By Phil Etale
PERSONAL STATEMENT
TOLERANCE AND RESPECT FOR KENYAN LEGENDS
I have seen some people urging the @ODPP_KE & the @DCI_Kenya to drop corruption charges against Mr. Kipchoge Keino on grounds that he is a HERO, LEGEND & that his age is advanced. I then remembered how I was bashed yesterday for complaining about the mistreatment of Dennis Oliech and Musa Otieno by the Security detail attached to the Deputy President during the Kenya vs Ethiopia fixture at the Kasarani Stadium. I was told to stop being petty and that I should know that the duo is outdated and that they had their time when they had the opportunity to make Kenya great, then. I was told that the duo no longer deserves the status of VVIP and that they should undergo a thorough security check like any other person wanting to seat in the same place with the Hon. DP. I did not relent, I wondered how we can forget how the duo in their different times playing for the National team Harambee Stars made us shout horse because of their sterling performances. We always shouted Otero Otero Otero (Musa’s nickname) and Dennis the Menace whenever he scored those scintillating goals. Personally, I have lots of respect for Mr. Keino. He made us proud during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City; the majority of us were either still in liquid form or not sure whether we would have been born in Kenya. A hero is a hero whether he is from the Gikuyu community, Kalenjin community, Luhya community, Luo community, Kamba community etc. I was shocked that 90 percent of those who called me names for talking about Oliech’s and Otieno’s mistreatment were from the community associated with our Deputy President. This is wrong. I highlighted the mistreatment because of what I felt when I saw it happen. And as Lailah Gifty Akita, a Ghanian author and entrepreneur once said: “Mankind must live in a harmony with one another in order to have a peaceful world”, I loathe those feel that whenever someone posts something and mentions the person they ‘adore’ and or believe in their political ideology, they are targeting their man. NO. The same way I felt bad with the mistreatment of the duo is the same way I would feel when Kipchoge Keino, David Rudisha, David Ngugi, Peter Mwangangi, Henry Motego, Muhamoud Abbas, Mama Kayayi, Kambua, Daddy Owen or any other Kenyan hero(in) is mistreated whether by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s, DP William Ruto’s, Hon. Raila Odinga’s, Hon. Fred Matiangi’s or any other person’s security detail. Not because of their tribe or their association, but because they have made Kenya Great. Remember, Do not be overcome by hate. But conquer hate with love.
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