In life, good ideas always give way to better ideas. Alternatively, good ideas ought to give way to better ideas.
The wheelbarrow has dominated the Kenyan cyberspace and media headlines in recent days. The wheelbarrow has become famous because of its association with the deputy president of Kenya.
For those who might not know, there will be an election in Kenya in 2022, in which the deputy president intends to run for the office of president. One of his agenda(s) is that of economic empowerment of youth. The wheelbarrow is a symbol of that economic empowerment agenda.
It is noteworthy to remember that in 2013 when the current president and his deputy ran for office, they promised to form a digital government. In other words, they promised to use technology to enhance service delivery.
One of the promises they made was that they will provide a laptop for every primary school child. This did not materialize. That is water under the bridge and is something that none of the leaders who made the promise is willing to talk about now. There could be valid reasons why the promise was not kept.
That notwithstanding, what is obvious is that the deputy president is now trying to reinvent himself.
This begs the question; in this time and age, should we be talking about the wheelbarrow as a solution to youth unemployment or technology?
Reinvention is not unique to politics. Brands reinvent every now and then. If you live in East Africa, you must know about these brands - Omo, Sunlight, Blue Band - and how they have rebranded over the years.
Businesses rebrand so they may look fresh and appealing. I guess politicians do so for the same reasons.
The crisis brought about by corona virus has exposed how frail we are as human beings. Our knowledge and abilities are very limited. Reminds one that “the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength”. (1 Corinthians 1:25).
In life, when all else has failed, we need that extra help...the help that politics and economic experts cannot offer.
Therefore, what lessons can we draw from the experiences of the last couple of years in Kenya?
One, human beings may make declarations but they lack the power to make those declarations become a reality.
Two, human beings may have good intentions but good intentions are not good enough; human beings need some extra help to make things happen.
Three, human beings may have good intentions but they lack the means to control their environment and what happens around them.
These events have made me to realize that man is man and God is God. Man is limited while God is not limited. Unlike human beings, God does not need to reinvent himself to be accepted by human beings or to look appealing.
God does not make promises that He does not intend to keep or which He has no power to keep. After destroying the earth using floods, God promised that He will not destroy the earth again (Genesis 9:14-15). The rainbow that we see today is the sign of that promise.
The rainbow reminds us that God is a promise keeper. He makes promises that He intends to keep, He makes promises that He is willing to keep, and He makes promises that He has the power to keep.
You and I can trust Him because He will not disappoint. He does not need to reinvent Himself because things did not happen as He had anticipated. What He promises He will deliver.
This is awesome