Though I don’t agree with everything you did to win power, I must acknowledge your new status and congratulate you. How else would I be writing an open letter to President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto.
In Kenya, when you lose elections, you must not talk again. But I speak – even truth to power – and therefore, I am. And of all the rights that I fought for, none except right to life is more precious than freedom of expression. So Mr President, I write to you as a citizen of Kenya, though only on behalf of my conscience, mind and soul.
In writing this letter, I could be taking a risk. But as Nelson Mandela would say, I do so emboldened by the values that I live by and am prepared to die for, beliefs that are more important than any group or class of people I could speak or fight for.
Basically, I write this letter to ask certain questions to which I deserve answers from you as my President and Deputy President, a tax payer who pays for your big salaries and perks and a Kenyan that you have pledged to serve.
When this letter comes out, don’t ignore it. Like the late President Mwanawasa of Zambia and President Museveni of Uganda respond, not to make me relevant as cynical media would say but to make Kenya freer and allay fears that your coming to power is a return to Kanu tyranny, God forbid.
Before I ask my questions, let me say two things.
First, since you are in power, destiny, fate or God could have put you there for good or bad but we hope for good. If it is for good, we need to seek that good as early as we can. If it is for bad, then we better be prepared.
Second, when Daniel Toroitich arap Moi became president of Kenya, Wanguhu Ng’ang’a gave him a simplified copy of “The Prince” a book of governance by Niccolo Machiavelli as a gift to help him keep power and govern. When I saw how badly Moi governed, I wished Ng’ang’a had given him a copy of the Bible, not The Prince.
Before people start giving Uhuru and Ruto gifts like The Prince, let me advise that, like the late President Nyerere of Tanzania and other good leaders, let Uhuru and Ruto buy themselves a copy of the Bible and with proper interpretation, make it their close companion and spring of wisdom.
From the good book, Uhuru and Ruto may learn that after a change of leadership, people have a right to go to the new leaders, not just to praise them, but also ask them to govern them better than their predecessors.
So when King Solomon died and his young son Jeroboam succeeded him as king, elders from the 12 tribes of Israel sent a delegation to him and asked: “Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.”
Three days later, King Jeroboam answered them thus: “My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I’ll flog you with bullwhips…” Eleven tribes of Israel rebelled from the rule of King Jeroboam on account of this.
Jomo Kenyatta, your father was the first president of Kenya. You are now the fourth president. Will Uhuru rule better than Kenyatta? Having placed heavy burdens on some people, will you make their burdens lighter or will you dismiss people’s pleas as Jeroboam did?
More importantly President Uhuru, where do you want to take me and other Kenyans?
Whether Kenyans remember or not, 50 years ago, your father Jomo Kenyatta like Moses of Israel, put Kenyans on a journey from the Egypt of British colonialism, across the Red Sea of the Mau Mau war, intending to take them to the Promised Land of milk and honey but died and left them in the desert of poverty.
But your father, family and the elite got into Canaan through a back door. The poor are still in the desert. And though they are not asking you to take them to Canaan, how will you take them there?
After missing the first opportunity of reaching the Promised Land after independence, Kenyans gave themselves a second opportunity to reach Canaan by a new constitutional road map to the Promised Land.
But people were to elect Joshua and Caleb to take them to the Promised Land. Mr President Uhuru and Deputy President William Ruto, are you the Joshua and Caleb that Kenyans were to elect? I believe you are not, but you can prove me wrong.
During elections, Kikuyus, Kalenjins, Kambas, Luos and Luhyas did not elect Joshua and Caleb to take them to the Promised Land. They elected ethnic kings, each for every tribe. And ethnic kings are all King Saul elected against Samuel’s advice – A king “will take your best fields, vineyards…and give them to his officers… He will take a tenth of your grain… He will take a tenth of your flocks. And you yourselves will become his slaves.” But the people said: “No! We want a king, so we can be like other nations.” So Your Excellency, have considered that you are our king, not Joshua. What really did you want – to be our king or Joshua? If you are our king not Joshua, have you not put us many years back?
During campaigns, because of your case at ICC, you put your agenda before interests of the people who agreed to subordinate their interests to yours and made you president without demanding anything from you. Will you now put the interests of Kenyans before yours?
Finally, whatever development you promise Kenyans, none will materialise if you don’t eradicate corruption and negative ethnicity. Do you have the moral and revolutionary courage to commit class suicide and do battle with the dragon of graft?
On March 4, you rode to an electoral victory on the back of the tiger of negative ethnicity? Will you be ungrateful and slaughter him now?
And do you still want to meet Fidel Castro of Cuba before any other world leader? If he converts you into a revolutionary, we shall become “comrades.”
Koigi wa Wamwere, kwamwere@gmail.com.
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