I am deeply concerned about the state of affairs in this beautiful country-Kenya. Particularly the social ills that have bedeviled our society namely corruption, hooliganisms, senseless killings, immorality, fights amongst communities, destruction of environment and property to highlight just a few. These problems are there because of human failures; individual failures-one man at a time, one action at a time failures. What has become of our country?
How will this nation look like twenty years from now? What would we love to see? What kind of enduring country do we want to build for our children in generations to come? On what principles? How should we operate it? What guidelines and mechanisms should we put in place to give us the kind of country we envision? What do we stand for as a people? What is it that defines our enduring character?
These are not questions that should be taken lightly. We need to intensely examine ourselves in order to respond appropriately and be able to single out what we aspire to become, to achieve, to create and why we exist as a nation. Our social identity must transcend beyond political parties, tribe, individual leaders and more importantly provide the bonding glue that holds us together.
We must bear in mind that the signature of a truly great entity, be it an organization or a nation is not the absence of difficulty, but the ability to come back from difficult times stronger than before. We may suffer the floods of adversity but we must move forward, sometimes slow but calmly and confidently in the charted channel towards our destination. When we are faced with great challenges, and they will be there in plenty, we must look for the lessons and think of how we can get better and not be embittered.
You can export the practices of democratic governments all over the world, but looking at history, the fact remains that some nations become great and dominant in the course of time, while others that also adopt democratic government do not. Only a few select nations have successfully weaved themselves into iconic states which they are today so much so that it is even difficult to imagine a world without them.
Now more than ever before, we need men and women of worth and character who have a debt of patriotism to make this country a little better for having lived in it. People who will do what is right, not what is convenient or well received or popular with the masses. When we have too many good intelligent people who have the potential to lead but do not lead, who settle for being critics and experts in everything, then the society suffers. There is so much preoccupation with criticism that no much thought is given to ‘what can I do about it?’ Criticism has its place; but when it becomes a total preoccupation, it becomes sterile.
To the great citizenry of this nation, let us remember that in every difficulty, either we have hope within us or we don’t; let us realize that storms never last. Let us keep the right priorities in mind and maintain a balanced perspectives on the challenges that we face. Every little action of the common day makes or unmakes this nation. Let the voice of reason prevail over emotional reaction towards the issues we face.
The question should never be ‘who is or should be the president? The question should focus on the processes that we should put in place to ensure that we get good presidents long after we are dead and gone. We should concentrate on enacting strategic measures in place to guarantee that our institutions and trustee bodies are predominantly manned by able dedicated servant leaders.