SAM’S SENSE: Are we too young to lead?
The preamble of the Constitution of Kenya
acknowledges, "those who heroically struggled to bring freedom and justice
to our land." We take pride in "our ethnic, cultural and religious
diversity", and state that we are, "determined to live in peace and
unity as one indivisible sovereign nation."
But, do we remember what it took to get to the
Constitution of Kenya 2010?
Over the past few weeks and months, the
country's leadership has treated the nation to a theatre of divisive politics.
They spew hatred, incitement and character assassination draped in unnecessary
anger and excitement.
And so in my inaugural sense I wonder, just
how young are our leaders. Young, not in their ages; but young in the sense of
their comprehension of our contextual realities, our history, our culture and
overall, their grasp of the burden of leadership.
You see when one is young, they can be
excused for many things. It has to take an adult to remind them sometimes if
not most, when to eat, bathe or sleep. But when they mature, it is expected of
them like the holy Book says in 1st Corinthians 13:11: “When I became a man, I
put the ways of childhood behind me.”
Kenya turns 60 in a few months. Most of our
leaders were born post -independence; over 90 per cent of Kenyans are younger
than the republic based on the 2019 census.
But I still ask, is Kenya and her people too
young to learn?
Our history is stained by the big scar of the
year 2007/2008 when post-election violence claimed over 1,000 lives and displaced
over half a million others. Some have never returned to their land.
This is our history however dark it may be.
We cannot be too young to forget this 15 years later. It took that violence and
death to bring leaders together and birth a new constitution.
But a document of 264 articles can only do so
much to guide our actions. Those in leadership bear a higher responsibility by
dint of their oath of office to breathe life to our supreme law.
It is now part of our history that it is
during the presidency of William Ruto that the property of a former president
was invaded, vandalised, animals stolen and sold for pennies, trees felled and
stolen before being torched.
It was during the time of Raila Odinga as the
defacto leader of the opposition that post-election activities, seven months
after a general election, threw the country close to the brink.
It was during the 13th Parliament that
elected Members of Parliament left the comfort and facilitation of the August Houses,
to openly incite the masses, later claimed to have been taken out of context.
These are not proud moments.
If we are to realize any path to sanity
through parliament, Leaders of Majority Kimani Ichung’wah and Senator Aaron
Cheruiyot, and their Minority side counterparts Opiyo Wandayi and Senator
Stewart Madzayo, are the persons that must facilitate it, at least for now. Leadership
is a privilege that comes with responsibility.
“Much will be required of the person
entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted
with more.” says the book of Luke.
To the country’s leaders elected and
non-elected, in government and in the opposition; they will be held to a higher
standard.
In February 2014 while on assignment in South
Sudan, I met General Chol Biel, in Bor town of Jonglei state. At the time there
had been mass killings, I saw a mass grave of about 500 bodies, of citizens
murdered in the war.
General Biel told me, and I quote, “if you
are fighting, are you going to rule trees (or) grass? It is people that you are
really pushing to the war that you are going to rule.” End of quote. Ten years
on, South Sudan is yet to recover from the civil strife that sparked in
December 2013. They are stuck.
Well, we may never and I hope we never get
there, but there is no assurance that we cannot. It will take mature leadership
to inspire confidence in the people, to speak hope and find solutions to
challenges that humanity faces today and will face in the future.
If that is not done, fewer and fewer citizens
will participate in future elections. Democracy shall lose its meaning, and
leaders, their relevance.
Want to send us a story? SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp 0743570000 or Submit on Citizen Digital or email wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a Comment