In his famous wartime speech, former British Prime Minister and statesman Winston Churchill made reference to a cold reality that obtained at the time.
Emerging from a bunker on August 16, 1940 in the thick of the Battle of Britain, he looked at General Hastings Ismay in the eye, paused for minutes and remarked: “Never in the history of mankind has so much been owed by so many to so few.”
The famous line would later form basis for his speech to the House of Commons four days later. Kenya may not be at war - military war - like Britain was at the moment with Germany, but it certainly is at war with its conscience.
The conscience of this country is bleeding for final settlement from decades of division, strife, suspicion, corruption, negative ethnicity and shallow politicking.
Two men - President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga- have taken it upon themselves to break the curse that has bogged down an otherwise blessed country, the envy of the region and the world.
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Out of their own accord, and in realisation that we cannot continue in this beaten path, the two scions of our foremost independence leaders Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Odinga, came out to stand for their country.
Legitimate claims
Their “Building Bridges” initiative unveiled in March was yet another dawn, another demonstration that at critical moments, Kenya will always come first. Unfurled with it is a golden opportunity for Kenya to bolt to successes always held back by decades of division and strife.
For all their sacrifice and what we owe them, the least we can show the two gentlemen is our backs or kicks. The disturbing comments of Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen, slighting the initiative and mocking its philosophy, flies in the face Kenyan’s expectation and wishes.
The shock does not get any better when you consider that Murkomen is a top ranking member of Jubilee Party, whose leader President Kenyatta, is the champion of the initiative. It betrays the essence and purpose of establishing Jubilee Party, consolidating of our visions for a united Kenya.
Under our shared vision, Kenya comes first. The unity of the country is paramount and our ambitions as politicians come second. This is the reason some of us, founders of Jubilee in our own rights, sacrificed our ambitions for the sake of the party even when we had legitimate claims against the nomination process. It cost us nothing.
It goes without saying that to whom much is given much is expected. If we sacrificed our ambitions for the greater good of the greatest majority, why would our leaders do the same for Kenya? Why would a politician of Murkomen’s rank and discernment reduce Building Bridges to Mau Forest eviction?
How much will it cost Senator Murkomen to sacrifice his ignorance for the sake of Kenya and her children? Will it cost him an arm and leg to trust his party leader to steer the country to a success path where environment is sustainably conserved?
He has trusted the President before and the President did not disappoint. Through him, with the party and in Kenyans trust, he continues to occupy an important state office- Office of the Leader of Majority in the Senate.
What Murkomen and his sponsors are forgetting is an important English saying: Once bitten twice shy. The Mau Forest trump card has effectively been deployed against those who rose above narrow political interests to stand for Kenya. It will not happen again.
The same case applies for the President’s fight against corruption. The tide of time is such that those who oppose the fight, this time round, will be swept aside. Incidentally, it so happens that the same characters opposed to the President’s anti-corruption fight revolve around the same Senator Murkomen.
The unfortunate bit is that they do not seem to have a clue. The ground has shifted dramatically and only the Senator and his ilk are lagging behind in their resolve for a brand new Kenya. The cheap of the yore is now the value of today.
Kenyans are baying for a clean break from the “small talk” of yesterday where a politician could afford to tell villagers that rains do not come from forests. That shameful history is now behind us. Senator Murkomen had better smell the coffee.
All of us, including Murkomen, owe President Kenyatta and Prime Minister Odinga a debt of gratitude. And the debt, though owed to the two, will be exacted by the millions of Kenyans who are currently enjoying the fruits of the handshake. The whole country will be shocked if Murkomen does not proffer an apology to the President and to Kenyans before the end of the week.
- The writer is former MP for Dagoretti South.
