Will Kenya’s real heroes and heroines please stand up?

President Uhuru Kenyatta awards the Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH) medal Eliud Kipchoge during the 2019 Mashujaa Day celebrations at the Mama Ngina Waterfront Park, Mombasa County.

It has been 75 years since the end of World War II.

As we mark this year’s Mashujaa Day (Heroes’ Day), it should not be lost on us Kenyans’ contribution to WWII and other wars, which in my opinion is understated.

Many families had their sons conscripted to fight for the British Empire in North Africa, Myanmar and our neighbouring countries. 

They may not have brought medals home, but they are heroes in their own right. 

The few I have met are buried in nondescript places without military honours, with only a few making it to well-tended Commonwealth cemeteries. 

What of those who never returned? Do we remember them? Do we honour them? I found several Kenyans buried in Burma (Myanmar) at Taukkyan War Cemetery in Yangon.

They include Kipsano Lagat, Mutua Matiku, Mwera Nzuki, M’thirare Kimbui, Kingori Kamwaro, Kirenge Chacha, Kimengich Terer, Odero Odinga, among others. Curiously, their next of the kin is not given. Where are their families?  I have some personal links to WWII; one of my uncles fought in Burma. The other in Tanzania and Uganda. In a curious twist of events, the Burma war veteran was detained by the same empire he fought for.

Remote parts of the country were popular with detention centres from Manyani to Lodwar. 

All over the world, elaborate ceremonies were held to mark the end of WWII. We did not. Do we underestimate our role in this great war or we had more pressing issues?  Other heroes fought in the Mau Mau resistance and Somali. Peacekeepers have done their job in Sierra Leone, Sudan and other parts of the world.

Why do we fail to celebrate such events, yet at a personal level, celebrations have become the norm from birthdays to baby showers?

Are national celebrations not one of the glues that hold a nation together, reminding us of national achievement and dreams? 

In recognition of heroes who have fought in various battlefronts, we need a veteran’s department. And where is the national cemetery where heroes can rest in peace

The war veterans rank at the top of the list of heroes because of the danger and valour that come with such sacrifices. But does that mean there are no heroes when there is peace?  In the olden days, the road to heroism was often paved in blood.

It does not matter which part of the world you look at. What other heroes deserve our praise and recognition on this day? 

Economic heroes rank high too. They spawn enterprises by combining the factors of production to ensure citizens can earn a living. Only 17 per cent of Kenyans are formerly employed. The real heroes are slowly getting the recognition they deserve, but they are subdued by fake heroes, the corrupt who sow where they never sowed. In the past when land was plenty and population low, economic heroism was underrated. Hereditary heroes were common in the past; we still have echoes through dynasties.

Most of them held political power intertwined with economic power. Through mechanisms like initial public offers, we can ensure wealth and power are transferred to those who can safeguard it.

Self-made heroes

Hereditary heroes run the risk of running down institutions because they lack down-to-earth appreciation of issues. 

One of the most popular classes of heroes is the self-made heroes. They get political or economic recognition because of sheer hard work, pulling themselves up by the bootstraps.

Unfortunately, few people have the patience to go the whole hog to become self-made heroes. Crises like childhood deprivation or economic crisis, social-economic displacement give us such heroes. This is why immigrants make great economic and political heroes. 

How do we prepare future heroes? It is paradoxically by using past heroes as benchmarks, which reduces our chances of becoming heroes. Think of trying to become a political hero in South Africa in the shadow of Mandela or an economic hero in the US in comparison to Bill Gates and Rockefeller. 

The current generation fears the old crop of heroes could make them irrelevant; luckily, it controls the narrative on heroism or even defines who is a hero, more like a job advert with someone in mind.  

Mentorship is one route to heroism, but it can be problematic; how do you get out of the shadow of your mentor and become your own hero?  

In the past, we exposed the young men and women to situations that tested them like rites of passage. Some countries demand military service; some could say exams breed stressed heroes. 

We can’t forget the fake heroes, who lay claim to achievements that never were. Hoarding heroism is also possible through dictatorship, bad laws and regulations. 

Luckily, heroism obeys the laws of economics. Its market is efficient.  Time brings out new heroes or diminishes the stature of the old ones.

Is this why we fear past heroes and have never found Dedan Kimathi’s grave? The role of time in determining heroism is aptly captured by a Central Kenya proverb -   “gûtiri irumaga imera igîrî” (you can’t be a hero twice).  

As we celebrate this year’s Mashujaa Day, let’s remember that a county that respects and venerates its heroes prospers. Heroism if well packaged can be a great catalyst of social-economic progress. 

- The writer is an associate professor at the University of Nairobi