If we heeded the words of our political leaders, that
religious leaders are as guilty as everybody else and therefore have no moral
authority to seek accountability from the politicians, then we would have to
wait for a long time before we cleanse the rot in our churches, mosques and
temples before we take on the bigger and fatal situation in our political
sphere.
Kenya has undergone tremendous challenges over the last few
years and it is the resilience of the people of Kenya that has kept this nation
on its feet. Let us for a moment celebrate the real heroes of Kenya; the men,
women, boys and girls who in spite of the difficult predicament they have been
put, they have risen and fought.
In the wake of hunger, caused by commission or omission, you
will see Kenyans doing what they can to put food on the table, even if it means
the food is roots and leaves from the bush. They have shared the little they
have among themselves; thousands of people have gone into shops and
supermarkets to buy food for the starving. In places like Kibera and Korogocho
people get to buy sugar, cooking oil and flour in quantities they can afford:
some buy a glass of flour or a quarter of a kilogram of sugar.
When the government and the economy failed to provide jobs
for the hundreds of thousands of the unemployed, they have risen to innovate
ways and means of winning the proverbial bread: Jua Kali artisanship,
innovative business ideas, running errands, creative use of talents and
artistic abilities as well as technologies has resulted in a good number of
Kenyans earning a living, albeit with great amount of struggles thanks to weak
on inexistent support systems.
Since the end of single-party politics in Kenya, every
general election has been accompanied by violence and wanton destruction of
property and livelihood, a situation which has been attributed variously to
political manipulation. Kenyans has indeed risen ultimately to dealing with
this challenge and living together in harmony, only to be manipulated into
anarchy once again when the next electioneering season begins. Even under these
circumstances, like in the case of the Post Elections Violence in 2008, Kenyans
have given out of their poverty to support the displaced; they gave food and
clothes, opened their homes to host the displaced.
There are many more examples, from the humanitarian response
to the bomb attack in Nairobi in 1998, the Nyamakima building collapse in 2006.
Nakumatt and Sach Ang’wan fire disasters to the recent grenade attacks in our
country. In all these cases, Kenyans showed unshaken resilience and diligence
in assisting their follow citizens.
Unfortunately, this power of the Kenyan people is hardly
appreciated. Those who know this power have chosen to manipulate it instead of
harnessing it for the good of the land. It has been said, and it should be said
again: the biggest and the ugliest spot in Kenya’s fabric is the stain of poor
accountability in governance. The government is often a huge monster with
enormous economic and political might, but lacking in a social agenda.
It does seem the governors of Kenya do not know exactly what
to do for Kenyans, yet they have mastered the art of getting Kenyans to do
things for them. Did it ever occur to Kenyans that the power that our political
elite have is something they get from the citizens? They get the money and
other forms of economic power from taxes; they get the political power from the
votes; and they get a following and support – even sycophancy from the masses.
If they get all these from the people, how then can they be
more powerful than the sources of their mandate, legitimacy and authority?
Maybe that is where change must begin. Let the ‘owners’ of power and authority
determine how it is used and by whom. Let the Kenyan citizens determine what
their taxes are used for and what the political posts must achieve. Let the
political master remove his royal robe and wear a garment of service.
When a politician tells off religious leaders for condemning
a rot that has pervaded the whole country, it is an indication of something
having terribly gone wrong. Let the religious leaders do their best to sort out
their challenges; but let them do it as the Heroes of Faith they truly are. For
the restoration and the good of the nation however, do not wait to be righteous
before you fight for righteousness.
The citizens of Kenya must heed the call to recognize that
there are only two tribes in Kenya: the poor and the rich – to be precise those
who are starving right now and those who are not. Justice and healing will come
into this country only when the citizens harness their power and in unity
participate actively in the process of restoration.
Do not wait to be righteous before you fight for
righteousness. Wake up now!
Ends
BY COMMUNICATION OFFICER IVY RONOH.
BY COMMUNICATION OFFICER IVY RONOH.
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