“Know your lanes!” Lessons from Okoth Obado’s story so far!

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A few weeks ago, Governor of Migori Okoth Obado was released on bail. The release triggered mixed emotions. His supporters were ecstatic; their prayers had been answered. Others wondered, what a world, where a life is snuffed out and it appears that there are no answers, no justice.

While the governor is on bail, he has been subjected to a number of restrictions, such as not being able to travel outside the country or 20km within his county.

I am obsessed with George Orwell’s works, and most of us have come across Animal Farm. In there is one phrase that is often quoted, “All animals are created equal but some are more equal than others.”

The pigs were saying this to each other with smug smiles when they realised the hypocrisy of government. They could do whatever they wanted, preach equality but in actuality, they were the elite and owned the government.

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I was at a meeting chaired by the Deputy President William Ruto where Governor Obado spoke about involving young people in agriculture. It was an informative and well-thought-out contribution, but it was difficult to pay attention to his words and not take note of how uncomfortable the room was.

When his name was first mentioned, people looked at each other, and it was obvious that on everyone’s mind though not on their lips was the question, “He is here? And he even has the guts to contribute?”

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What is that feeling, of knowing there is a massive elephant in the room and pretending to be blind? But no one had the guts to call him out. I mean the deputy president does not have a problem with his presence at the meeting, so why should you? It seemed everyone was ready to move on.

If it were a woman, would she have easily dusted off her shoulders and kept on trucking? Or would she go underground for a few months and almost disappear?

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But you see, we live in a country where nobody questions the powerful. Almost a year since the handshake and rolling out of the Building Bridges Initiative, those key players are suddenly getting regional jobs. Kalonzo Musyoka received his security detail back, in all his three homes, right after President Uhuru Kenyatta attended his father’s funeral. They appear to be mending their elitist bridges just fine.

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