming that, by sourcing for funds, he was therefore not 'genuine' in his activism and was looking to financially benefit from his newfound popularity.

Pro-Morara Kenyans have, however, argued differently, agreeing that, by seeking for financial help, he was demonstrating his willingness to keep up the activism, instead of merely dropping out due to lack of funds.

"You have been pressuring this man to tour the country and bring you reports of government mismanagement. How do you imagine he moves around? Who do you imagine fuels his car? What do you think he eats? Where do you think he sleeps? Touring needs money! You want Morara to work but you are not ready to facilitate his movements! Hypocrites!" one Morara supporter wrote.

Someone else argued: "Morara is not an elected official. He just assumed oversight roles to check this wasteful government. He has been doing it for a month now without needing your help. You've been cheering him all along! How do you think he will continue doing this if his pockets are depleted? Ruto uses hundreds of millions just for one tour!"

Morara's detractors, on their part, claim that there will be no clear method to tell where exactly their funds went and how they've been used, fearing that he may have found an easy route to amass millions while posing as the 'People's Saviour'.

X user @Cynthia_Ke wrote, "Wow! You started without public participation, you can continue without public participation. Don’t take advantage of goodwill from citizens that makes you no different from the politicians. Welcome to politics!"

In his own defense, Morara has now said that he is not afraid of asking for financial help as his conscience was clear while also adding that contributors would soon see the fruit of his labor.

"I am not afraid to ask for financial support because my conscience is clear on how it will be used. So kama unatuma wewe tuma kakitu alafu ngojea matokeo. You will see the fruit of your labour. Let us build the culture of owning our leaders," he wrote. 

He also asked Kenyans to trust him on the matter of publicising his receipts, insisting that he would withhold some information due to safety. 

"Right now they know you own me therefore they can't buy me. Alafu on the issue of accoutability kuna shida kidogo, security. If I share receipts of everywhere we fueled or who sold us the sound etc I will essentially be telling them too. You have one option. Trust me. Just trust me!"

To fund or not to fund activists has been a raging topic online since the heady days of Boniface Mwangi, arguably Kenya's most decorated modern activist.

According to some, activists enter the often risky field to personally enrich themselves and live a lavish life at the expense of the people they appear to agitate so passionately for.

Others, however, still believe that, to effect tangible change and impact communities, activists have to be financially boosted as they dedicate their entire lives to a particular cause, sometimes, even dipping into their own dented pockets to send a message across.

"In the US, Kamala Harris raised half a billion dollars in just weeks from ordinary Americans interested in her campaign. People chipping in $10, $20. If we form a habit of personally funding the leaders we want, then we won't end up with the self-funded leaders we don't want!" another X user pointed out.