Patriotism

Wananchi show leaders what patriotism means

Politicking and misguided politics do not develop a nation. It is the people, the, ordinary Kenyans who will move this country forward by realizing that when one of them is dying in Turkana or in another part of the country because of starvation they who live in Nyanza or Central Kenya cannot be proud and at peace. And there is so much to be proud of as ordinary Kenyans.

Nothing better illustrates this than the spirit demonstrated by wananchi when hunger struck Turkana in 2011. The response was overwhelming.

When simple folks responded to the hunger cries of their fellow Kenyans by calling on the government to come and collect farm produce from their small pieces of land and take it to their starving brethren, it was something to be proud of.

The "Kenyans for Kenya" initiative was spearheaded by Safaricom Foundation, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Media Owners Association (MOA) and Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS). The fundraiser that was started in July 2011 in response to media reports of famine and deaths from starvation in Turkana District.

The group aimed to mobilise corporates and members of the public to raise Sh.500million in five weeks towards relief for three million Kenyans faced by starvation in the Northern part of Kenya then.

The leadership and governance challenge is on how does Kenya stop disasters before they happen or mitigate their effects? Droughts, floods and epidemics are three top disasters that haunt the nation.

No answers have been forthcoming on why Kenya should have recurrent Turkana scenarios yet we have mechanisms to predict these droughts (and the droughts are actually predicted yet no action is taken to prevent the suffering). Why does the country use trucks to transport relief food where it is urgently needed when the roads are bad and the vehicles get stuck in mud while hungry Kenyans wait for ages for help to arrive? Why not use planes as the country has airstrips all over the country?

Generally, why is it that in Kenya we close the stable door long after the horse has bolted?

When the nation cannot use technology (such as Geographic Information System or GIS) wisely to know that it is ill-advised to deliver food by road because vehicles will break down on the way, then maybe  someone somewhere is sleeping on the job.

But of more importance is that no Kenyan should die of a cause that should be avoided – whether it is hunger or disease.