Orals East Africa>A note to those carrying out abductions At the hut of the story

Written by Stephen Jairo

This came to me in the middle of a drink, when I paused to think about the clamour for change driven by the Gen Zs. To be clear, I fully support the push by the Gen Zs, as their demands are constitutional, to begin with. The changes they seek will benefit generations ahead of me, me as a person, and many more generations after me. So, on that, keep it up Gen Z, my prayers are with you.

However, I digress from my line of thought. I have watched a couple of videos of innocent fellow patriotic Kenyans being abducted by unknown people in broad daylight, by unknown persons, in unmarked vehicles, the reason being their voice.

These were the tactics used by the late President Moi in his reign to silence critics of his regime. Unbeknown to him, you cannot stop an idea whose time has come. The clamour for multiparty democracy was real, and so it came to pass, and we are enjoying the fruits thereof.

I dare say that President William Ruto, who served as former Youth for Kanu 92 YK92, was a Moi student and is reading from the long-lost and old-time obsolete, expired script.

A true case of a student performing better than the teacher. Mr. President, this tactic will not work. If anything, you have emboldened the Gen Z movement even further. You have blatantly refused to listen to the grievances of the people you lead, instead doing the complete opposite, and meting out violence on peaceful protesters, using the police whose motto sarcastically is ‘Utumishi kwa Wote’.

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You have, times without number, failed to see the silver lining that Gen Z, on behalf of every other patriotic Kenyan, are crying out for. I won’t even begin to list them, Kenyans and good-meaning friends of Kenya, are well aware of.

My note to those carrying out abductions is this. I feel for you, your families, friends, and whoever it is on whose behalf you do what you do. We are all mortals and no one is leaving this world alive. However powerful you may be, whatever resources you may own, and for whatever interest it is you do what you do, I beseech you to take time, sit down, and reflect for a moment.

Money is sweet and makes the world go gaga, everyone is looking for it, myself included. But being paid to abduct your fellow human beings to instil fear in them, or to silence them for good by making them disappear, just for airing their personal views, within the constitutional framework, in my view is backward, and has no place in modern society.

As was said by the immediate former president, power is transient. You may have it now, but you will surely not have it forever.

The issues brought to the fore by Gen Zs will benefit everyone, if only they are addressed. To have a reboot of the country is a positive thing that we all should, embrace. If it is through the push by the youthful and agile Gen Zs, so be it. Working systems are a panacea for service delivery and economic growth which has ripple effects on you and me, sooner or later.

You surely don’t want to leave behind a system where your grandson or granddaughter is unsure of their future, that they live in fear of expressing themselves, because that is a sure recipe for abduction. But if that is what you think these ‘maandamanos’ are all about, ‘endeleeni’.

What goes round comes round. ‘Na Mungu Mwenyezi, aliye juu, hahali.’