By Frank Bray.
“Bwana asifiwe” was almost entirely the national political slogan by the end of the 2017 elections. Churches were at the pinnacle of their joy as ‘David’ had ascended to the throne of the land.
The promises of the new David, then president-elect of Kenya, were still fresh in everyone’s minds, and people were looking forward to a new journey – the journey to a land of milk and money, this time for the common mwananchi, the hustler.
It was a remake of the day Moses stood before the Jewish elders for the first time and told them he would be God’s hand of deliverance from their enemies. I bet the people danced with joy that night. But the story had more than promises to offer. Trials would come first.
And so the trials came. More workload for the Israelites for being idle. Literally, Pharaoh said, “Your people are too idle; they want to go worship in the wilderness.”
Perhaps Pharaoh’s line of thought was more humorous:
“Mgh! Idleness will kill you guys!”
So he increased the labor of the Israelites threefold, making them groan under their suffering.
A while later, he let them leave his country – but only after he had been punished thoroughly with plague after plague. To be fair, he also plagued the promised people in return, and they felt the pressure of being subjects of deliverance. I tell you, each time Pharaoh was in a bad mood because of Moses, the Jewish people endured longer days than usual.
Then came the wilderness. You would have thought they’d just step out of Pharaoh’s door and knock on Canaan’s door. But actually, God took them on a long route to prevent them from turning back to Egypt if war for Canaan ever grew difficult. That’s the story of Kenya now.
For most Kenyans, the promise of redemption has turned sour. The hustler regime promised a lot but left out the cost of the dream, as assessed at the time.
So far, Kenya’s journey to the promised hustler nation has had its measure of plagues. And the Israelites have allegedly suffered in turn: scary taxes, debts, abductions, insults, alleged lies, and manipulation – all for Canaan’s sake. Yet despite these troubles, it’s still a wonder. If fingers are pointed, are they pointed too soon?
On the other hand, we’ve seen partial deliverance, contestable or otherwise: affordable housing units, SHA, roads and infrastructure, a touch on the digital economy, and an interesting move in the creative economy. NYOTA FUND and hustler funds notwithstanding. Yet a question still lingers: if we clap now, as some do, do we clap too soon?
For some citizens, it’s a limbo. Perhaps now it’s best just to wait and see. Either the hustler’s ‘Moses’ knows what he is doing, or he walks them blindly into a ditch.
As he once said, “Si mmenipea mtihani? Si mtamark? Nikianguka si naenda nyumbani kulima?”
Let’s watch and see. Life has surprising twists and turns.
