After two months of praying that America doesn’t turn into a failed state, Joe Biden finally took the presidential oath not to be like Donald Trump.
As was predicted by hunting and gathering experts, Kenyans followed the inauguration more keenly than how they follow how the government eats their taxes.
But you can’t blame them because we all dream of a nation with a system that works. Unfortunately, in Kenya, when you hear politicians talking about the system, the only image that comes to mind is the presidential sword that was once mentioned in a speech about slicing sumptuous portions of meat while others watched with their salivary glands protesting without placards.
Fresh beginning
The inauguration also came with the unveiling of the first female Vice President of the United States. It might have taken them more than 200 years to borrow gender mainstreaming lessons from Africa, but you haven’t heard anyone complaining, as this was the initial intention of the North-South exchange programmes on leadership and governance.
Credit goes to President Biden for nominating Kamala Harris as his deputy. He did not have to wait for a law to be passed, neither did he stand on a funeral podium to announce his intention to rotate the presidency across the genders.
We are celebrating a fresh beginning for a country far away but when we are presented with the same opportunity to clean our house, we never miss the chance to look for weather-beaten brooms that even cockroaches laugh at.
The Biden-Harris team is composed of technocrats who have experience, a passion for duty and commitment to their country. They focused on technocrats who inspire public confidence and trust, and who will get the job done.
Had that been in Africa, prominent appointments would have been reserved for their relatives and friends, and if asked if that’s the way they wanted to run a country they would have reminded us that even Jesus gave his disciples the job of being fishers of men when he had the choice of going to Mt Sinai and creating a recruitment portal for everyone on his stone tablet.
Inspiration
It is understandable that women leaders in Kenya are excited with the milestones Vice President Harris has achieved thus far. They say she is an inspiration to them, and they would love to be like her before Jesus comes back to take us to his Father’s mansion.
These proclamations aren’t surprising because associating with high achievers is a Kenyan pastime. No one is asking these women leaders suddenly inspired by Kamala whether they embody her personal virtues or ascribe to her political ideology.
Had she been Kenyan, the same leaders drooling over her would be petitioning her to declare whether she belongs to the Hustler or Deep State.
You cannot claim Kamala as your role model when the first thing you do whenever you get into contact with a microphone is to run your mouth.
If your mouth makes violent protests every time you ask it to avoid hate speech, know that you’re being unfair by giving it a higher standard it cannot meet, and you need to sign an agreement with your hands to help you remove her from your mouth.
Kamala cannot be your role model when you have corruption cases running a relay on the corridors of justice. If you cannot sign a deal with your hands to slap your face whenever you are tempted to touch public money, at least sign a deal with your memory to give you an alternative list of role models whenever you want to sound cool for political clout.