Let August 9 be a Joshua, Caesar moment for Kenya

Crossing the shores:

August 9 is an epochal event with binary choice

“But let your YES be YES and your NO, No.

For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” ( Matthew 5:37)

History provides every epoch, era and generation an opportunity to make a binary choice of crossing over or remaining. 

Each choice has left permanency of regrets or happiness thereafter. 

When Joshua brought the Israelites to the banks of River Jordan, he implored them to consecrate themselves and be ready for the Lord’s mighty wonders. Crossing River Jordan, separated their past in slavery to a future of abundance and freedom.

On January 10, 49BC, Julius Caesar was returning from conquering Central Europe and crossed River Rubicon with his army and shouting the immortal words: alea lacta est – the die is cast. 

Under the Roman laws, a returning General was to disband his army before crossing back to Italy. To cross over with the army was treason. 

Julius Caesar made the choice of crossing the Rubicon with his army. This crossing changed Italy forever. It ceased being a republic and became a monarchy. 

This crossing of River Rubicon laid the foundation of what was to become the Roman Empire that stretched across the then known world and led to unprecedented 200 Years of economic prosperity, military might and tranquillity or Pax Romana.

Thieves and scoundrels

When the French decided to change their system in 1789 from a feudal monarchy to a short-lived republic then a constitutional monarchy, they set in motion forces of Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité. It was also the age that spawned the greatest philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. 

The revolutionary fervour gave us Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot. The French Revolution scattered its seeds across the world and became the foundation for modern liberal thought and republicanism.

In 1963, the British gifted us independence. It is now a cliché that at the time, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Singapore were our playmates. Vietnam was undergoing a ruinous war. 

Some 59 years later, all these countries are First World, but Kenya is rutting in poverty, illiteracy, cattle-rustling and corruption. 

One does not need to be a professor of political science to know what ails us. We repeatedly choose leaders who are like the majority of us – thieves and scoundrels.

August 9, 2022 gives Kenya, yet another chance to amend her history. We proudly wear on sleeves our regular General Elections which have without fail, churned same leaders. 

No civilised democracy casts a vote for one who has a record of being a murderer, rapist, thief, money launderer et al, but Kenyans do. We elect one we cannot employ as our housekeeper or nanny.

New leadership

On that day, we will stand on the banks of Rivers Jordan and Rubicon. Joshua took a leap of faith and led his people to the unknown Canaan. 

Caesar ended the known republican system that had given Rome relative peace for thousands of years. 

The French revolutionaries replaced the known monarchical rule with unknown rule by the mob which later settled down into a constitutional monarchy.

The changes in Canaan, Rome and France are felt to this day. The building blocks of modern states are on these three civilisations. Rising up against the great empire of Egypt, the Roman republic and the French Ancien Régime were epochal acts of faith.

But we never stop believing in miracles – real miracles. August 9 gives us the clearest choices since independence. 

We have two candidates whose track records on democracy, human rights, corruption, governance and devolution are as clear as day and night. 

Kenyans must move away from the false placidity of rotating the presidency between two communities. We have to be courageous and take a risk with new leadership. Fifty nine years have been a circular experiment that gave us tranquillity without catapulting us to First World.

On that day, we place our bet on Raila Amolo Odinga and wake up the morning of August 10, to join in recital, William Wordsworth, who witnessed the French revolution and penned these immortal words:

Oh! Pleasant exercise of hope and joy! 

Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive!

But to be young was very heaven! – Oh! Times.

In which the meagre, stale, forbidding ways

Of Custom, law and statute, took at once

The attraction of a country in romance!

Crossing a river is a once-in-an epoch opportunity. Ours is coming on August 9. Our choice will reverberate across the sands of time. 

History in its own time, will declare our generation courageous or cowards.

Donald B Kipkorir is an advocate of the High Court. [email protected]