During the Mashujaa day celebrations held every year in December to honor and commemorate our national heroes, a lot is said but little action is seen. The recent case that has brought the nature of neglect to our national heroes and heroines is Mukami Kimathi’s appeal to the government to aid her clear her hospital bill after being detained in hospital temporarily with a 1M shillings bill. From the millions of shillings spent yearly on making grand events to mark the celebration of our heroes, to just a little being spent to actually take care of the heroes, its a shame for the nation.
Mukami Kimathi who a widow and wife to the late freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi Wachiuri is a well known public figure. In 2008, while unveiling the charter to the Kimathi university, the former late president Mwai Kibaki gave a comprehensive welfare benefits to mama Mukami Kimathi, the widow to field marshal general Kimathi but seemingly the actualization of that wasn’t followed through.
We clearly need to borrow a leaf from developed nations such as Russia and the USA, the treatment of their national heroes. The timely response by Deputy president to visit mama Mukami Kimathi was a positive gesture and appreciated by the family however, the matter brought light to a great need in our nation to make reform and policies to better address the plight and needs of those that sacrificed their lives to fight for this country and liberate the nation from colonial rule.
While the Deputy president saved the day and played the Hero, much better debate and structured policy reform should be held from the grassroots to the top most level to address the challenge of locking out the heroes who fought for Kenya’s liberation but lack even the basic even sixty years after Kenya gained it’s independence.
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