The winds of change have not ceased their churning between the gale and tempestuousness. Every election, every protest, and every political upheaval brings with it the whirlwind of uncertainty, anger, and hope. It is as if Kenya has been caught in an unrelenting storm, one that offers glimpses of the breeze - of peace, fairness, and hope - but never quite delivers it. Instead, we have been weathering gusts that strip away the illusions of progress, exposing the deeper fault lines that run through our society. Yet, beneath this turbulent surface, I believe there is something stirring, something new, that promises to shift the winds once again.
We stand now in 2025 at the brink of something profound. The winds are churning, and I feel a gust of change in the air. It's undeniable. From the whispers of discontent on the streets to the cries for justice, fairness, and unity, Kenya is calling for something different, something better. This isn't just another cycle of political promises or a return to the same battles we've fought time and again. It feels different. This time, the winds carry the scent of renewal, the promise of the breeze - the peace we've longed for but haven't fully embraced.
The winds I described in my poetry - the winds of 2012 - were tempestuous, representing the harsh reality of post-election violence, the bitter fights for political power, and the deep divisions that cut through our communities. They were the winds that tore apart the social fabric of our nation, leaving scars that have yet to heal. In many ways, we are still feeling those winds. They rear their heads during every electoral cycle, threatening to plunge us back into chaos. But now, there's something else in the air - a recognition that we cannot survive another storm. The gales of change must now lead us somewhere new.
As Kenyans, we have weathered too many storms to count. But what have we learned? What do these winds, in their relentless cycles, continue to teach us?
The gale - those forceful, sometimes destructive winds - has been with us as long as I can remember. It comes with every promise of reform, every new leadership claiming to bring change. We rally behind the slogans, the speeches, and the manifestos, hoping that this time the winds will blow in our favor. And yet, time and again, the winds shift, turning into storms that sweep away the gains we thought we'd made. Corruption, inequality, and injustice continue to dominate the landscape, much like they did twelve years ago. The gale of change has not fulfilled its promise, but instead, it has morphed into a tempest, shaking the very foundations of our hope.
But even as we find ourselves trapped between the gale and the tempest, there is still hope. Hope is the one thing that has never left us. It is the dream of the breeze - the soft, refreshing winds that represent a new story for Kenya. A story where peace reigns, where justice is served equally to all, and where the divisions that have plagued us for so long begin to fade away. We have glimpsed this breeze in moments of unity, in acts of kindness, and in the resilience of ordinary Kenyans who continue to dream of something better.
This breeze, however, is not something that will come to us by accident. It is something we must summon, something we must collectively strive for. The winds of change must arise from within us - from our determination to build a Kenya where fairness is not a dream but a reality. We must be the ones who call forth the breeze, who demand that the tempest and gale give way to a gentler, more sustainable wind.
The breeze is more than a metaphor; it is a vision of a future where we no longer have to fear the storms of violence, corruption, and inequality. It is a future where every Kenyan, regardless of their background, can breathe easy, knowing that they live in a country that values them, that protects their rights, and that gives them the opportunity to thrive. We need this breeze now more than ever. The winds of the past have been too harsh, too unforgiving. They have taken too much from us. But the breeze - the winds of peace, hope, and fairness - can restore what has been lost.
In *The Changing Winds*, I wrote about the hope for a better Kenya, even as the storms of post-election violence and political strife raged on. Today, that hope still exists, but it is fragile, flickering like a candle in the wind. If we are not careful, the tempest will extinguish it completely. But if we nurture it, if we allow ourselves to believe in the possibility of change, then we can transform the winds that have plagued us into something new, something life-giving.
The gust of change is in the air. I feel it in the conversations we are having as a nation, in the calls for accountability and justice, in the way Kenyans are refusing to settle for the status quo. We are tired of the gales that promise change but bring destruction, tired of the storms that threaten to tear us apart. We are ready for the breeze - a new wind that will bring with it peace, fairness, and hope for all.
But this change will not come unless we make it happen. We must demand it from our leaders, from our institutions, and from ourselves. We must be the wind that brings the breeze. We must be the change we want to see in Kenya.
As the winds continue to churn between the gale and the tempest, I believe we are on the cusp of something new. The breeze is within reach, but it will take all of us to bring it to life. We must rise together, as Kenyans, and call forth the winds of change that will carry us into a future of peace, hope, and fairness for all. The time is now. Let us embrace the winds of change and bring our dreams of the breeze to life.
"The Changing Winds" is available on Amazon, A Kenyan story. Its pages hold the echoes of our collective journey
Comments
Post a Comment