Waiguru's revelation vindicates Tinga, but we have moved on

I hear some folks somewhere conducted a survey that made a startling finding about Kenyans: that they forget just about everything in two weeks flat.

Any crisis, no matter how devastating, naturally goes away in a fortnight.

Unsurprisingly, few remember teachers are still on strike – the story did not make the front-page yesterday, and could disappear altogether once Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi makes good his threat to close the schools.

What’s a little disconcerting is that few remember what Baba Tinga, the other “father of the nation” and former Prime Minister, has been saying over the alleged scam at the National Youth Service.

And even fewer remember what Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru first claimed in mitigation: that no money had been lost – contrary to Tinga’s claim that money had been stolen.

This week, Waiguru, full of righteous fury, declared some two dozen officials from her ministry had been sacked over the theft of nearly Sh800 million.

Alas! This follows a familiar trajectory.

Former Justice Minister Kiraitu Murungi, literally speaking out of the corners of his mouth, claimed Anglo Leasing “was the scandal that never was,” because what had been stolen was wired back.

Will such a miracle unfurl at NYS?

Well, whether the money was lost or not, we simply don’t remember. We accept and move on.