Rio team’s treatment a mirror image of Kenya’s approach to work

Henry Munene

When details of mistreatment of our Rio-bound Kenyan Olympic athletes exploded a few days ago, we were again firing from four cylinders on social media. There was righteous anger, and understandably so, complete with calls that all official joyriders and those who mismanaged the trip to Brazil be punished. Now, while we should not condone mistreatment of our world-beating athletes, allow me to go unpopular and submit that it was all a microcosm of Kenya. I mean, look around you. Who in the civil service does not know that those who try to do a good and honest job have to endure snide remarks?

Who does not know the sarcastic and sometimes harsh treatment of those who don’t condone mediocrity and graft, sometimes being posted to God-forsaken dusty outposts with no hardship allowance? Who, the police? State agency officers? Three years ago, we wrote here that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto had a golden chance to start the country out on a new path. As they took office, the challenge was to ensure the presidency would cease to be, in the spirit of the new supreme law, a do-or-die target for tribes.