What’s wrong with gaining knowledge?

The Book of Acts of Apostles 7:20, in the Bible, records that “Moses was educated with all the education of the Egyptians”, and it is this man that God used to emancipate the Israelites from captivity in Egypt, and it’s through him that laws and instructions were given to the people (he wrote first five books in the Bible, which have been extensively used in legal training and development).

This stems from the fact that he was chosen by God for this divine task, so the Bible says. And God, who is not an author of confusion, made him pass through the palace of Pharaoh, from where he obtained the best education, because Egyptians had invented education by 3000 BC. 

The Hammurabi, the law giver, who lived circa 17th Century BC in Babylon, also developed a good set of laws. Babylon had, like Egypt, by then developed the art of writing and reading. We have had many novel discoveries and knowledge systems in Africa that have been forgotten, or whose accuracy is doubted, simply because of lack of writing and reading skills.

Pessimistic outlook

The assertion that Kenyans are illiterate is a pessimistic outlook. We have a million citizens with a degree, four million diplomas and another six million certificates — all which make 22 per cent of the population of 50 million.

They fall within the five per cent of a population that statistics show is the section that makes things happen. Further, 15 per cent of people watch things happen. Degree holders and diploma holders are five million, which makes 10 per cent, falling within the range of 5-15 per cent of those who make and watch things happen.

It would have been better if the opponents of the degree rule for elective positions were rooting for diplomas than just dismissing the quest for higher threshold for leadership. Good leaders must move with the times and observe that the times when illiterate leaders ruled are past. 

Dr Giti (PhD) is an urban management and evaluation expert. [email protected]. @danielgiti