This Christmas stand in solidarity with those in despair

In 1984, at the height of the Ethiopian famine, a BBC report was aired in England exposing the extent of the human tragedy. The Irish songwriter Bob Geldof saw the BBC report and co-opted Scottish guitarist James Ure. Together they co-wrote and produced a song to raise money for famine relief, appropriately titled, “Do they know it’s Christmas?” The song, sang jointly by top British musicians, became a platinum hit, and the highest-selling single in UK Singles Chart history for fourteen years, until it was superseded by Elton John’s 1997 tribute to Princess Diana, “Candle in the Wind.”

“Do they know it’s Christmas?” is not a particularly great song. Neither the lyrics nor the musical scores are brilliant, and the song would have been quickly cast into the trashcan of history were it not for the celebrities who sang it, and more importantly the cause it espoused. As it is, it marked one of the most genuine outpourings of pure philanthropy, or love for fellow man, and the consequent vicarious suffering in the pain of another, that is a particularly distinctive characteristic of human society.

The appeal for human solidarity and its strong connection to Christmas time is the genius of the song. For Christmas is a time for solidarity, for giving to others and for spreading joy and happiness. Whether it is those close to us or those far away, whether it is family or friends, Christmas is never complete without sharing. Because, so Christians believe, God shared his life with us and gave us his only-begotten Son, and so we may share our lives and our most cherished values with others.

This Christmas season, let’s make Bob Geldof’s refrain our own. On the brink of the precipice in South Sudan, do they know it’s Christmas? In the aftermath of the health workers strike in Kenya, do they know it’s Christmas? And as road accidents continue to claim victims, in the midst of an ill-thought plan by Parliament to slash insurance payouts to accident victims, do they know it’s Christmas?

Methinks Kenya cannot celebrate Christmas if South Sudan is crying for help. Barely six years ago, its Kenya that tottered on the edge of the precipice, staring in the abyss of a civil conflict with strong ethno-political fault lines. It was Kenya that had to cry for help, and our neighbours who stepped in to help stop the post-election violence from spiralling out of control. Today, more than ever, it is Kenya’s responsibility to step in and help tame the tensions between the two large ethnic groups in South Sudan, Salva Kiir’s Dinka and Riek Machar’s Nuer. East Africa cannot do without a stable South Sudan, and our very top political and religious leadership must utilise their entire diplomatic prowess to stem the threatened conflict.

Health workers have been on strike in Kenya for eleven days, and have only reluctantly called off the strike. All sides in the dispute bear part of the blame for the crisis. The health workers had a genuine grievance, namely threatened reduction of their take-home pay and benefits upon secondment to the counties. However, they added unrealistic demands to reverse devolution, which was impossible. National government did not show honesty in their initial response to the core concern of health workers to preserve their pay, and seemed ready to recklessly damage the health sector by a take-no-prisoners attitude.

Governors, over anxious to take over the health sector budget but reluctant to pay adequate remuneration, merely stoked the fires. Yet hapless Kenyans denied health services for nearly two weeks continued to suffer in this ego-fight. Hopefully, the government will treat the health sector workers with at least the same delicacy they treat MPs, because we cannot afford to discourage our bright young generation from committing their lives to healthcare provision. Both patients and medics should realise that it’s Christmas.

A few weeks ago, on its last sitting before recess, Parliament passed the Insurance (Motor Vehicle Third Party Risks) (Amendment) Bill. The Bill was to reduce or limit the maximum amount of compensation that can be received by road accident victims from insurance companies to a maximum of three million shillings for death, and lower amounts for other injuries, regardless of the actual loss suffered by the victim. Such a law would only make sense if Parliament also had power to reduce or limit suffering, pain and loss that road accident victims could suffer, which obviously it cannot. Let’s hope the President knows it is Christmas, and vetoes the Bill. Wishing you a blessed and selfless Christmas.