We Elect Thieves Into Office & Wonder Why We Remain Behind - Prof. Patrick Lumumba

Pofessor Patrick Lumumba

One man that continually inspires and challenges my way of thinking is Kenya's Professor Patrick Lumumba. The guys besides being a lawyer I am touched by the fact that he is widely read and challenges the status quo. Africa has for long remained behind and some areas have even gone worse after gaining independence and in his speech at the Asareca Conference, he had this to say on our House of Assembly representatives; Africa-wide; 

“Not that there is anything wrong with those institutions, but the agenda is wrong because our leaders long lost the script and ought to be described for who they are – our misleaders.”

 

But we are co-authors of our own misfortune. Whenever we are given an opportunity to elect our leaders, we are given a blank check. And if you permit me a little latitude, and if you give me a blank check and you allow me to analogize and you say that I am given the blank check to buy a Mercedes Benz, what we do is when we are called upon – having been so empowered – we buy what we call a tuk-tuk from India and we expect it to behave ike a Mercedes Benz. How does that happen?

“Because what we do is to elect thieves. We elect hyenas to take care of goats and when the goats are consumed, we wonder why.”