Something very special is happening in Tanzania after their most recent election. Our Southern neighbour got a new president called John Pombe Magufuli from the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in spite of there being serious competition from the opposition for the first time since independence.
When the new president was inaugurated, he immediately swung into action as his election tagline "hapa kazi tu" promised. On his first day on the job he visited the Muhimbini National Hospital, their national referral hospital equivalent to our Kenyatta Hospital, and found patients sleeping on the floor with equipment that was not working. He immediately fired the management of the hospital and within days the available equipment was fixed. He followed this quickly buy stripping down his inauguration party and insisted the excess monies for the event be used to buy beds for patients at Muhimbini Hospital.
As we were just recovering from this magnanimous act, more reports started filtering in of his work from the Southern border. This all-action hero president had gone all out to ensure his government cut out excessive spending. Thus he was cancelling foreign trips for all levels of government, putting an end to seating allowances and ending retreats when there were offices available. Then the biggest story came through as he cancelled elaborate celebrations for Uhuru Day, the country's Independence Day. He instead instructed that the money planned for the fete be used for cleaning the country - he didn't see the need for celebrating when people were suffering from cholera.
was a revolution at our doorstep, nothing like our dynamic duo turned world travelling selfie presidency that we have got used to here. While our president seemed to be having problems with cutting back on excesses in his administration, we as individuals can try and do things in our own lives to channel our 'inner Magufuli'. This is by stating aloud: "What would Magufuli do?" whenever one is about to embark in a course of action that will affect our financial lives and asking ourselves like some do for a popular religious figure.
The first step this saving cash crusade has to start with our families as this is where we spend a huge proportions of our income on. Let's start with these graduations for young kids who are leaving kindergarten and are now going to 'big school' for the first time in November. In days gone by, this transition wouldn't be heard of because it was a cost that no parent in their right mind could have invested in. After all kids are known not to remember these things at older ages anyway. Today social media channels are filled with parents hosting more and more elaborate events for these kids in their mini graduation gowns which just won't do in these austerity friendly days. What would Magufuli do in such a situation then? Following his lead you would insist that on finishing kindergarten, all a child would expect is a favoured meal cooked by one parent and a handshake or hug from their other parent. The monies saved would be invested in the child's primary and high school education.
It's not just the kids who will be enjoying the new austerity measures as even the significant other will also be feeling the heat of the "hapa kazi tu" mantra. Gone from the family calendar are ostentatious spending habits for both her birthday and your wedding anniversary to save hundreds of thousands of shillings. What is the use of people having expensive gifts when there are husbands suffering from the burden of paying for it all?
One of the most important ways of ensuring one's 'inner Magufuli' is channeled, is cancellation of external drinking done by husbands to cut down on huge family budgets. This means that henceforth, drinking at places with fancy names ending in "lounge" or "Bistro" will be removed from the lexicon while using taxis at night will be banned. Instead the method will be buying drinks from the supermarket at as close as recommended retail prices as possible while drinking at home will be employed.
With these methods you can be sure to find a more conducive home budget for the income that is earned therein. However, knowing the way Nairobians operate, these reforms will quickly end when the child of the wannabe Magufuli starts wailing about them needing their kindergarten graduation party. It will go so badly that the budget won't go down as hoped but triple, leaving the family living in debt.
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