The greatest problem that have continued to vitiate the minds of most Kenyans is the mentality that you can become a leader just because your father was a ruler.
Kindly allow me to give you a perfect analogical example that will help you understand my conscious force of reason. The bible says; 'Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.' Mark 10:9
This is a scripture whose objective is to warn a third party from disintegrating a marriage joined by God. These scriptures notwithstanding, what we fail to understand is that ; not all marriages are joined by God.
The above scenario is applicable when it comes to leadership. Times without number I have heard people say that we shouldn't raise a finger to our leaders since they are appointed by God. In the same manner that some marriages aren't joined by God, not all leaders are appointed by God. That's why the ones that aren't appointed by God are so insensitive to humanity as they rule us with an iron fist instead of exercising servanthood-leadership on us.
In my motherland to be precise, most of the so called leaders are just but rulers who are power drunken with a sole objective of feeding their insatiable greed. Their quest for leadership has nothing to do with improving the lives and livelihoods of the ordinary people but a golden opportunity to enrich themselves through the taxpayer's money. That's why becoming a politician in Kenya is a matter of life and death. In the words of Michela Wrong, 'it's our turn to eat.'
When the founding father of our neighboring country Tanzania, the late mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere said that Kenya is a man eat man nation, he was right. And when Josiah Mwangi Kariuki popularity known as JM said that Kenya is a nation of 10 millionaires and 10 million beggars, he too was right.
Getting back to our neighbor Tanzania, we have a lot to learn from them. After the fierce struggle that liberated Tanzania from colonialism on 9th December 1961, as a true leader, mwalimu Julius Nyerere took an initiative of uniting the 120 tribes in Tanzania to one united nation. Today, despite having 120 tribes, Tanzania is an enthicity free country. On the other hand, unlike most of the African presidents, he never saw the need of clinging onto power. In 1985, he relinquished his post voluntarily saying that he was paving way for new leadership and new ideologies. To this day, neither his children, nor the children of the other four presidents who came after him have ever run for presidency in Tanzania.
This is a valid proof that leadership isn't a matter of inheritance but a divine calling that must be nurtured and proven through a track record of servanthood that changes people's lives and livelihoods way before running for a public office. Although we have previously made a mistake of perceiving leadership to be an inheritance and voted the wrong people into leadership positions, kindly let's not repeat this costly mistake again. Once bitten twice shy.
If Tanzanian is a far distance to learn from, we can learn from Mwai Kibaki who was the 3rd president of our beloved motherland and so far the very best president that Kenya have ever had. This is a great man who came from a humble background and greatly changed the economy of Kenya to a middle income economy within five years of his presidency.
It's very unfortunate that we have eyes but we don't see, ears but we don't hear. Failed leadership cannot be salvaged by BBI. Unless we become true to ourselves, we will continue to change our constitution instead of changing our mindset. Likewise, we will continue to vote more politicians to power instead of demanding the present ones to serve us efficiently and effectively.
"Every Kenyan man, woman and child is entitled to a decent and just living. That is a birthright. It is not a privilege." Even though these true words of JM may have costed his life, hitherto, we have no choice but to speak true to power. As we come closer to the 2022 general elections, my question remains; will you vote a leader with a track record of serving Kenyans relentlessly or will you vote a son or a daughter of a former someone? Although the choice is all yours, kindly be informed that choices have consequences.
The above scenario is applicable when it comes to leadership. Times without number I have heard people say that we shouldn't raise a finger to our leaders since they are appointed by God. In the same manner that some marriages aren't joined by God, not all leaders are appointed by God. That's why the ones that aren't appointed by God are so insensitive to humanity as they rule us with an iron fist instead of exercising servanthood-leadership on us.
In my motherland to be precise, most of the so called leaders are just but rulers who are power drunken with a sole objective of feeding their insatiable greed. Their quest for leadership has nothing to do with improving the lives and livelihoods of the ordinary people but a golden opportunity to enrich themselves through the taxpayer's money. That's why becoming a politician in Kenya is a matter of life and death. In the words of Michela Wrong, 'it's our turn to eat.'
When the founding father of our neighboring country Tanzania, the late mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere said that Kenya is a man eat man nation, he was right. And when Josiah Mwangi Kariuki popularity known as JM said that Kenya is a nation of 10 millionaires and 10 million beggars, he too was right.
Getting back to our neighbor Tanzania, we have a lot to learn from them. After the fierce struggle that liberated Tanzania from colonialism on 9th December 1961, as a true leader, mwalimu Julius Nyerere took an initiative of uniting the 120 tribes in Tanzania to one united nation. Today, despite having 120 tribes, Tanzania is an enthicity free country. On the other hand, unlike most of the African presidents, he never saw the need of clinging onto power. In 1985, he relinquished his post voluntarily saying that he was paving way for new leadership and new ideologies. To this day, neither his children, nor the children of the other four presidents who came after him have ever run for presidency in Tanzania.
This is a valid proof that leadership isn't a matter of inheritance but a divine calling that must be nurtured and proven through a track record of servanthood that changes people's lives and livelihoods way before running for a public office. Although we have previously made a mistake of perceiving leadership to be an inheritance and voted the wrong people into leadership positions, kindly let's not repeat this costly mistake again. Once bitten twice shy.
If Tanzanian is a far distance to learn from, we can learn from Mwai Kibaki who was the 3rd president of our beloved motherland and so far the very best president that Kenya have ever had. This is a great man who came from a humble background and greatly changed the economy of Kenya to a middle income economy within five years of his presidency.
It's very unfortunate that we have eyes but we don't see, ears but we don't hear. Failed leadership cannot be salvaged by BBI. Unless we become true to ourselves, we will continue to change our constitution instead of changing our mindset. Likewise, we will continue to vote more politicians to power instead of demanding the present ones to serve us efficiently and effectively.
"Every Kenyan man, woman and child is entitled to a decent and just living. That is a birthright. It is not a privilege." Even though these true words of JM may have costed his life, hitherto, we have no choice but to speak true to power. As we come closer to the 2022 general elections, my question remains; will you vote a leader with a track record of serving Kenyans relentlessly or will you vote a son or a daughter of a former someone? Although the choice is all yours, kindly be informed that choices have consequences.
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