In Mulutu village in Kitui County, two neighbors went to the Tuesday Tiva goat market with a plan and just enough money for one goat each. Wambua intended to buy a female goat, while Kilungya planned to get a male goat. Because they lived next door, their animals would mingle, turning their small investments into a herd. At the market gate, a neighbor from Ithiani center was entertaining the crowd with small monkeys he kept at home for a fee. Wambua stayed focused, bought his goat, and went home. Kilungya became distracted, negotiated, and spent his money on a monkey, ending his dream of owning a goat right there.
Kenya misses too many opportunities this way. We complain about scarcity, yet we often get distracted. We import solutions while ignoring what we already have. Leadership starts when we stop sacrificing long-term value for short-term excitement, even when the crowd cheers.
Exodus 4:2 highlights the start of leadership with a calm question. God asked Moses, “What do you have in your hand?” He did not ask what Pharaoh controlled or what Moses lacked. He asked what was already entrusted to him. Nations change when they honor what they already hold and use it with courage.
The tragedy of leadership failure is rarely caused by malicious intent. Instead, it arises from neglected responsibility. Countries don’t collapse because they lack ideas, prayers, or plans. They falter when leaders choose to ignore what they already know, have, and control.
Last Friday, at the burial of Mzee Justus Mulaimu Kithungu, the father of my friend Eng. Johnson Mulaimu, I saw this principle lived out to the very end. For the first time in my life, I attended a funeral where the deceased had written his own eulogy and prepared his will. He even specified that he be buried in his green suit. He left no fog for his family to walk through, only a clear path. In his ninety-five years, he proved that leadership can be quiet and still be complete.
The first lesson is to prioritize order over power. Mzee Justus did not leave confusion behind; he left clarity, structure, and peace. A leader is not remembered for how loudly he lived but for how orderly life remains after he is gone.
The second lesson is about faithfulness in small tasks. He was a tailor, manager, driver, farmer, and church elder. No shortcuts, no bitterness, no noise. Leadership doesn’t start with titles; it starts with finishing what’s in your hand.
The third lesson is legacy, not possession. When a leader dies, what truly matters isn’t what he owned, but what still endures. Children who stand strong. Values that withstand temptation. A family that stays united. Planning isn’t a luxury; it’s love put into action ahead of time.
This message is aimed at faith leaders and, through them, at all influential leaders. Faith-based institutions hold people, time, trust, land, and continuity. They gather communities weekly, not for applause but for growth. Recently, Zambia’s President reminded church leaders that after sermons, people must eat. Faith without practical leadership moves hearts, but households remain hungry.
Leadership does not create value. It protects, enables, or destroys it. Citizens preserve value by buying locally wheneverpossible, planting what suits their land, and treating savings as seeds. Church leaders facilitate value by turning sermons into skills, supporting food security systems, and using church land as a learning space. County governments safeguard value by strengthening extension services, irrigation, storage, and markets. National leadership fosters value by securing inputs, protecting producers, and building systems that endure beyond elections.
Mzee Justus leads by demonstrating clarity. Kenya will succeed by following suit, with focused efforts and disciplined hearts. The goat is still at the market. The monkeys continue making noise and entertaining. The future belongs to those who can distinguish the difference. Think green. Act green.
