The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gaslighting as the psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability and a dependency on the perpetrator.

The dictionary continues to explain that the term gaslighting originated from the title of a 1938 play and the movies based on that play, the plots of which involve a man attempting to make his wife believe that she is going insane. His mysterious activities in the attic cause the house’s gas lights to dim, but he insists to his wife that the lights are not dimming and that she can’t trust her own perceptions.

I ended my column last Monday by saying that following the Gen Z protests the previous week, corporate leaders need Gen Z mentors to help them get a real time understanding of their current and future customers. Then things became hotter last Tuesday and Thursday. Gas flame hot. Conversations on various social media platforms became emotive, passionate and even incendiary. Two debates on two different groups that I am a member of stood out for me. The first, a neighborhood group, had two members of parliament (MPs) who voted yes and were specifically called out for this. One MP hugged a mute tree and remained as silent as a Manchester United fan at a Premier League Recent Winner’s Whatsapp group as the group chatter went on and on about how tone deaf the political class were choosing to be against their constituents. The second MP chose to leap off the self-incriminating cliff with defensive clap backs on why they voted yes, once a video of them speaking in Parliament supporting the controversial Finance Bill was posted on the group. This MP thumped their chest and said they had nothing to apologize for. The abuses that followed sent the second MP to join the first one sitting under the Old Trafford mute tree.

The second debate was on a different group of professional colleagues. Amongst them is a senior public servant who chose to come in and throw a grenade.  Rather than reading the room where there was also much discussion about the reason behind the tax protests, the individual chose to paint a picture of chaos, fear and despondency if the protests, that had started having violent outcomes by this time, didn’t end. The individual did not for a single minute explain the rationale behind the Finance Bill. Not a single minute. Consequently, many of the other group members called the individual out, asking them to remove the rose-tinted glasses and red carpet lined blinkers that were blocking them from seeing what the mood of the nation was. Following the withdrawal of the Finance Bill later that day, nothing has been heard from the individual who likely joined the other MPs sitting under the Old Trafford mute tree.

Members of Parliament post dancing videos on Tiktok, swaying their hips with shiny faces lifted to the Range Rover heavens, thanking their Lexus gods for the far they have come. When called out for the exuberance of their instant coffee wealth, they rubbish the naysayers and call them jealous. They gaslight the public and tell them how a stable country is critical for prosperity and that the new taxes will be good for the country. They look for an evil bogeyman who is pulling the strings of resistance, since Kenyans are unable, neither individually nor collectively, to see wanton wastage and blatant corruption.

We get it, dear public servants. We get it completely. You know better than us what is good for us. You know what good governance looks like from the third floor of your newly purchased Karen villas. You rush to give us good governance as your chase cars run us off the road, with the ubiquitous dour faced bodyguard pointing an ashen walkie talkie holding wrist at us for daring to share the same tarmac that you do.

You have set world class governance standards from all the international benchmarking you have done and would have continued to do in the quadrupled parliamentary travel budget that the Finance Bill had set. We remain in stupefied awe of your brilliance as you attempt to gaslight us into a chaos-led submission. What a sad time for Kenya. What a sad time for our children, the heirs of your prosperity legacy.

Twitter/X:@carolmusyoka

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