For a public servant, defeat is not an option

Mashujaa Day, which we marked last week, has always made me sad.

Sad in that it serves as a reminder of how little we’ve moved, from the last ones, and how much further we have to go.

It puts me into the type of mood that wants to ask, what is the point of being a hero?

What is the point of fighting for change I will not see happen in my lifetime — and that my nieces and nephews won’t see in theirs?

See, here’s the thing. When I think of Kenyan heroes, the first people I think about are my family — more specifically, my parents, who love me regardless of the fact that they have no idea why I do most of the things I do! But they love me anyway.

Then I think about other great Kenyans. I think about Tom Mboya. I think about Pio Gama Pinto. J. M. Kariuki. Robert Ouko. Samuel Wanjiru. David Rudisha. Wangari Maathai.

CLOGGING OUR HIGHWAYS

I think of the millions of Kenyans who wake up every day to go to work. I think of them walking to their jobs to build the nation. I think of them clogging our highways so that they can get to work on time, and I wonder what it is all for.

Our president basically said the other day that he has no power over corruption. If not the elected president, then who?

Who is supposed to have the power to stop these things? Who is supposed to demand efficiency and integrity, from the top down?

What is leadership, if not expecting a president to do his job?

By that statement alone, Uhuru Kenyatta has failed the great Kenyans who share this country with him. Because he is a public servant, defeat is not an option.

And that lie, that he has no power to do anything about it, is an insult to the intelligence of the many who voted him in. A leader, as stated in our Constitution, is supposed to act in a manner that gives the public confidence in the integrity of his office.

TO RIO WITHOUT KIT

His action is an insult to the memories of the Kenyans who died to ensure we could get a little bit further than where we are today. Where would we be if those who fought for the liberties we enjoy today, had thrown their hands in the air and said, “What do you want me to do?”

Because what did Wangari Maathai die for? As she turns in her grave, we build a railway line more important, seemingly, than the conservation of the only national park in a national city, ruining a thriving ecological system, because the standard gauge railway must be built.

What did Mau Mau heroes die for? A country in which our Judiciary has such a backlog of cases that whether you file due process or not, the only time you will be heard in a period shorter than a year is if you have an important name attached to your first one. A country in which these heroes are still dying in abject poverty.

Samuel Wanjiru had his issues of course. And when he died, the grievances of sportsmen in this country only got worse.

We still hear tales of our Olympic gold medallists not being paid, such as the rugby team, who have to consistently go on strike to get anywhere. Our team was sent to Rio without kits, with hangers-on who weren’t even running, and barely anyone has been fired.

CREATIVE OUTLETS

NOCK is still running, as are our athletes. Conjestina Achieng is still living with her medical issues not being attended to, until it is closer to election season and politicians need to look like they have done something "for the people".

What did Tom Mboya die for, if not the right to speak? Yet the entire creative industry is still being harassed by the likes of Ezekiel Mutua, who wants to extend his unrealistic and draconian mandate to regulate online spaces, bookstores and social media.

You name a creative outlet, he wants to police it, using protecting children as his defence for his onslaught.

What is the point of a hero, now, in Kenya, when people in government have stolen more in the last four years than during any other administration before them — and in the meantime, doctors and nurses are not being paid, Imperial Bank customers have not been reimbursed, but your representatives are complaining about being put in the general area at Mashujaa Day celebrations?

What are we celebrating?

Twitter: @AbigailArunga