When President Uhuru Kenyatta honoured nominated MP Maina Kamanda's request to arrange a meeting with all Kikuyu music artistes, little did he know that this will sow acrimony among these artistes.
During the burial of fallen Kikuyu secular music maestro Joseph Kamaru, Uhuru invited Kikuyu music artistes to State House this coming Tuesday so that among other things he can listen to their problems.
"I am inviting all of you to State House next week on Tuesday so that you can tell me how you would want me to help you. Yes, you just come I will slaughter for you...There is no problem about that," Uhuru said in Kikuyu language on Thursday.
Two days later (Saturday), over 2000 artistes are reported to have met at Blue Springs Hotel along Thika Road in order to plan ahead on what to tell the President during the 'big meeting'.
However, those in the know say that the meeting ended in disarray as the artistes could not even agree on who among them will be in the State House 'entourage' since not all of them can attend the meeting.
Popular Inooro FM Ngogoyo programme's host Kamau Wa Kang'ethe, on Sunday spent much of the show's time criticising this apparent lack of unity among Kikuyu music artistes.
Kamau opined that the artistes lack the unity of purpose and may just waste away 'a lifetime golden opportunity' that could have gone a long way in alleviating their problems in music.
But why would these artistes just not agree on a small thing like which musicians are to go to State House and represent the others? Here are few observations.
1. Greed and selfish interests
It is evident that many artistes harbour selfish interests that are powered by greed for material gains and fame. There is a fallacy that one cannot go to State House and leave empty-handed.
And then who doesn't want to take selfies with the President and 'sprinkle' them all over social media for everyone to see that they indeed were with the Head of State?
2. Superiority complex
Every artist feels that they are better than the other in different ways. According to Kang'ethe, some artistes were even told that they are 'too poor' (ni acune ni ini) to meet the president. Inflated egos were apparently at play here.
3. Lack of a serious agenda
Most of these artistes who want to go and meet Uhuru actually have no serious agenda on how they want Uhuru to help them take Kikuyu music to the next level. As Kang'ethe noted, many are only out 'to go and fill their stomachs'.
For now, who will meet the president at State House and how the meeting will turn out to be, is a matter of wait and see.
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