At one time, Kenya's Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe was the darling of the public. Things have now changed, with Kenyans criticizing and 'baptizing' him #Cabinet Secretary for Coronavirus!
When Kenyans sing Hosanna to you, be very afraid because they are probably fattening you before they take you to the slaughter.
At least that is what I have observed based on the way they have treated Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe. From a saint, he is now the #Cabinet Secretary for Coronavirus!
Immediately after his appointment and when he began his daily COVID-19 briefings, he was the darling of the media and Kenyans at large. He received all manner of accolades, even internationally. Some even mentioned that they could elect him president if he offered himself for the position!
That was only three or four weeks ago. Now, the story is totally different. The ground has shifted. He has moved from being a hero to being a villain and no one wants to listen to him.
His crime? They first accused him of sacking a researcher in Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) unfairly. Then they accused his ministry of misusing funds allocated to fight COVID-19. So far, there is no hard evidence to support this later claim.
A similar situation happened thousands of years ago with Jesus of Nazareth. People praised him when he performed miracles which wowed the people. But how did Jesus respond to these accolades?
Well, the greatest man who ever lived on the face of the earth, Jesus, never took to heart what the crowds told him. He did not allow himself to be carried away by what people said of him. That is why it is said of him in John 2:24, “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people”.
CS Kagwe should have known the nature of human beings. They are easily swayed and their opinions are never static.
Ironically, it is the same people who were praising Jesus and singing Hosanna to him when he entered Jerusalem in his last week of life, who demanded that he be crucified in place of a known robber, Barabbas.
In Kenya, the very hands that clap for you are the very hands that will hold the dagger that will kill you. If they don’t kill you physically, they will kill you emotionally. That is what is happening to CS Kagwe. One time the crowds are praising him and the next moment they are baying for his blood.
Jesus said that he did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in each person. He knew how easily people could change their opinion for no good reason. If you rely on what crowds tell you, you can be easily misled.
Jesus had a purpose and a mission in life and what the crowds told him would not sway him to change the course of his life. He knew that the people of his day made judgments that were not objective, and their criticisms too were not based on sound reasoning.
In this age of social media, it would be foolish for one to take too seriously what they are told by faceless people behind keyboards. Some of these people do not know what they want in life. They drift through life. It is easy for them to say one thing today and another tomorrow. If you base your decisions on what they tell you, you will fail miserably.
In the social media world, many people interact with people they have never met face to face. Why take so seriously what they tell you? I would rather listen to a person I know who criticizes me than listen to a person I have never met who is complimenting me.
The CS has gone ahead, perhaps in response to these criticisms, to make changes in the ministry of health. I am not sure if the changes are a result of the pressure from members of the public and whether they are for the good of the country. It is too early to judge.
All the same, this unfolding scenario is not just a lesson for CS Kagwe alone. Anyone, wherever they are, ought to learn something. We ought to live by purpose. We should let our values help us in making decisions in life, not subjective opinions from people.
The very people who praise you today are the very people who may ask for your blood tomorrow. Beware!
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