25/01/11
By. Philip Etale
Thomas Jefferson said in one of his many memorable quotes that "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom". Indeed, this very important virtue is lacking in the quest for generational change by the ‘so called youth’.
Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa, a budding politician from Transnzoia, his Eldoret North counterpart William Ruto and the ilk seem be living in denial. What they are doing today is like a chicken trying to fight an eagle when it has already taken off with a chick.
In mid 2010 at the height of referendum campaigns, Mr. Wamalwa vigorously campaigned for the passing of the proposed constitution which later received overwhelming support from the public. It was passed and later on promulgated bringing an end to the old and oppressive constitution which was misused by the "powers that were’.
I was shocked recently when I saw the young Wamalwa who says he ‘wants to claim what his brother (the Late Michael Wamalwa-RIP) never was’, attend a meeting called by Mr. Ruto in Mombasa, to thank those who opposed the new constitution at the referendum. Mr. Wamalwa used the occasion to attack those he perceive to be ‘old guards’. He was indeed representing the ‘youth’ I bet.
In a meet the people tour of upper-western (Bungoma County), Mr. Ruto, mesmerized by the huge turn-out of people became used the occasion to insult at the person of the ODM Party Leader Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga and his Deputy Party Leader Hon. Musalia Mudavadi in the name of pushing for generational change.
Mr. Ruto went ahead to refer to Mr. Mudavadi as "a mad man" and it was widely quoted in both print and electronic media. His reasoning was that for the years Mr. Mudavadi has been a leader, he has not been able to unite the people of Western Province. That is balderdash especially coming from a man who wants to be president.
Mr. Ruto ought to understand that the people of Western Province have never had conflict with each other and it is not today that they need a Saint to come and make them one. The people of ‘Mulembe’ (peace) are never confrontational and will never seek assistance from anybody from outside of the region to claim to be uniting when they want to create animosity and divisions in the region.
If he (Mr. Ruto) claims to be a peace maker and a man who really is for a united Kenya, why hasn’t he been able to unite all the communities living in Rift Valley? Why was the Eldoret meeting last Friday graced by President Kibaki and 60 legislators only meant for two communities? Why didn’t the meeting’s organizers extend invitations to Former President Moi, who hails from the region and who ruled Kenya for 24 years and Prime Minister Mr. Raila Odinga who is the ODM leader and whom the people of Rift Valley overwhelmingly voted for in 2007 General Election?
It is insulting to the country’s youths to see a few individuals coalescing in the name of reformists confine themselves in one corner of the Republic claiming to preaching unity and spearheading a ‘dead generational change’ agenda. It is dead in the sense that the idea itself has been misconstrued and has become a platform for insults and name-calling.
People who are young in age must also be young at heart and in ideas. But the pushers for generational change have not proved to the youth why they should be allowed to become rulers.
One cannot claim to be young and ready for power when his/her intention is use the seat of power to settle personal scores and repeat what he did when he/she was a "real youth’. Kenya will never be the same again, God forbid.
These young men should know that a man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. Yes, Messrs Wamalwa, Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta, Kiema Kilonzo, Gidion Mbuvi, Cyrus Jirongo etc want to be the leaders of this country, but do they have wisdom to do so? What have they done for Kenya that is much greater than what they have done to their own stomachs? When Kenyans shed blood and lost lives in the quest for political pluralism in the early 1990s, these so called ‘young leaders’ were busy milking from the successes Kenya had achieved by then. They were busy making money and forming organizations to block change.
The Honourable Members calling themselves ‘the youth of Kenya’ should follow Jesus Christ’s lessons. When Jesus was spreading the word of his Father (God), he reached out to many and never at any single day did he insult people. He went about his duties so diligently, patiently, humbly and obediently with stepping on other people’s toes.
The Holy Bible is very clear, that "He who humbles himself shall be exalted but he who exalts himself shall be humbled". Let the so called youthful leaders understand that even the Bible rejects a people who praise themselves and hurl insults to others.
Kenyans must be prepared to light tomorrow with today. Judge these young leaders with their past, character and association and not by the empty rhetoric, public insults to established leadership and chest thumping. Kenyans ought to be wiser for the wisest men follow their own direction.
The writer is the Director of Communication-ODM
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