What cost Koigi wa Wamwere his glory

Mr. Koigi Wa Wamwere spent about 17 years in detention in both President Kenyatta's and in President Moi's regimes. He is placed second to President Nelson Mandela of South Africa who spent a total of 27 years in detention. And although they lived far apart, the reasons for their detention, were very similar.

Why then did the one time Kenyan hero fall from grace and loose his glory? What were the reasons behind his abandonment by the very people for whom he sacrificed and suffered so much trying to help? Has he been a victim of a questionable culture or did he commit an unforgivable crime to Kenyans?

Since the independence of Kenya in 1963, individual Kenyans who have sacrificed to help others in trying periods have always ended up in isolation. For many years after his death, Field Marshall Dedan Kimathi had been forgotten. Not only had his history of his struggles to free Kenyans from the Colonialists, faded in the minds of Kenyans, but also his family he left behind, was totally forgotten. The name of Dedan Kimathi started to feature soon after the visit to Kenya, by President Nelson Mandela on 3rd October 2005, when at a large gathering of Kenyans, including the Kenyan President, he asked, 'Where is the family of the late Kenyan freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi?' Had President Mandela not questioned about the Kimathi family, Dedan Kimathi and his family would have remained forgotten up to this day.

And why were others like the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the late Tom Mboya, Kenneth Stanley Njindo Matiba, Charles Rubia, Ms Chelagat Mutai, the late Bishop Alexander Kipsang Muge, the late Bishop Dr. Henry Okullu, Rev. Dr. Timothy Njoya, Archbishop David Gitari, the late Prof. Wangare Mathai, the late Karimi Nduthu, the late Solomon Muruli, James Orengo, the late George Anyona, Sifuna Sifuna, the late Martin Shikuku, the late JM Kariuki, the late Paul Ngei, the late Fred Kubai, the late Bildad Kagia, the late Kungu Karumba, numerous Mau Mau Heroes and many others, become victims of the same fate?

During Mashujaa Day (Hero's Day) celebrations on October 20, none of the Heroes names are mentioned. Kenyans everywhere in the World, for unknown reasons, try as much as they can to avoid mentioning the names of their Heroes. Since the introduction of the Mashujaa Day holiday, all the events that have been taking place have always been unrelated to either remembrance of the Kenyan heroes or the mention of their names. The Mashujaa Day holidays have always been converted to family and/or friends get together and other unrelated functions. What Kenyans have failed to realize and understand is that their actions have hurt, annoyed and disappointed God.

When people pray for help from God in times of grief, God does not descend from Heaven physically, to attend to their agony and suffering, in answer to their prayers. Instead he chooses a few among them, and uses them to provide his help. Therefore, while in their struggles to free others, those chosen ones are always in service to God.

Disowning them is close to disowning God, and abandoning them is abandoning God who chose them. Have Kenyans therefore, been in confrontation with God when they disown and abandon their Heroes? Do they offend God in any way when they disown and abandon the very people who sacrifice to die in the struggles to free them?

Kenyans have an extremely horrible culture of abandoning and forgetting those among them who fight hard to save others during both economic and political hard and difficult times. Just like those before and after him, Mr Koigi Wa Wamwere's worst crime was that of becoming a Victim of this horrible culture. Until this day, there is no known crime of the magnitude to warrant his fate, and unless someone or some people somewhere come out to provide any information leading to a crime committed by Mr. Koigi Wa Wamwere, he remains a clean Kenyan Hero, just like all other forgotten Kenyan Heroes.

Heroes Day (Mashujaa Day) holiday, was set aside to honour and to remember those who sacrificed and stood firm to defend Kenyans in times of real crisis. It is a day to remember Kenyan Heroes, dead nor alive. If Mashujaa Day (Heroes Day) as it is today, cannot be used to serve the purpose for which it was formed, it should be deleted from the list of Kenya holidays, or have its name changed to suite the purpose for which it is being used today. Otherwise, Kenyans should respect and honour both the Kenyan heroes and the Heroes Day (Mashujaa Day).