Heart to Heart

Like an avalanche that has slowly but steadily grown to a humongous size, the Kenyan society seems to be at an almost breaking point. I might be a bit pessimistic but recent events point at a disaster waiting to happen. Social injustice has been the order of the day since time immemorial but recent occurrences especially violence against women should serve as a wake-up call.

I will not dwell on the specific cases that have truly and well been documented but rather a diagnosis of what is ailing us. This is just an opinion and I might be wrong but I’ll let my voice be heard.

 “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”. So said Mahatma Gandhi. What is the one thing that you and I can change to stop the rot in our lives, our society and our nation? As a Christian, I’m reminded by Jesus that I need not point out the speck in the eye of another before removing the log in mine. I see the issue at hand as being three-faceted; spiritual, social and economic.

In the Bible book of Isaiah 6:5, it states “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” In the previous chapter of the book, Prophet Isaiah had been pronouncing words of woe to the corrupt society in which he lived. The King now had died and when the Prophet went into the temple, he saw a vision. It was that of God’s throne in a very vivid manner until Isaiah no longer pronounced woes on others but did so on himself. In the holiness of the Most High, he saw his sin and Isaiah declared ruin upon himself. It reminds me of the evil times we live in and the general rebellion we have communally established against God and his ways. Ways that are just and pure. What have we become?

How many ladies marvel at being referred to as ‘bi***es’ by men and only complain after being treated like female dogs? What sin are we hiding in ourselves that is now getting manifest through the sickening occurrences? You might argue that women are dressing provocatively and thus ‘asking for it’. I beg to differ. I once spent three weeks in Lokichoggio where women walk topless and no one throws snide remarks their way nor strips them off the covering of the nether regions. We seem to suffer from a collective problem engraved in our mind that is now being manifest in deeds.

Of course the moral decay around us has a socio-economic aspect to it. Listening to Judge Ian Mbugua on Sunday as he was being hosted on the Churchill Show, I couldn’t help but nod in agreement that real men are dwindling in numbers at an alarming rate. Instead, we have an ever-increasing number of inward weaklings masquerading as men. It’s a sad state, one that no one in particular is to blame but that needs urgent addressing. Kudos to this platform that is speaking out for men to arise. The elevation and massive attention given to the ‘girl child’, as many have pointed out led to years of neglect to their male counterparts. And like a receding wave, we now face a tsunami.

Something has to change. I choose to change. I choose to play my part as a man. Every woman out there has a father, a son, a brother, a spouse, a male friend or colleague. We have to stand for them. Not that they are weak but because it is our mandate. The government won’t do that for us since there’s even a cop who was arrested for stripping a lady. But fair enough that even the President just addressed this issue by launching the 16 Days of Activism. Religious institutions would be a safe haven but we know that’s not always the case.

Some men (and women) are of the opinion that indecency is the cause of all the tribulation we find ourselves facing. The same men who glorify scantily dressed women as ‘socialites’, feast eyes on raunchy music videos and ears on the same and have accelerated the porn penetration of Kenya to among the highest in the world. We could argue all day concerning moral standards and it is valid but action matters more. Statistics over a long time remind us of the grim reality we face. A woman in Kenya is abused sexually every thirty minutes. The chilling statistics, however, do not tell the full story of the emotional devastation of individual rape victims. From toddlers to grannies, in their homes, open places and now even matatus. Something has got to give. I won’t stay silent. Social media campaigns won’t do much either. It’s gonna be a long journey of restoration. A restoration of sanity in society. A journey I am willing to take. Will you join me?

Fun & Freedom

We are drawn from different parts of the country and last Saturday, most of us took the 100 kilometer journey to the idyllic lakeside town of Naivasha for a camp that was also to serve as a retreat since it was a long weekend with the following Monday being Mashujaa Day, a Kenyan public holiday.

Over a hundred young people, diverse in many ways but united in Christ were looking forward to a grand time, away from the monotony of daily life and hopefully have a memorable experience. This was gonna be K-Krew’s “Kubamba Village” and boy, did it rock. K-krew/Kubamba is a movement. A ministry whose sole focus is to reach the 14-26 year age group to the Lord and help them remain unashamed for Christ. The group’s vision is to bring 1 million to Christ and to disciple 100,000 believers to maturity. K-Krew, an abbreviation of ‘Kubamba’ has grown from its inception in 2000 when Pastor Moses Mathenge a.k.a. DJ Moz, began a weekly gospel show hosted by a local radio station. At the moment, 7 hours of airtime on Citizen TV every Sunday on the popular shows of Rauka and Kubamba, more airtime has been on Hot 96’s radio show ‘Inuka’, there’s a weekly Bible Study between 6-8p.m. at Nairobi Cinema while each month, an even dubbed ‘Chillage’ happens at the Panari Hotel where guys participate in ice skating among other events.  Through their School of Deejaying, they are training the next generation of Deejays, Hypemen and sound engineers on a professional level.

So, here we were in Naivasha, having arrived on a chilly evening but nothing seemed cold. Ripples of laughter broke the air of Nature’s Camp while groovy music pumped as everyone settled in. There were tents pitched outside and the air was full of adventure and expectancy. After dinner, as some danced, I joined other young people to play football. This must have gone on until midnight when we rested awaiting the next day.

Sunday did not feel one and many admitted to have lost the sense of what day of the week it was. There was a time of devotion and the day was full of activities. It was massive fun, and in the Lord. No booze, secular music yet everyone was having a great time. I kept on reflecting on a book that was first published in 1971, written by Billy Graham and aptly titled ‘The Jesus Generation’.

To paraphrase, he wrote the book at a time when The US was experiencing a wave of many young people accepting Jesus in their lives, the hippy movement was declining and Dr.Bill was responding to fears that it was not genuine turning away from sin but just a movement that would decline just as rapidly as it developed. So there I was with many other young people, having fun in the Lord but also pondering on these thoughts.

But then I remembered that it is God who saves and the relationship is personal. I was glad that a remnant will always be there to live for Him. God’s Word that is everlasting declares in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”. No one was high on drugs or booze, there was nothing carnal going on and I’m confident that the Jesus culture in Kenya isn’t just a fad. Satan must be wetting his pants as the movement grows from the hearts of every young person in a relationship with Jesus.

Being a Christian is not a fad, it’s not a lifestyle you adopt for Sunday, rather, it’s a personal relationship that lasts for life. It’s not complicated either, since scripture declares that “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..” and though a solemn decision it is to follow Christ, it’s fairly simple, just like A-B-C (Accept, Believe that Christ is King). 1st John 1:9 outlines; “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness..”