Unite, Work Together

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

This is one of my favourite Psalms. It describes King David crying out to God to teach him how to number his days. King David knew that even with all his wealth, bravery in the battlefield, servants and a mighty kingdom, he was only human and, in the end, he was going to die. He wanted to gain a heart of wisdom, because a wise King makes good judgments for his kingdom.

I have photographed both of you – President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga – praying publicly. I have heard you confess your faith in God many times. Kenya is in a political crisis and you two are the only ones who can resolve it. This is the time for you to kneel down and seek God’s wisdom. Teargas, bullets, election law amendments or another disputed election will not resolve this crisis. Enough people have died already and it’s only the two of you who can stop things from getting worse. I want to remind you, Uhuru and Raila, that you’re both human beings and may the good Lord remind you that, someday, you too will die. Death helps put ambition into perspective. It reminds you that you’re mortal. A day will come and you will be no more. What remains is your legacy. What story shall we tell our grand kids?

The hardliners around both of you don’t really care about this country. They want to either protect their ill-gotten wealth or advance their political careers because, in five years’ time, both your political careers will be over. In both your ranks, you have crooks, drug dealers, tenderpreneurs, land grabbers and murderers. You can unite and, in your unity, you can find the strength to fight the cartels that funded both your campaigns.

In times like this, it’s time to call out the proclaimed Christian in both of you, to do the right thing. The two of you can meet and sort these issues amicably, like gentlemen. Remember your fathers had a bitter fall-out in 1969 and 48 years later the anger is still simmering on and about to boil over. You can do better; put nation first before self. Heal this country and, l dare say, govern this nation together. Today l shall be praying for you. I pray that the Lord teaches you to number your days, that you may apply your hearts onto wisdom.

Wise people care more about legacies than wealth accumulation. Legacies last forever, where wealth and fame don’t. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are giving away billions of dollars to secure their legacies and have their names live forever. You can give Kenya a better legacy than wealth. Unite and deal with the negative effects tribalism and corruption has had on the country once and for all. It’s said that an estimated 84.8% of Kenya’s 46 million people are Christians, while 9.7% are Muslims. Going by these figures, we appear to be a very religious nation, but the shameful truth is that our respective tribes come first.

Unite, work together and make Kenya greater than it has ever been. How the two of you navigate Kenya during this crisis will determine how Kenya stands for generations to come and how those generations will remember you. If you let your ambitions blind you from the suffering of Kenyans, I’d like to tell both of you that we are a resilient people. We shall survive this crisis, however, we will never forget.

It’s time to practice our faith and put love first. There is too much hate and bile in the air. Let’s love and love and love and love!