Young Uhuru Kenyatta with his late father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
Photo Source: Courtesy.
Photo Journalist turn activist Boniface Mwangi had this tough message to the president for his birthday
Mr President, Life is short. Long after you’re gone we shall remember you not by your net worth but by your deeds. Looking back on your life, it’s likely you have never had to make the types of decisions most Kenyans make everyday. You were born into a lot of wealth, illegally acquired wealth. Your father, who Kenyans fundraised for so that he could build a house after his release from prison in 1961, turned around and decided to grab land. A man whose only employment was the presidency became Kenya’s richest man within a few short years. That land your father grabbed and your family inherited as a result, was stolen from millions of deserving, needy Kenyans. Post-independence, his government marginalised the Freedom Fighters and awarded the Home Guards. Our country is still being affected by your father’s original sin. It’s a sin you must actively and sincerely seek to correct. How, you might ask? Return the land your father illegally acquired or pay its value to those it rightfully belongs to. Your family has exploited it for far too long; I’m sure you can continue to live comfortably off the money the land has made. If you do this, your greatness is assured and you will have the moral authority to go after politicians who continue to do what your father did. According to the Kroll Report, former President Moi, his friends and family stole more than 3 billion dollars. That money can and should be recovered.
Your father and his government jailed innocent people, killed Kenya's brightest minds, and dished out public land to his friends (a habit his successor continued and took to the next level with killings, detention without trial, tribal clashes, election rigging, and buying out opponents). The Kibaki government killed human rights defenders Oscar Kingara and GPO Oulu. Don't emulate them; don’t envy them. Chart your own path and dare to look beyond our shore for inspiration; Sankara is a good model for you. We cannot fault you for what your father did but we shall fault you for not trying to correct the imbalance your predecessors created. The seeds of tribalism and cronyism that they planted have germinated and are two monsters that threaten to consume our nation.
As president, you have two years left of your first term. Two decisive years that can make or break this country based on your decisions and leadership. Change begins with you. Blaming Raila or the devil won’t stop the corruption or improve our economy.
It's not those years that will make a difference; it’s being a decisive leader, today and everyday. Lead like a Commander-in-Chief. Wearing the military uniform is fine, it's fancy, and you look nice, but mirror it with action. Uphold the rule of law, stop letting your people change the Constitution for your or their benefit. Constitutions are for posterity and your Jubilee party is so consumed with power that they want to make you an imperial president. Stop them before they take us back to the shadowy days of your father, President Kenyatta, and his successor (and your political mentor) Moi.
If you can assure (and ensure) that no one is above the law, and that the law applies equally to every Kenyan, every one will begin to uphold better standards. You can request Chief Justice Willy Mutunga to make a special court for corruption and leaders who break the law, fast track their cases and deter future theft. For some people in your government circles, everything they touch turns into a corruption scandal, get rid of them and ensure that the law applies to them as well. We shall judge you by the friends you keep; the people around you make you stink of corruption and tribalism. I urge you to get rid of this corruption weight before it destroys your legacy forever.
Through out history, many good guys died young; but that didn’t stop them from being celebrated to-date. Ninety-nine percent of the men who inspire me to be the man that l am today died before they reached 40 (Jesus Christ, Malcolm X, Steve Biko, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Sankara, Bob Marley, the list is endless) but their impact is still being felt today. Mr. President, be the good guy! Think outside the box and secure your legacy forever. It's not how long you live that matters but what you do while you are alive.
Playing Mr. Like-me won't help you and especially this nation; decisive, focused and dedicated leadership will. Let our Constitution guide you, it’s the only true partner you need to secure your legacy. For your birthday l dedicate ‘Sheria’ by Sarabi and Juliani, watch it here
