We have betrayed our heroes through selfishness

What you need to know:

Right now we are mourning a courageous crusader for democracy the late Kenneth Matiba who was detained without trial and paid a heavy price with his health.
We must question ourselves as to how much genuine tribute we can pay him and those like him who suffered and even died so that we can be a democracy.
An authentic celebration of his courageous act of taking a dictatorship head on must include an examination of conscience on we have betrayed the heroes.

Where are we in the evolution of our democracy? One might say that we have made quite some progress since the early 1990s for before then we had been through nearly 30 years of outright dictatorship. But we still have major challenges that threaten to destroy what so many people suffered and even lost their lives for. At the centre of the democratic project are certain institutions which, if not well managed and protected, can derail the progress in building a democracy.

WEAKEST LINK
Take the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. This is — or ought to be — a major player in shaping our democracy as happens in more developed democracies around the world. The faith that citizens have in a commission that is charged with the job of administering elections is critical in the democratic process. In the commissions we have had in recent years we find the weakest link in the endeavour to put in place a true democracy. The one that administered the 2007 elections, for instance, together with the politicians that contested caused a crisis that brought this country almost to its knees.
A new commission was put in place in readiness for the 2013 election and within no time its members were ejected before the 2017 elections. Even up to this point the current commission is in serious problems. Will it survive? It is quite obvious that many Kenyans and particularly those in the political class do not believe that there can be an election in which there is no cheating. What does that mentality mean to the growth of our democracy?

CRUSADER
Destabilising the commission that is supposed to manage the most sacred exercise in the building of a democratic society is indeed a betrayal to the vision and courage of those who have suffered and even died so that we can enjoy a democracy. Right now we are mourning a courageous crusader for democracy the late Kenneth Matiba. He was detained without trial for agitating for multiparty democracy. During that detention he suffered a stroke the effects of which have made him immobile and unable to work for more than 25 years.
While we pray that the good Lord will rest his soul in eternal peace we must question ourselves as to how much genuine tribute we can pay him and those like him who suffered and even died so that we can be a democracy. An authentic celebration of his life and courageous act of taking a dictatorship head on must include an examination of conscience on the part of each one of us on how by our acts of selfishness we have betrayed the heroes of our independence and democracy.