First Lady’s performance in marathon inspired millions

By David Oginde

Great and befitting accolades have been poured on Kenyan marathoners for their sterling performance at the London Marathon. But equally and perhaps even more significant was the unique performance of Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta at the same race.

Though finishing in nearly four times the time the winner of the event clocked, she did what few leaders, I included, would do in her circumstances. As the highest placed woman in the land, no one would have raised a finger if she ensconced herself in the privacy of State House and enjoyed the blessings of prestige. But by stepping out of the confines of such splendour to join with the rank and file of humanity on the tarmac of London streets, Her Excellency showed the truly excellent side of leadership and nobility. We salute you!

This is especially so because leadership in Africa can be described only as unsatisfactory. We live in a continent where those in leadership often have little or no regard for those they lead. It seems like many of those who get into leadership take the opportunity to amass wealth and consolidate power to the detriment of any growth or development of the nations or organisations they lead.

 This is not only true in political but also in organisational leadership. Consequently, leadership is often so associated with these twin benefits of power and wealth that those who get to the top do not want to get out and those who are out desperately fight to get in.

The result is a political scene characterised by the jostling for power, while at the organisational level there are often unfortunate intrigues that frequently result in many divisions and dissensions.

This stands in sharp contrast with the motivation behind Lady Margaret’s duel in London. It was not bravado — the inordinate yearning to break the world record, or even to carry away a piece of bronze around her neck — that sent Mrs Kenyatta to the gruelling 42-kilometre race. No, it was the passionate desire to see a mother survive child birth and a baby live beyond zero that set her on a risky journey outside the assured security of State House into the streets of Nairobi and of London.

In the promotional adverts of the Beyond Zero campaign, the First Lady was clear on her mission, “The experience of childbirth for many women is one filled with fear, pain, sorrow and even death…It breaks my heart knowing that these mothers and children do not have to suffer or die… I have to do something about it.” And she did! To be sure, that is the stuff servant leadership is made of; a selfless spending and being spent for others.

According to McShane and Von Glinow, servant leaders do not view leadership as a position of power, rather, they ask: How can I help you?

Coming at the advent of what Christians call the Passion Week, I couldn’t help but see a nexus between the First Lady’s passion and that which inspired the events of the first Easter — love and sacrifice for others. It is said of Jesus that even though He was in very nature God, He did not consider such an exalted status something to hang on to. Instead, He left royalty and made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant in human likeness.

Accordingly, He humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Thus, Jesus did not travel the dusty roads of Judea for the joy of being crowned the superhero of Jerusalem. Instead, as the epitome of servant leadership, He stepped out of eternity to serve and to save the helpless human race. And when, on what is now called the Good Friday, they finally nailed Him on that cruel Roman cross, it was not the nails but His love for the helpless, hopeless human race that held Him upon those wooden beams.

To be sure, ours was one case after another of eternal child mortality – dead before zero! You only need to look at the vices rampant in our society and you become acutely aware that ours is perhaps even more hopeless than that which breaks Mama’s heart.

And yet the leaders that we have are far from the London Marathon…they cannot make the least of a sacrifice!

That is why the Easter events — representing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ — though some of the most debated phenomena of the Christian faith, are also the most significant.

Through them Jesus brought hope to the hopeless, paying the eternal price for sin. And indeed, just like Mama Margaret declared triumph at the finish line, so did Jesus declare on the cross, “It is finished!”

And with that, He ushered in a new dawn for the helpless and the hopeless. That is why we must truly rejoice this weekend in celebration of Easter!

Happy Easter to fellow Kenyans and especially to Mama Margaret!