Miguna Miguna drama inadvertently exposed the nation to ridicule

Miguna Miguna in a hospital bed in Dubai. [Photo: Courtesy]

Many of us must have at one time or another watched in dismay as a man ruthlessly beat up his wife or children in public. No matter how justified the man may be in his actions and no matter how grievous the evil the culprit may have committed, the drama never leaves the passerby with any sense of admiration for such a man. Rarely would you esteem him as a man of high values who simply cannot tolerate evil in his house. To the contrary, such drama leaves one with the impression of a man who has totally lost control of the leadership and management of his house. Furthermore, when a man behaves thus, it greatly undermines his dignity and status in the sight of observers. He likewise exposes his children and other members of his family to an undeserved public ridicule.

That seems to be the case with the recent drama over Miguna. For security forces to spend almost two hours trying to force a Kenyan into an aircraft belonging to a foreign airline – most likely packed with foreigners from around the world – left many not feeling too proud to be a Kenyan. It appeared like whoever was in charge of the operation had lost control, dropped professionalism and entered into a bare-knuckle fight in public with one lone individual. One then is forced to wonder what loss the government in particular, and the country at large would have suffered if Miguna had simply been allowed back into the country and whisked to the nearest police station to await arraignment in court for whatever crimes he had committed.