Ruth Bubi

[Sizwe SikaMusi @SizweLo]

People defend capitalism because they confuse it with commerce. They believe “capitalism” is when people start businesses and sell things.

If people understood that the thing they call capitalism and love so much is actually just commerce and that it’s not the same thing as capitalism, they would feel very different.

This is because a local baker selling bread, a mechanic fixing cars, or an artisan selling wares on a digital storefront is a sign of commerce in a market economy, which is simply a mechanism for exchanging goods and services based on supply and demand.

Needless to say, this has existed for thousands of years before capitalism was created.

As economic historian Fernand Braudel pointed out, commerce and capitalism are not only distinct; but historically, they have often operated at cross-purposes.

According to Braudel, ordinary commerce is competitive and transparent, while capitalism is anti-competitive and deliberately opaque, making it a zone of privilege held by a small elite who bend the rules in their favour.

Braudel further argues that commerce, or the market, is horizontal, transparent, and competitive and as old as civilization itself. It involves individuals or small groups trading goods, where barriers to entry are low, no single player dominates, and profit is a reward for fulfilling a specific need.

Capitalism, meanwhile, is a specific institutional arrangement that emerged relatively recently in human history, around the 16th to 17th centuries. It is NOT just people “trading stuff”. It is instead the legal and financial system where the means of production are privately owned, and the primary objective is the continuous, infinite accumulation of capital.

Because of this accumulation-obssessed nature of capitalism, when it scales up, it seeks to eliminate the free play of commerce to protect its investments. True market competition is risky for massive capital as it drives prices down and threatens profit margins.

Braudel contended that capitalism only begins where commerce ends. It is the zone of high finance and state collusion. Because it operates across vast distances such as the 17th-century spice trade, information takes months to travel, which creates a deliberate lack of transparency.

Braudel noted that the great capitalists of the early modern era in Madeira and Venice or the Dutch East India Company, never wanted to compete in a fair, transparent market because competition slices profit margins to the bone. Instead, they secured royal charters, exclusive trading rights, and naval protection. At the same time, the state granted them legal monopolies, effectively outlawing competition.

Therefore, capitalism naturally trends toward creating monopolies and securing state interventions like bailouts, subsidies, and regulatory capture to shield itself from the very market forces it claims to champion. In fact, the most important takeaway from Braudel’s analysis is that capitalism is NOT the natural evolution or the highest form of the free market, it is its dark shadow.

So, when our lizard overlords use “free market” and “capitalism” interchangeably, they’re deliberately hiding this distinction and using the moral legitimacy of the hard-working, transparent business owner to defend the structural privileges of the protected financial elite and its regulatory capture.

If ordinary people could comprehend these distinctions, many self-described “capitalists” would realise they are just pro-commerce, and actually anti-capitalist, because it would be clear that defending “capitalism” means defending the right of a small parasite class to bypass the market entirely.

[Ademba Allans @Ademba_47]

This is 2024. This young photographer from Kibra had to put his gear aside to rescue this elderly lady. Big shout-out to Mohamed. Kenyans will always show up for Kenyans.

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

@Safaricom_Care @SafaricomPLC I am begging for a service I have paid for...over 24 hours later...no solution just being told that you are working on it...

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

@Safaricom_Care Still no solution...

[AmyLouWho @perseverare1776]

Truly, beautiful…
Window washers at a Children’s Hospital dress up as superheroes and scale down the hospital windows so sick kids who can’t go trick-or-treating can enjoy it. There’s more…
Sometimes people amaze me 😍

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

@Safaricom_Care @SafaricomPLC my home internet a/c -11161601 has been off and I am being taken round in circles by calling and following up with 400...they keep saying give it an hour from like 8am...

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

#FreeNdianguiKinyagia

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

@KettleBeard Heard you live and clear!!!

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

Crime Scene

[Eric @amerix]

KENYANS,

Do you know that Kenya has a petroleum parastatal known as The National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK)?

(https://t.co/YL5sarrlle)

It was established in 1981 to provide affordable petroleum products, eg, fuel, lubricants, and gas to government departments, parliament, judiciary, airports, and even citizens.

It was established to cushion citizens from the corporate greed of private petroleum companies and importers.

But what did politicians do?

They looted NOCK, stalled it, and destroyed it so that they could give government tenders to their private companies.

They even sold a portion of NOCK's national assets to Rubis without the approval of parliament.

This is the same template they have done with NHIF.

Loot and destroy.

In 5 years, Kenyans will be at the mercy of private hospitals. SHIF/SHA will collapse, and you will see an emergence of so many 3rd party medical insurance agents.

Right now as we speak, patients are being told to pay cash to receive medical services in public hospitals.

It doesn't matter if you are an influencer, content creator, comedian, or musician who is afraid to speak because you think your brand will die.

If you don't stand up for our country, we will become vagabonds.

So, where will you get an audience if all your followers and listeners become vagabonds?

Speak up for them.

Stand with your followers!

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

@al_kenyaairway Hi,they had said they would get back and it had been 1 and a half hours now

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

@Olive729311 Hi I have already DMd this and haven't gotten a way forward

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

@al_kenyaairway I already DMd KQ...though I've not yet been sorted. A representative called me like an hour ago - they are yet to get back on the way forward. Who do I talk to?

[Faith Kipyegon, EGH🇰🇪 @Kipyegon_Faith]

This was the most beautiful finish to an emotional and incredible Paris Olympics for me.

Thank you for your support and engagement. 💝🙏
God bless Kenya 🇰🇪.

[Prism Narrator @prismnarrator]

Eliud Kipchoge bows out of the Marathon race and gives out his historic shoes to the spectators.

You are Legend and 🐐.

🇰🇪 is proud of you.

[Maina Kageni @ItsMainaKageni]

Champions aren't defined by a single race, but by their legacy. Eliud Kipchoge, you've shown us what it truly means to break barriers. Your journey from humble beginnings to shattering the 2-hour marathon to inspiring millions worldwide is the real victory.

The Paris course may have been brutal, but your spirit remains unbroken. You've taught us that limits are just illusions, and that true greatness lies in pushing beyond what seems possible.

To the man who redefined human potential, we say thank you. Your race isn't over; it's just changing course.

Congratulations to Benson Kipruto for bringing home the bronze! 🇰🇪 Kenya's spirit of excellence lives on!

Here's to the next chapter of your inspiring journey! Thank you #EliudKipchoge

#ParisOlympics #TeamKenya #NoHumanIsLimited #Legend #Legacy @EliudKipchoge

[Too Early For Birds @tooearly4birds]

Hey everyone,
Here's a short re-cap of the Mboya show we held last weekend.

Which was your favorite part? Please let us know in the comments 😁

[Ruth Bubi @RuthBubi]

❤️

[Dami’ Adenuga @DAMIADENUGA]

He must be the happiest dad now🥹

[Okiya Omtatah Okoiti @OkiyaOmtatah]

The Court appeal agrees with our petition and invalidates the entire FY 2023/24 finance bill in its entirety

[Shakira Wanjira Naliaka Wafula @fit_ermined]

Went to visit the artists behind the exquisite ‘Nitoe babaa’ mural. The IRL experience is just beyond words I can use. Thank you @bankslaveone for keeping the fire ignited.

#RutoMustGo #RejectNewCSs

[Business Daily @BD_Africa]

US-developed walkie-talkie-like app Zello posted record downloads in Kenya at the height of the youth-led protests, hitting highs of 40,000 between June 17 and June 25 as Gen Z sought to dodge scrutiny during the mobilisation and coordination.
https://t.co/Euaku345p7