Vitalis Musebe
It is always good to dream, especially in this era of dreadful nightmares. Dreams can be exciting and have the power to lift one’s spirit, and allow the soul to escape.
It was necessary for our leaders to take off from their busy schedules to dream up new ideas on how to take Kenya forward. But dreams should be approached with a measure of caution as they can give the impression all is well when the reality is the opposite. If initial reaction to the three-day ‘Kenya We Want’ conference was anything to go by, most people are not dreaming the same dreams.
Even as our leaders assured us that they were dreaming the same dream, it was obvious from their expressions that each one of them was dreaming a different one. Some were dreaming of the good old days of Goldenberg while others were dreaming of when they were the owners of Anglo Leasing. Some were having nightmares about drowning in a sea of slippery fuel, while others were counting bags of maize in their sleep.
The conference was a sad reminder that the more we try to change, the more we realise how averse we are to change. From what we heard, there is no doubt leaders know what ails us as a nation and how we can pull ourselves out of our predicament. What, then, has made it so difficult for our country to move forward?
Kenya is what it is today not because of bad policies or tribalism but poor inconsistent and unfocussed approach by its leaders in the implementation of national policies and programmes. We run our country on day-to-day events and activities, rather than on a long-term strategy.
We are in this situation because we have not had the moral courage to confront our challenges. We have chosen an easy option of doing little or nothing to bring about real change in the approach to management of our individual and collective affairs. And what is easier than dreaming?
The writer is commentator on political and social matters.
