Sometimes back while attending an event I heard a moral
story that I believe holds true. The story goes that When God created the world
he promised to be fair to all nations. He gave the Arabs very harsh
environments. They live in deserts with little or no rain. Their land is not
arable and therefore cannot farm. But God in His wisdom gave them the black
gold i.e. oil. For a moment think of Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Brunei without
oil. European nations also suffer from extreme climate conditions and infertile
lands but He gave them very hardworking populace. When God created Kenya, other
nations protested that it was not fair for Kenya to have a very conducive
climate, very fertile lands and a very hardworking citizenry. God replied “you
think so? Wait and see the kind of leadership I would give them”
As a country we suffer from chronic leadership failures that
have put us miles behind our peers. Immediately after independence, Kenya was
in the league of Malaysia and the other so called Asian tigers. As a result of 5
decades of poor and ineffective leadership we are worlds apart now. What do you
expect when leadership is based on tribal numbers and “it is our turn to eat” mentality?
The world over respected members of the society i.e. businessmen, corporate heads,
religious leaders and academics set the agenda for politicians. Politicians
never lead but merely implement the wishes of the people. In Kenya the reverse
is true. The politicians set their own selfish agenda and we all follow them
blindly. For us Raila is demi-god and infallible. If he says it, that is it. You
will hear even the top most academicians saying “yes baba”. Others think Uhuru
was anointed by God to lead. To them it is either Uhuru or not at all. Uhuru
and Ruto are bigger than the other 42 million of us.
We currently suffer from two phenomena that have torn the
fabric of so many nations apart; Tribalism as well as outside interferences. Tribalism
is so entrenched that you don’t need to ask one for his or her opinion. You just
need to ask for their names. You can easily tell where Abdi, Kamau, Atieno,
Kiprono or Wafula stands politically. If you must hear their opinions, just
visit face book, twitter or any mainstream media or blog. You may lose the
little hope left in you. We are also likely to become the punching bag in the
fight between the west and the east. China is courting us while the west feels
like a jilted lover. No country has survived American interference without
civil strife.
As a country we have crossed the red line on our tribal affiliations.
We have not opened our eyes to realize that all the countries surrounding us
are in strife because of the cancer of tribalism. Look at South Sudan, a
country that is barely out of its baby steps has plunged into civil war. Look
at Somalia, 23 years of bloodshed and still counting. Look at Rwanda, one month
of orgy killings left over a million dead. Do we have to experience to learn anything?
The human toll is unimaginable. Let us
format our minds and know that tribe is only for identification and has no
other value.
The president of the Republic of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta has
crossed the red line. He swore to uphold the constitution and protect all Kenyans
but Kenyans are now at the mercy of “unknown gunmen”. Carjacking, cold blood murders and massacres
have become the norm. The wildlife is not spared either. Poachers are having a field
day with our elephants and rhinos. They are crying for help before they become
extinct. Instead of taking decisive actions as the commander in chief, our
president has resorted to prime time adverts to scare away criminals and keep
the country safe. 50 innocent lives are lost in a single night of terror and
the president has the temerity to stand before the nation and tell us the killings
were done by politicians before making even a single arrest. He talks the talk
and never walks the walk. Class one pupils are still waiting for laptops while
he has paid the Anglo leasing ghosts. He wants to be creditworthy to fraudsters
but not to Kenyans. I see him always having fun giggling while Kenyans are
mourning. He thinks his fights with the West and ICC and Raila will deliver the
pledges he made to Kenyans. He is more of a tribal president than a symbol of
unity for Kenyans.
Raila has crossed the red line. His calls for a revolution
do not augur well for a bitterly divided nation. The popularly held belief that
he was in the USA to take briefs from his masters may seem probable if he
continues in his current trend. His troops have failed to bring any better
alternative for Kenyans. He needs to understand that opposition to him is not
treasonable. It is not a must that he becomes president. Elections are over. Give
us peace of mind.
Ole Lenku has crossed the red line. He is the epitome of
incompetence. It seems he cherishes the benefits and perks of being a CS but
has no clue about the responsibility placed upon his shoulders. He looks
intimidated by his juniors the likes of Karangi,Gichangi and Kimaiyo. He can’t
tell the difference between a bomb and a burning mattress. Not knowing what you
are set to do is not a crime but being adamant on doing what you don’t know is
a crime and that is where he has crossed the line. He should not wait for Kenyans
to eject him but resign with the little honor still left in him.
The cantankerous politicians have crossed the red line. Parliament
and the senate have always been the theaters of the absurd. They attend en mass
debates on trivial issues but fail to make a quorum for crucial bills in the
house. They have spent two full years in supremacy battles that benefit none.
They impeach those that seem to be performing but leave the likes of Ole Lenku
scot free. They divide to rule by pitting one tribe against the other.
Religious leaders have crossed the red line. They have
abdicated their role of guiding their flocks. You can’t tell them apart from
the crooked politicians. When they are not fomenting religious hatred, they
play the tribal card.
When Ole Lenku blurt ed that Raila has crossed the red line
he may as well have been talking to all of us. He has crossed more red lines
than all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment