For Cord, youth is in a bottle of hair dye

There is an epic and illuminating document whose authorship has been debated for decades.

The most popular account was that it was discovered in the attic of a medieval church in Britain in the 18th century, obviously to suggest that it is the work of a gifted monk, and therefore confer a tremendous literary cachet upon it.

Another theory is that one Samuel Butler, I believe, wrote it early in the 20th century.

Before the age of social media, the work went viral in the English-speaking world.

I refer to ‘The Desiderata’ which every sophomore has printed out in customised font, enlarged and probably framed it, but most certainly hung or mounted it at a prominent part of their cramped campus quarters. Generation after generation of youths has struck upon electrifying epiphanies while mulling over the sentence-verses of that memorable writing.

“Avoid loud and aggressive persons; for they are a vexation to the spirit.”

Apart from the correct use of the semi-colon, this part drips with Mahatma-esque pacifism and restraint.

“If you compare yourself with others, you will become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself” Germane counsel against getting consumed by the rat race, urges fortitude to resist the pressure to keep up with the Joneses, and all the angst and vanity this breeds in our souls.

“Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle to yourself” Do not let puritan austerity embitter and damage you. You are supposed to be the principal beneficiary of your exertions.

This point is driven home in the next sentence: “You are a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars: you have a right to be here”

This one generates such a euphoric sense of belonging, such assertively egalitarian validation that defies all xenophobia, cynicism and institutionalised cruelty. It is something I would tell the children of Gaza today. It has a way of directing the moral eye to the big picture. If I didn’t belong, I wouldn’t be: in body, mind or, especially, spirit.

I really do not have to go on and on about this lyrical compendium of wise counsel. Suffice it to say that it is influential, and many people at their most reflective moments, will reach deep and pull out one of these lines for good measure.

The one line we all gloss over is perhaps the most critical. “Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.”

We have two problems related to this line. Indeed, this line was certainly intended to cure two cardinal instances of mischief.

The first one is denial. As our heads grey, skins sag and girths expand, we desperately hold on to a past self-image and defiantly revert to things representing our earlier years.

As our eyes weaken, teeth loosen, joints creak, as our sinews relent and hearts plead for languor, we affect the stalwart gait and bruising exertions of men younger than us.

This denial rages as we age apace. And selfishness forces us to cling to roles when we are well past our prime. We deceive the young that they are leaders of tomorrow, and that soon, it will be their turn.

Then we invent and reinvent ourselves together with myriad excuses not to give way in frightening permutations.

Meanwhile, we start to ape these youth, in a transparent bid to fool ourselves that we are better than they are, what with our ‘youthfulness’ and experience, and therefore deserve to hold on a little longer. In short, our defiance is in full flow: we do not take the counsel of the years, kindly or otherwise and certainly have no wish to surrender the things of youth under any circumstances.

The Opposition, which is led by men and women who were all in the last Government, was routed by youthful candidates who ran an energised campaign that appealed to the youth throughout the country.

Subsequently, in the spirit of licking its wounds, the Opposition was buffeted by internal grumblings about an overdue generational succession.

It was felt that the veterans had nothing useful left to offer except the memories of battles and victories deeply obscured in the mists of time. That is what ‘Team Fresh’ was all about. Did the leadership give in, ‘gracefully surrendering the things of youth’? Most certainly not! The takeover was brutally aborted, and the Old Men went into full retreat.

When, a quarter of a year later, Raila Odinga (69) returned, it was to a national-colours-donning, slim-fit-shirt-wearing, hair-died-jet-black, funky-beat-jigging welcome by Kalonzo Musyoka (61), Moses Wetang’ula (58), James Orengo (63) and Anyang Nyong’o (69).

Ababu Namwamba (39), Agostinho Neto Oyugi (37) and Ken Obura (33) looked distinctly marginalised in the triumphal homecoming. Just like that, Cord is youthful. The three principals’ hair is black. That is the main thing: the youthful makeover.

And this has provided the confidence they needed to take charge of the coalition and dictate a seat-sharing formula.

Cord is now ready for the next election. It has confidence and gravitas: there is nothing like men well in their sixties spewing forth fiery threats of revolution and chaos to inspire a youthful nation.

If you want to fix Kenya’s problems, trust our che Guevara wannabes in their dotage. Just make sure their hair is dyed properly.

Mr Ngeno is the Director of Messaging at State House