On March 4, 1986, the air outside US Capitol was biting, a mist of disillusionment hanging forebodingly like smoke from wet wood. Thousands braved the rain as they waited for the second inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln, a man whose first term had seen more than half a million lose their lives in the civil war.
His re-election, a first in 32 years in the then 90-year-old Democracy, came as the war neared its denouement, with families still splintered, congregations cleaved and civility receded.
When Abe took the podium, the sun that had been recluse, burst forth in splendour, providence’s way of co-signing the auspicious event and the message to be relayed. In only 700 words that took him six minutes, Lincoln delivered a deeply profound reflection, each word deliberate on the mission to unite and heal.
“With malice towards none; with clarity for all, with firmness in the right… the work we are in to bind the nation’s wounds…”
Forty days later, he was assassinated. An ironic victim of a deeply divided and bellicose popoluce he sought to heed and bridge.
I watched former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s interview on one of the local channels in awe. A linguist, he delved into dicey and intricate issues with wit, lucidity and deftness all with a composure so equanimous, detractors titled it hubris.
Having publicly declared his candidature for the 2027 presidential election, the person, character and professional record of Dr Matiang’i are now under the microscope.
Worth noting is that during the interview, he silenced wagging tongues on matters like ‘River Yala and Ruaraka’ with the confidence of a man who’s neither shy of taking responsibility but who also trusts in his probity.
What I however gleaned from the interview and from what I’ve deduced over the years he’s served in Government is that Matiang’i might just give us an Abraham Lincoln moment and unlike Abe, live to actualise his vision.
The collective feeling of rage, hopelessness, disenchantment cannot be gainsaid. The young population are craving, agitating and demanding for progressive change that we can partake and be part of.
Like the African-Americans Lincoln freed from slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation, we want to be unburdened from the shackles of joblessness, police brutality, State-sanctioned anarchy and wastage of resources in the hands of the political elite.
We demand to be included in making decisions that affect our lives, present and future on matters education, health, finance and every other significant facet.
We call for abolition of the Ruto-led kakistocracy that has us by our necks. Kenya has the requisite resources both human and otherwise to bolster the country as a beacon in the region
Matiang’i bears the capacious mind and strength of character, consummate capacity, fervid imagination and indomitable will to lead the nation into refulgence. His tenure in different ministries from Education, ICT and Interior speaks of a technocrat with unerring judgment of circumstances.
We want a leader not a dealer! A believer in meritocracy not patronage, worker not a shouter. We are done with the rhetoric of career politicians and establishment relics!
We need someone who prioritises dialogue and discipline, who understands that peace is not the absence of war, rather the presence of justice. Someone who can unite Kenya, “with malice towards none, clarity for all and firmness in the right…working to bind the nation’s wounds…”
Ms Otieno is a journalist and social media influencer
By Aoko Otieno