Poverty of Development ideas in PNU- Septuagenarians , Orina Nyamwamu

Poverty of Development ideas in PNU- Septuagenarians

--- orina Nyamwamu wrote:

In the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25: 31 - 46) Jesus tells us that on the last day, we shall be judged on the basis of whether we provided food to the hungry and water to the thirsty; whether we invited in the stranger; whether we clothed the naked; whether we looked after the sick; and whether we visited the prisoner in jail. These things can and should be done at a personal level; but at a societal level, they all involve very political choices, and Christians should not imagine that they can escape their God-given responsibility to make life more liveable through fighting for a fair and just distribution of power and resources in the society of which they are a part.

Similarly, we have been misled into maintaining a loud silence in the public square by buying into the false popular belief that we are "the leaders of tomorrow." I am forty years old today, and all my life, I have been told that I am "the leader of tomorrow". But tomorrow never comes. Those who became ministers at independence in their twenties are still calling the shots. We complain that our country is being left behind, but what do we expect when our leaders have been at the helm of politics since the 1950s. How can you have a new idea when you have been on the scene for 60 years?? I am amazed at how a young country like Kenya, with over 70% of our population at the age of 35 and below can allow itself to continue being ruled by septuagenarians?

The phrase "Leaders of tomorrow" should be scrapped from our political lexicon and dismissed with the contempt it deserves. We need to develop a culture of leadership development and succession that is in tune with the changing challenges of our time. And we should not apologize for it. I repeat here what I have said before. We will continue to value the experience and the wisdom of the old, but when they become obstacles to change and progress, then it is not just our right, but it is our solemn duty to politely but firmly show them the door.

excerpt from the Transcript of a Sermon delivered by Njonjo Mue at Living Hope International Christian Centre, San Rafael, California, Sunday, 24 September 2007