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Politics will pass, but our land, legacy must remain
The late Nobel Peace laureate Prof Wangari Maathai.
In 2004, Kenya and the rest of the world celebrated Prof Wangari Maathai for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not honoured for her wealth or political power, but for her tireless efforts to protect our forests. Her commitment to environmental protection became a symbol of peace and a model of true leadership.
Centuries earlier, a man named Francis from Assisi, Italy, became one of the most revered saints in Christianity. St Francis of Assisi is still remembered for his love of all creation: plants, animals and people alike. Like Maathai, his legacy lives on because he chose care over indifference.
These figures remind us of something deeply human: our calling to be stewards of the Earth.
Stewardship is not a trend or a campaign slogan. It is our natural duty to care for, protect and sustain what has been given to us: our land, our communities and our future. This responsibility is rooted in our very creation. From the earliest stories of humanity, we have been tasked with tending the garden.
However, today this natural calling is being drowned out by another force — destruction.
Kenya has witnessed a worrying increase in politically motivated violence. While peaceful protest is a democratic right, when demonstrations become destructive, causing businesses to burn, lives to be disrupted and property to be destroyed, we stray far from our core values. The word “demo” may be short for “demonstration, but its root — monster — hints at a darker meaning: something distorted, monstrous, even demonic. No matter how it is justified, destruction is not who we are.
Mau Forest
Consider the Mau Forest. Before the 2018 ban on encroachment, large areas were cleared for farming. Yes, communities were simply trying to survive. However, in doing so, they unknowingly endangered a vital ecological system. The challenge we face is balancing human needs with the long-term care of our environment.
Sadly, even stewardship has become a political issue. If a leader calls for the Nairobi River to be cleaned up, their motives are questioned. If a tree-planting day is declared a public holiday, it is dismissed as a political stunt. We have reached a point where even the most basic acts of care are viewed with suspicion, because, as the columnist Eddy Ashioya put it, “everything has become political”.
However, politics does not change the nature of stewardship. Whether the message is delivered at a church, funeral, rally or fundraiser, its essence remains the same: care for what you have. Care for what you will pass on.
Every Kenyan has a role to play. You don't have to be a government official or an environmental activist. Your legacy is shaped by how you treat your land, your neighbours and your responsibilities. What example are we setting for our children?
Prof Maathai's and St Francis's legacies live on because they acted not for applause, but because it was right. They weren't trying to score political points. They simply responded to the deep human instinct to protect life in all its forms. That’s why their names remain etched in history. Let us return to who we are: caretakers, not destroyers. Stewardship will outlive politics.
Politics is fleeting. Today’s headlines are dominated by political slogans, scandals and power struggles, but these won’t define tomorrow. No one debates the politics behind Thika Road or the tarmac of Kabarnet anymore. What lasts is what we build and what we protect.
Let us return to who we are: caretakers, not destroyers. Let us show our children that care is stronger than chaos and that responsibility is more powerful than rhetoric.
Stewardship will outlive politics. For that reason alone, stewardship deserves our full attention now more than ever.
Fr Richard Wanyeki is a lecturer and a PhD student at Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
