“Obama’s historic visit must sow the
seeds of hope and aspiration in a land where politicians have fed citizens the
rotten meat of corruption and the stale bread of ethnic bigotry. We must love
and believe in this country again”. This is what I wrote in this column last
week. And Obama delivered.
In his speech at Kasarani President
Obama explained that corruption costs Kenyans about 250,000 jobs every year. He
argued that politics of ethnicity is a failure of imagination. Obama made the
youth believe again when he said that there is no barrier to what they can
achieve and that they can build their future right here right now. And quoting
Robert Kennedy he said, “It is a revolutionary world we live in and young
people must lead”.
Obama, echoing President Kenyatta
lauded the breathtaking progress that we have made in just one decade. Kenya,
like other African countries Kenya is on the move. We have moved people out of
poverty. Our GDP has surged. The income gap between countries like South Korea
and us is closing. We enacted a new constitution, which demands more
accountability from public servants and disdains a passive citizenry.
But challenges remain. The making
of the Kenyan nation is still work in progress. Like I have warned in this
column before, Obama cautioned that new laws could constrict the space for
civil society, curtailing its capacity to partner with government in the noble
but complex task of building a strong, inclusive and prosperous society. New
laws could limit the capacity of civil society to hold citizens and the
government accountable. New laws could preclude civil society from building
social assets to counter radicalization, undermining effort to fight terrorism.
Obama like Kenyatta understands
that fighting corruption must take more than strong laws, a long list and
prosecution. Ending corruption will demand more from ordinary citizens and
politicians. All of us must stop believing that to be corrupt is a legitimate badge
of honor. We must rise up and say enough is enough. Citizens and politicians
must say no to the bad habit and culture of corruption. But we must remind
President Kenyatta that it will take rare resolve and courage to succeed where Mzee
Kenyatta and two previous presidents failed.
President Obama spoke in uplifting
terms, celebrating the achievements of Kenyan youth. He said Kenya’s future is
hopeful because Richard Ruto Todosia founded Yes Youth Can, which stood up
against ethnic incitement and helped bank the fires of ethnic hared in 2007.
Kenya is poised for greatness because Josephine Kulea’s Samburu Girls
Foundation has helped rescue thousands of girls from early marriage and
repressive cultural practices. Kenya will continue to soar because technology
entrepreneurs like Jamila Abbas are revolutionizing agriculture and putting
money in the pockets of tens of thousands of smallholder farmers.
Thanks to President Obama, hundreds
of millions of Africa’s marginalized women and girls have a friend. The girl
who is passed over for school and inheritance has a powerful champion in Obama.
The millions of young and ambitious girls who must get married to men they
don't love because it is tradition have found an advocate in Obama. The millions
of Kenyan women who want their constitutional right to hold at least one third
of elected seats honored have an attorney who believes women can and must take
their rightful place in political leadership. This right is constitutional and
non-negotiable.
The
millions of youth who lack in self esteem because they have been told they are
not from the right tribe or their last name is not politically correct now have
a chance to dream big and aspire to be their very best because Obama calls on
them to believe they can. Kenyan youth must fight for a country where they
succeed on merit and not on account of their last name.
In the spirit of Harambee, we are
in this together and it would be stupid to play with only half of team Kenya.
the whole team must be invited to play. All Kenyans must be involved in national developmente
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