• Uhuru extended his hand and trod the path of the prophets.
•Today we are able to bless the peace which underpins all of his other successes as President, and all those which are now in reach.
Image: PSCU
A country can be blessed with many resources. Water, precious metals and oil are all highly desirable, bringing the prospects for prosperity and success. However, they also bear the curses of greed and envy, as many of our neighbours know all too well.
Peace and tranquillity are not usually considered a resource, but this goes against both our faith and our experience. Mankind has fought over land, water, oil, and anything else imaginable. Peace is the foundation that secures every element in human life, and so too in a country’s destiny.
Our children are becoming more educated than ever, thanks to peace. Our healthcare is reaching new heights, thanks to peace. Our energies are being diverted from futile distractions into ploughshares, and we are seeing the results, thanks to peace.
Whatever our beautiful and blessed country may lack under the sun we can trade, except for peace. It must be guarded at all costs.
Like a visionary, President Uhuru Kenyatta saw an opportunity for peace where many saw disaster. Uhuru extended his hand and trod the path of the prophets. Today we are able to bless the peace which underpins all of his other successes as President, and all those which are now in reach.
Our wise people know this well, too. Eighty per cent of Kenyans support the handshake, which brought an end to the perpetual drama and gave way to a new dawn of hope.
Peace and tranquillity were cited as the main reason for public support, not political expediency. Ensuring the wheels of government are free to turn to complete vital projects is a worthy goal in and of itself, but including all Kenyans and making them heard and seen, is worthier still.
Indeed, unity is a holy cause, as we read in Peter, “All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
We do not have to agree on everything to be like-minded, but we must be like-minded on the importance of peace through unity.
Likewise, those who preach division, and unnecessarily focus on an election more than three years away, pursue only an unholy aim of power above all, but not for all. We who love peace must continue to support the President and the handshake.
As we also learn from the Holy Bible, how quickly people can turn from the face of God, and from peace. The President does not pursue peace to the detriment of our needs, his policies are calculated to remedy any hardship in the short term while working to secure the long-term conditions we will need to truly raise ourselves up.
It is not all talk and symbolism. Billions of shillings of goods that had been confiscated have been released to small- and medium traders by the President, and the government is now fulfilling its commitments to the people more quickly and more effectively than before.
Efficient and diligent systems are being put in place to ensure the continued growth of the private sector, while healthcare is benefiting from unprecedented investment to ensure the common good is also provided for.
As any good economist will tell you, a strong private sector is built on the foundation of rule of law, the breaking of barriers, and most of all, on peace. How much more true for the health of our people, and the health of our society.
As Saint Paul said, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
This describes the legacy Uhuru is building for Kenya. Historians, economists and priests will surely look back on his rule with favour.
Whether in the centre or in other regions, a small businessman or a public servant, a labourer or a middle-class family, all people will feel the benefits of this new reality.
To paraphrase a famous quip by Benjamin Franklin, Kenyans have been given a democratic, unified republic, if we can keep it.
Our leaders are now preparing to roll out the Handshake programme that will deliver on the promise of Kenya as a peaceful, prosperous, united country. We must join hands with each other in support of a brighter future and in defence of our most precious resource.
The writer is the MP Igembe North.