Our undying Kenyan spirit must propel us forward without fear
School pupils attend the 60th Madaraka Day celebrations at the Moi Stadium Embu on June 1, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Our health system is strangled by unholy corruption and many Kenyans suffer from diseases that the world thought had been surmounted. We are in a fix
The birthday of our nation is an important threshold on which to make a new break and set our country back on track.
Most of the time, it takes relatively little to raise the morale and boost the unity of unhappy people. The field of sports demonstrates this better than any other unifying factor ever could.
On August 24, 2004, the nation exploded with joy when Ezekiel Kemboi led home a jubilant Kenyan sweep of the medals in the 3,000m steeplechase final at the Athens Olympics.
The skinny legend from Elgeyo-Marakwet continued Kenya’s dominance of the race when he steered Brimin Kipruto and Paul Kipsiele Koech to victory.
Kemboi ignited a sense of pride across the nation when he slowed down in the home stretch to urge his compatriots forward. He had the option of stepping on the gas to widen his lead and, possibly, go for a better record, but he didn’t. This noble act of selflessness and patriotism lifted the spirits of millions subscribed to the Kenyan project – a bright cherry to be prized.
That, despite our economic and social woes, there are some within us with the power to unite the nation towards a common goal.
When Kenya won Independence from the British on June 1, 1963, after a lengthy period of oppression and subjugation, the immediate goal of the founding fathers was to rally the nation to overcome the triple scourge of illiteracy, poverty, and disease.
The words of hope they uttered at Independence might seem very distant and unreal to today’s young generation. The great dream has easily turned into a scary nightmare and the constant drain of hope from our collective trunks has been the bad outcome.
Age-old problems
The fear of the future tells of a bitter and confused present and is palpable in the collective psyche.
Sixty years down the line, we are still confronted by the same, age-old problems that our forefathers sang and danced about at the outset of Independence, thinking they would soon be troubles of the past. But the dust they thought they were shaking off still clings and has built up to create the despicable problems that have become the bane of our nation.
It’s absurd and humiliating that most of our public institutions worked better during the colonial era. It is a shame that we start doubting ourselves as some inferior species that cannot be trusted to raise itself from the mire of disorganisation. It is indeed intolerable that government after government gets into power but we don’t seem to see much change to our circumstances.
Our education structure has yet to cut out the malaise of illiteracy and ignorance, while the sting of poverty still hurts deep and wide. We have failed to create employment for our people and even agriculture, the backbone of the country’s economy, has not been protected enough to pay farmers and improve food security. Our health system is strangled by unholy corruption and many Kenyans suffer from diseases that the world thought had been surmounted. We are in a fix.
A dereliction of public institutions set in after the Union Jack was lowered. The rule of law was abandoned and in came the rule of the jungle. State graft became standard procedure, the rule rather than the exception. Now, those in positions of leadership in the civil service view it as a vehicle to enrich themselves. Politicians and well-connected businesspeople hold more sway and capital than honest Kenyans.
We are always painfully reminded of how, in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, we were at the same level of economic development as the Asian Tigers. We are obsessed with development, but we’ve never had a plan. What became of the Kenyan dream? Who ‘stole our star’?
The birthday of our nation is an important threshold on which to make a new break and set our country back on track.
We know where we have come from and this peroration is meant to remind us of the pitfalls that have put us in the untenable condition we find ourselves. Sincere acknowledgement of the source of our discomfort is itself an admission that we have the ability to pull ourselves out of the quagmire.
At 60, we must see things differently and look into the future without fear. It’s a moment for us to reflect on our past and project our collective aspirations as we march into the future.
