How much do you
pay for the oxygen you breathe? How much does it cost you to stay alive? John
Nyakundi’s story is really supposed to bring everyone to the concession of the
gift of life that God has bestowed on them. Paying for every last mole of
oxygen he breathes, carrying an oxygen tank everywhere, Mr. Nyakundi doesn’t
find it so easy staying alive as majority do.
It is shocking
how Kenyans have reacted to the story of a man, who carries an oxygen tank to a
polling station, to vote, with the hope of making Kenya a better place for him,
his family and for every other Kenyan. With a voter turnout of 79%, I am pretty
sure there are millions of people who chose not to vote despite being of good
health and without any disability. Neigh, blaming them for letting bad leaders
take to office won’t do justice to one voter in Dandora Primary School, who
despite being dependent on an oxygen tank to breathe, chose to leave his house
to choose the leaders who would make this country a better place, for all of
us.
Did you know
that the only thing Mr. Nyakundi has is hope? Hope that the leaders that his
vote elected would change his current situation. Hope that even though he may
not really recover, his children would have the best education and secure a
brilliant future? Hope that the hospital bills and cost of drugs would become
affordable so that people like him can receive the best medication. The hope
that through his move, every Kenyan out there, breathing free air, would learn
what a privilege they have. It is that hope that got him from his bed, and
drove him from his house to go and vote on the 8th of August 2017.
It wasn’t always that way two years ago however. Mr. Nyakundi did fend for
himself. He did provide for his family. He took care for every life he brought
to this world, and he cared for every other person that God put into his hands.
Yea, until he was diagnosed with COPD, that is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease.
Mr. John
Nyakundi has six children, five of which are still schooling. One in Kabete
Technical Training College, another just finished form four and is soon to join
college, another currently in form four, another in class eight and the last in
class five. You must be thinking these kids have got sponsors or donors or
something. Neigh, they’ve got none of those. They are fully, and I mean fully,
dependent on their mother, who earns only from her small business. Who pays the
bills in this house? Who pays the rent? Who buys food? Who else would? This is
too much on this woman. She has to do all this by herself, since COPD declared
her husband bed-ridden. Do you have any idea how much electricity an oxygen
cylinder consumes? She has to pay all that bill at the end of the month by herself.
It is Mr.
Nyakundi’s first born daughter, Mary Kemunto, that ensures that he stays alive.
After finishing her degree in Chuka University last year, she has devoted
herself to ensure that her father stays alive. She runs a small business, from
which she buys her dad’s drugs and pays for all his medication. Mary realizes
the value of her father’s life, and for that, her father has lived to be an
inspiration to many, and a living testimony that God is merciful unto men.
Kenyans need to ask themselves one question. Do we really think it was an
accident that Mr. Nyakundi lived to vote, or that is still alive? No, it is
according to God’s divine purpose, so that people like me, and you may realize
the value of the oxygen we breathe for free.
Mr. John
Nyakundi was such an inspiration to this country, he was such a blessing to
this nation, such a direct sermon unto the entire world. I’m not saying he’s
the first to walk with an oxygen tank, but I’m saying his determination and
hope are unheard of among all who have ever walked with such oxygen tanks. How
have Kenyans repaid such a virtue? Sad to say, even after John’s story storming
the media, the government hasn’t heard of it yet. The politicians he was so determined
to vote for haven’t heard of such a man before. They never read his story on
the papers, never even saw it. Every private or public company wishing to give
back to the society haven’t heard of this story yet. But I do wonder, how did a
‘githeri man story’ spread so fast, making the man so rich within days? Yet the
story of a man in need of help is neglected and seen as less important. No,
that is not the Kenya we want. I am not asking for politicians money to satisfy
my endless wants, but I am appealing to the masses to have mercy on a patriot,
so one day he would say, “How lucky I was to be born a Kenyan”.
Take a minute
and think of this for a moment. What if you were to pay for every bit of oxygen
you breathe? What if it were you, not John Nyakundi? What would you want others
to do for you? How would you want others to view your problem? As less
important than the githeriman’s problem? John Nyakundi needs you to do just
exactly that; what you would expect others to do for you. We need support,
support for John Nyakundi, and for his family. The hashtag is #IStandWithJohnNyakundi. Share and do
everything you can to ensure John gets better. M-PESA pay bill number coming
soon.
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