Ethnicity, its Institutionalization and Student Leadership.
In his 1513 masterpiece, The Prince, Nicollo Machiavelli cautions:
“but men of little prudence will do a thing for immediate gain without
recognizing the poison it bears for the future”. Some of our leaders, upon whom
we've vested authority and power to run state affairs, conduct themselves in
total disregard of this doctrine. The statutes they claim to adhere to and the
rule of law they seek to uphold may not openly declare this, but I choose to
say it: we are setting wrong precedence for generations and future regimes.
The situation is not any better in our institutions of
higher learning. I’ll give a retrospective opinion on this. In the words of the
Deputy President, ‘Universities must be the epitome of nationalism’. (I’m left
thinking if the state upholds the so called nationalism).
Colleagues in Maseno University, We must appreciate that no
single individual, however powerful, no single political formation, however
influential, no single community, however populous, will achieve much on their
own. Comrades, let’s rise to the occasion. The problems of this institution
will not possibly be solved by skeptics and cynics whose horizons are limited
by the obvious realities. We must rise and break the cage which our
predecessors posed unto us lest we perish in eternal damnation. We have been
disappointed by tribalism in myriad ways but I believe we can use that as motivation
for us to rise. I plead with you not to hold hostage your capability because it
is an ingredient of the change we desire. We shall not be held back by myopic
ethnicity masquerading as activism. The banner of our university must be raised
higher than the sky; the sky being the lowest floor. In the next elections, let
us vote personalities rather than parties and coalitions, let us vote for
individuals who shall make our cries heard and yes, let us vote for him he who
shall set the trend for others to ape. Vox Populi,Vox Dei.
God bless you
comrades.
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