THE SHOCKING REALITIES OF SOCIAL CLASSES.

Leah

Feb 2

During the election period, use of social classes was one of the weapons that was utilized especially by the current government, to get into power.

It was a battle against the have and the have-nots. The current government was mostly voted in by a huge percentage of the lower and middle class, reason being they felt seen plus it assured them of a reality from rags to riches. The hustler movement which most prided in.

The dynasties who are the minorities consisting of but not limited to the Moi's, Odinga's and Kenyattas, had to deal with immense criticism and accusation from their opponents in matters regarding their wealth ending up losing their elective seats. Their only mistake was being born into a background of immense wealth.

Ancestry plays a big role in our social-class standing. Being born to privilege or poverty sets the stage for our future schooling, occupation and income.

Today, we dive deep into the 4 social classes while having a meeting with ourselves.

Here are the 4 general social classes.

THE UPPER CLASS

These are the super wealth people in the society. Many members of this class, work as top corporate executives, senior government officials and positions that further enhance their power to shape events in the nations and increasingly the entire world.

Children born into this category, will get into occupations that call for more creativity, since the more resources a family has, the more parents can develop a child's ability and talent. Parents motivate their children to express their individuality unlike in the other classes where there is a great emphasis in taking up jobs that require close adherence to specified rules.

Not only does this category control most of the money, they also benefit from the best schooling, enjoy the best health and get the best out of life. Struggle is not a word that they resonate with.

It is further divided into 2 categories whereby we have the upper-uppers and lower-uppers.

The upper-uppers

This group entails of the super-rich people who have accumulated vast fortunes enabling then to enjoy a lifestyle unimaginable to most people. The easiest way to belong in this group is to be born in a rich family.

Based on research, it has been concluded, while ordinary people may think they can influence government through voting, the real power occurs behind the scenes among members of the upper-upper class. It is estimated that less than 2% of Kenyans comprise of the 'ruling class' that owns 30% of privately held wealth, runs the large corporations and foundations and dominates the government.

As stated by Danston Omari, Uhuru and Raila are two serious international figures and they control 80% of networks globally. According to him, Dr. Ruto is a local president and the likes of Ichungwah, are only known in the kikuyu constituencies.

These families possess enormous wealth which is primarily inherited and partially earned. They inhabit posh neighborhoods and the children attend expensive private secondary schools and complete their formal education in high prestige colleges and universities around the world.

With tradition as a guide, many parents in this category urge their children to seek out partners of their kind so as to sustain the class into another generation.

The lower- uppers

Most of the upper class people belong here. This group seems privileged as upper-upper class but the major difference is that they are the 'working rich' who depend on their earnings rather than inherited wealth as their source of income. In other words, they are self-made.

They are the 'new rich' who can never savor the highest levels of prestige enjoyed by those with these rich and famous grandparents/ parents. Unlike 'old money' families who have accumulated wealth from previous generations such as the Odinga's, Moi's and Kenyatta's, this 'new money' often consists of upstart entrepreneurs who came from humble or middle backgrounds to get to the highest position in the society .

While they still live in big homes and have immense wealth, they are often excluded from the clubs and associations of old-money families. When it comes to power, they have a less-likelihood of influencing decisions on matters to do with international affairs.

In almost every county or town, the upper class own investments and have amassed wealth.

As I shift into talking about the other groups, you ought to notice that the term wealth does not appear anywhere close. It's all about income.

What is wealth? This is the value of everything a person own. Although people from the upper class have high incomes, most of their wealth comes not from income but from financial assets such as real estate, stocks, bonds and investments.

Income- refers to the amount of money a person earns in a given period of time.

THE MIDDLE CLASS

Majority of the people claim they are in the middle class because no one wants to be classified as too rich or too poor.

The upper middles

The family's income is always greater if both the husband and wife are working. High income allows upper-middles to gradually accumulate considerable property such as a comfortable house in a fairly expensive area and several investments to complement their income.

Most of the children attain post graduate degrees and receive college education where they pursue high prestige courses such as (engineering, medicine, accounting or business).

In this class, unlike the upper class who influence national or international events, the upper middle class nonetheless plays an important role in local political affairs.

Average middles

They work in less prestigious white collar occupations such as (secretaries, receptionists, and sales clerks) and middle managers or are highly skilled in blue collar jobs including (electrical work, plumbing or carpentry).

They have a modest standard of living accompanied with struggle here and there. They are likely to generate wealth over the course of their working lives, most in the form of a house and car in absentia of long-term investment. They are likely to be high school graduates but in 4 out of 10 young people in this level, have attended college in less expensive state supported schools. Most parents in this category want their children to have college education although this will most certainly have to be paid for with student loans.

They own a modest house although many live in rental houses.

THE WORKING CLASS

It refers to people who have lower income. More than one person in the family has to work in order to make end meet. Besides generating less income than occupations of the middle class, their jobs yield less personal satisfaction but they search for other jobs. Tasks tend to be routine, requiring discipline but rarely imagination and workers are usually subject to continual supervision.

Parents in this category, marry earlier in life and make less use of birth control therefore ending up having more children than middle-class parents which intensifies the rate of poverty. They also advise their children not to be selective of jobs, as long as it's sustaining them.

This group expresses a great deal of pride in what they do not have especially in comparison to those who are not working at all. They own a home, usually in lower cost neighborhoods.

THE LOWER CLASS

Lack of work and little income renders their lives unstable and insecure. Their jobs are 'dead end' in that years of work are unlikely to lead to promotion or substantially higher income. Their work is probably part-time and high unstable. Even if they are likely to find a full-time job, there is no guarantee that it will be around next month or even next week.

Their children learn early on the harsh realities that people consider them only marginal members of the society. Observing the struggles of their parents, they may see little hope in breaking the cycle of poverty.

This is where we finalize on issues to do with classes. Which class do you belong? Was the article insightful? Reach out to me via email: simplywairimu@gmail.com