Opinion: It's time to stand up and rescue the soul of the nation

Several events this past week have served to expose the darker side of our soul as a nation.

The reported theft of over Sh9 billion from the National Youth Service (NYS), the alleged theft of a dead man’s heart by a medical doctor, and the unwarranted death of tens of Kenyans in the Solai dam tragedy, are but among the many issues that have shown us for who we are – a desperately wicked people.

Since the Goldenberg days, a billion has been so much bandied around us that many imagine we comprehend how big the amount is.

A simple arithmetic shocked me. For example, I found that if one is to be given or paid Sh100,000 per day (or Sh3 million a month), it would take about 30 years to make Sh1 billion! For those who earn a miserly Sh1 million per month (thirty-three thousand per day), it would take them about 80 years to make one billion.

It therefore beats logic what kind of greed would lead any person or persons to actually cart away nine of such billions into thin air, especially after the public outcry over the previous NYS scandal. It speaks of a people who have lost conscience and who do not care what Kenyans think or feel. It demonstrates the height of impunity, a spirit that says – na uta do!

‘GRUESOME ACT’

As for the loss of a dead man’s heart, it is too immoral to even comment, even without the legal constraints of the sub judice law.

The court proceedings will hopefully reveal to our simple minds what really happened, and if so, why any person would want to break the hearts of an already grieving family by taking away such organs from their dead. Yet, it is well possible that personal gain, whether financial or otherwise, could be motivation behind the alleged gruesome act of wickedness.

Reports abound in which people with albinism have been murdered and their body parts stolen. These are apparently sold to witchdoctors and some traditional healers who believe it makes their concoctions stronger and brings prosperity to the users.

But, it is not just the dead that lose organs. Some time back, a CNN documentary exposed a rather bizarre conduct in which desperate refugees trying to cross the Sinai Desert had their organs snatched by ruthless doctors while they were still alive. The doctors travelled from Cairo to refugee camps in the desert to harvest kidneys, livers, hearts, and corneas from the helpless “donors.” The organs were then transported to Cairo in mobile refrigeration units to waiting patients. According to the report, it was – and perhaps still is – a lucrative business. Who knows, but that such could be happening right within our borders.

As for the Solai tragedy, not just hearts but lives have been stolen from tens of individuals and families. It is a tragedy that has sapped the emotions of almost every Kenyan.

POORLY DESIGNED

The visit by the President and his Deputy spoke of the gravity of this loss occasioned by a disaster that appeared to have been designed to happen.

If the reports are true, the dam was so poorly designed and constructed that it was just a matter of time before it occasioned the death and destruction that it ultimately did. The sad reality is that the owner apparently circumvented all cautionary measures in the single pursuit of personal interest.

Even worse is that those who could have helped avert the potential disaster apparently just winked. This, of course, has been the case with several buildings that have collapsed and killed many.

The truth that stares at us is that as a people, we have crossed the boundary of morality and ethics. Our greed has got us to the place where the god of money reigns supreme.

We are ready to steal, kill, and destroy anything and anybody that stands on the path to our pursuit of filthy lucre. What this says is that our national soul has died. With it has gone our individual and collective conscience. That is why we simply “ooh” and “aah” at issues that should make any people absolutely mad.

Unfortunately, God is never appeased by such tolerance of evil. When the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah became too much, He stepped in and wiped away the two cities. Men and women of faith have been interceding for this nation, but now it is time that men and women of conscience, who love this nation, got angry enough to stand up against the evils in the land. We simply cannot continue like this.