Oginde's prayer: When prayer dared to confront power

Can a single prayer be the master stroke that eventually slays the dragon of plunder of public coffers in this country? This is the question in the minds of many Kenyans today. This is after a stinging prayer by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chairman David Oginde at a ceremony at State House to sign the Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023 into law.

Given the explosion of this prayer on both mainstream and social media, it implies that it well resonates with the mood in the country. As to whether it was pre-meditated or was an instantaneous inspiration by the Holy Spirit is immaterial, the message is home and clear. While some may deem the message to have only targeted the audience present at State House, the form of God is that He does not discriminate in the exercise of His vengeance when moved into action through the prayers of righteous men.

The sad reality in our society today is that for every looting perpetuated by public officials at both levels of government, there is an equally willing and collaborating network of business people, brokers and cheering masses that profit from it. Private businesses and our homes are equally bleeding of the same vices. Tragically, there are equally as many religious leaders and community elders that fail to condemn these vices because they profit from it or are themselves perpetrators within their own organisations.

Coincidentally, this scathing prayer was made at a time when a tax row over what appeared like a small time side hustle is opening a lid into how deeply the vice is integrated into government official business. It seems those entrusted with the highest echelons of power, members of their families and close associates create a complex web to profit directly from public projects. To them, it appears no single public project or programme is off limits. For every single cheque paid from taxpayers, there must be someone ‘eating’ from it.

Strange as it may sound, economists have been studying the economics of prayer for over four decades. Timothy T Brown, in an article published in the Journal of Socio-Economics in 2009 argues that of interest is how religious services relate with social benefits such as social support and mutual aid. For Christians and Judaism, practices like tithing, and Zakat for Muslims, were traditionally meant for believers demand for spiritual health. In modern societies, the same contributions are used, even by non-believers, to buy things like social status and organisational influence among the religious communities.

Does this strike a chord within the Kenya’s socio-political economy? Does it surprise anyone why Kenya’s political and bureaucratic elites suddenly seem to suffer from a bout of generosity around elections time?

For instance, it is widely acknowledged that the religious community played a strategic role in propelling President Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza allies into power. His donations to the Church have seemed to grow with the growing public resistance on exploiting places of worship for private political gains and demand for accountability on millions carried in sacks to both religious and fake empowerments programmes by himself, close associates and senior public officials in his administration.

That may explain why some in social media seem to view Bishop Oginde’s prayer to have targeted those who wield power in the land. However, for those that have had the privilege of been discipled under his ministry as a clergy or that have interacted with him closely, there is really nothing out of the ordinary in the delivery of that prayer. He speaks out of conviction and has been consistent on ethical leadership and public accountability.

For ardent readers of The Standard, Oginde has been a fearless columnist on leadership and governance in our sister newspaper, The Sunday Standard for years, only stepping down after assuming his new duties at the EACC. His decision to step down as a columnists, I can bet, was probably informed by potential conflict of interest, the very matter that was before the President for appending a signature to turn the Conflict of Interest bill 2023 into law.

From the memes trending online, it appears the idea of public officials speaking honest truth to the most powerful man in the land is strange to us. For context, President Ruto is a confessed Christian and often leads prayer in both public forums and at the Cabinet.  

For broader context however, I shall draw vital leadership nuggets from my current read: Mindsets by Carol S Dweck. In this book, the author explores in length how two types of mindsets, a fixed or growth shape the person who we become depending on the mindset cast that we have.

The mindset of a leader also significantly influences the type of leader they become and have profound long-term impact on the organisation or team that the leader heads.

For the fixed mindset type of people, they believe in individual talents, see themselves as natural geniuses and superstars in their fields. They would hate to try anything that challenges them from their comfort zone or where there is a possibility of someone else outsmarting them.

On the other hand, people with growth mindset view the world as a place with never ending learning and self-improvement opportunities. If they fail in an activity, it is an opportunity to take the lesson, and work harder to become better. As leaders, growth oriented mindsets take less credit for themselves in favour of the team. They are never afraid of any other person being better than them.

In a discussion on how mindsets shape leaders, the author details a less known detail of former US President John F Kennedy, in what is famously known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. In April 1961, Kennedy authorised a covert invasion into Cuba, a mission directed by the Central Intelligence Agency to topple, then Cuban leader Fidel Castro. America was disturbed by Fidel’s association with Communism in an era of intense Cold War of 1958 -1962.

The mission not only failed miserably, embarrassing the Americans, but also resulted into a five-decade long severance of diplomatic ties between the two countries. While Kennedy himself was not a fixed mindset type of a leader, his top advisors never gave a contrary advisory against the invasion, believing he had an unbound ability and streak of luck since everything had worked out well for him since 1956 to win even an improbable presidential race.

Dr Dweck quotes an insider, Aurthur Schlesinger, who believes had any of Kennedy’s advisers opposed the invasion, he would have stopped it. Reflecting on detailed research evidence that profiles well known corporate leaders from history, it is not hard for anyone who reads this book to see President Ruto comes from the fixed mindset cast.

For example, ever since his oath of office, all Ruto’s speeches, formal or informal, domestic or foreign, they are littered with I,….I,…and I, despite heading a behemoth of a bureaucracy called public service. In the grapevine, it is well acknowledged that he advises his own advisors, despite them drawing hefty perks courtesy of taxpayers.

The risk with this type of leadership is that the leader will over trust their own presumed genius, ignore or miss out key red flags, and prioritise their own private interest over the corporate good, in this case public interest.

With hindsight, this appears to be the treadmill in which the country is sliding though despite persistent denials and a sense of invincibility at the top.