In the Bible after King Solomon died his son Rehoboam took over. During Rehoboam’s inauguration a delegation came to see him.
‘Your father was a hard master’ they told him. ‘Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us’ they asked. ‘Then we will be your loyal subjects’, they promised.
The delegation was led by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a man who had unsuccessfully challenged King Solomon and then fled to Egypt.
Jeroboam had returned after Solomon died and local elders summoned him to head the delegation to the new King (which suggests that his challenge against King David’s dynasty had made him a hero, at least to some).
The young King listened attentively to the delegation and then asked them to return after three days. The King then asked the older men who had counseled his father (it appears even the wisest man in the world had advisors!)
“What is your advice?” he asked. “How should I answer these people?” The older counselors replied, “If you are good to these people, do your best to please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your loyal subjects.”
The Bible says Rehoboam ‘rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers’.
The young men told him; ‘tell those complainers who want a lighter burden that: My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!’
The King implemented the advice of the young men and three days later he harshly explained to them the new rules of engagement.
When the people realized that the king had refused to listen to them they responded, “Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Back to your homes, O Israel! Look out for your own house, O David!’
The people then returned to their homes, and when the King sent the head of his labor force to restore order, they stoned him to death.
Rehoboam managed to stay on as king even after this, but only two of the twelve tribes of Israel accepted him as their King; the other ten tribes got their own King and were never ruled by anyone from the house of David, thereafter. All because a new King took the wrong advise.
It has been said that President Uhuru ‘took over from his father’ President Kibaki. Kibaki was a president who focused on building the Kenyan nation, but ignored the need to build Kenya’s nationhood.
He succeeded in development such that, like Solomon, he left major physical structures behind. However he failed in building a united nation and by the end of his reign Kenya is more divided than it ever was.
In the 100 days the new ‘King’s’ government has been in power they have managed to bring down Kenya’s most powerful union, as well as stop a young popular politically naïve lady from inheriting her father’s senate seat.
But Kenyans are saying something, if the by-election decision in Makueni and the reception government officials received in Kisii is anything to go by.
They seem to be saying ‘we will not accept you to rule us how your father ruled us; change, and we will be loyal to you’.
The ruthlessness of how KNUT and Kethi were dealt with indicates that there are some young people around the new King who are telling him that Kenya will move forward if he delivers on development, and ignores the politics.
This team are telling him’; Tell the people that the time for politics is over; it is now time for development’. They are also out to mercilessly destroy anyone who challenges the king’s efforts to deliver on development.
What I wonder is whether there is another team around the new King; politically astute counselors who understand that some parts of Kenya will not move forward from March 4th 2013 until he ‘plays politics’, even as he delivers on development.
This team would be the one advising him on the need to reach out to regions like Nyanza, Coast, Western and Eastern that did not support him in the last elections, and how to genuinely engage them to make them feel part of his new government.
This is the team that must tell him, bluntly, that to achieve his often repeated mantra of uniting Kenyans and building national cohesion, he must “be good to these people, do your best to please them, give them a favorable answer, and they will accept you’.
Meanwhile the people have summoned ‘Jeroboam’ and cries of “Down with this dynasty! We have no interest in the son of Jomo. Back to your counties, O Kenya! Look out for your own house O Uhuru’ cannot be too far off, at this rate.
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