By Billy Gichohi
In the next twenty years, many current holders of top national leadership positions in Kenya will unlikely occupy any echelon of power or authority in this country. That’s how cycles of life go. Leaders come and go. What are left behind are institutions that outlive generations. However, in disregard of that simple truth, some young Kenyans are today busy plastering coats of raw sewage on institutions of authority they will themselves occupy in the foreseeable future. How sad!
As we continue throwing mud at individuals holding positions of authority today, the youth ought to remember that debasing others in devil-may-care online slurs is in fact desecrating the command of institutions. It is like defacing your family home because you disagree with your parents’ manner of running family business. Such mental darkness and moral vacuity have never made anyone a hero.
The truth is that no nation on earth has ever been chaperoned into greatness by people suffering acute moral decay and lack of social boundaries. But some young and utterly shameless Kenyan online yobs have taken to hurling the most dishonourable filth to people the age of their parents and grandparents without a care. Yet being Gen-Z does not grant anyone the license to be incautious, glib or unhinged. Besides, garbage from a rotten conscience cannot possibly pass for freedom of expression. The few age-mates who have opted to turn social media into a pigsty do not represent the majority of us who prefer to disagree honourably when we must. To the degenerates now involved in the production of twisted online content, SHAME ON YOU!
As matters currently stand, it seems that a good number of Gen-Z’s parents have raised a generation of the most uncivil, repugnant, irresponsible and impolite miscreants who lack any shade of politeness or remorse. Whatever happened to the well-bred and to social boundaries! But does being a Gen-Z automatically admit one into the indecorous cabal of clowns wired to disregard basic courteousness in online engagements? I refuse to board! I say no depravity and refuse to buy into a distorted worldview that turns me into a slave of fame seeking through acts of wallowing in online junkyards.
In a country abounding with mammoth potential, Kenya’s greatest asset lies in its youth. With over 75% of its population under the age of 35, the nation’s future hinges on how well it prepares the next generation for leadership and success. This preparation is not just about providing education or employment opportunities; rather it’s about creating an environment where young people can draw inspiration from credible role models who teem the land and demonstrate both integrity and commitment to entrenching the culture of mutual respect.
Kenya has produced several such pacesetters whose thoughtful contributions towards making our country better have inspired both their peers and generations to follow. Before you rant about what you think is wrong with our current leadership, think about Kenya as home to the world renowned environmentalist, the late Professor Wangari Maathai, tech innovator Juliana Rotich, Mwalimu Peter Tabichi and many other unsung heroes and heroines. Clearly, we are not short of towering figures that can illuminate the path to our destiny and keep us off the slippery track led by a reprobate clique of misguided online bullies.
While many young Kenyan young men and women are undoubtedly talented and eager to make a difference, they often lack quality mentorship at home to help them achieve their full potential. Indeed, some of our parents are as insolent as some youthful wretches seeking fame from flinging profanities online. This is shameful but the truth nonetheless.
Kenya’s future leaders need to be equipped with the tools to navigate whatever challenges and respond to the changing demands of a globalized world. More than that, we need to be grounded in values that put the common good ahead of instant personal gratification. Regurgitating offensive grime in social media day and night is a choice we should reconsider.
If we choose filth instead of fair-mindedness, we should get ready to trade our destiny at the altar of worthless vulgarities and get jettisoned onto a maggoty mound sooner than later. Indeed, the choice is ours!
The author, Billy Gichohi is an aspiring politician who currently works for a Nairobi-based international organisation that supports small-scale farmers undertaking transformative farming projects in East Africa.
