Kenya: Reform Not the Work of Politicians Alone

1 August 2012
opinion

A well-loved story about four men, Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody, goes thus: There was an important job to be done. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized Everybody wouldn't do it. In the end, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

I recently came across a statement that a renowned philosopher, Ravi Zacharias, made about reformers and reforms. It did not line up with the definition that many of us have adopted in recent years. As with most things, reforms take on a different meaning when applied to Kenyans. Perhaps I should speak for myself. To me, the word "reformer" or "reformist", when brought up in relation to my country, conjures up images of flamboyance, charisma, cliques, roadside dances, and, once in a while, a particular color whose name is synonymous with a common fruit. In my mind, Reformer in this sense is a proper noun often preceded by another capitalised word, Great.

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