- The biblical story of Mephibosheth offers powerful lessons on restoration, inclusion and compassionate leadership.
- Ashford Kimani argues that Kenya’s leaders must remember citizens beyond election seasons and political calculations.
- As 2027 approaches, he calls for leadership that restores dignity and turns political power into meaningful public service.
The story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9 is one of the most powerful biblical stories about forgotten people, unexpected restoration and the transforming power of kindness. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of King Saul. After the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, he was living in obscurity at Lo-debar. He was physically disabled, politically vulnerable and apparently far removed from the privileges associated with his royal family.
Yet David remembered Jonathan.
David did not ask whether Mephibosheth was politically useful. He did not ask how many people he could mobilise for him, how many votes he controlled, or whether he belonged to the right faction. He simply asked whether there was someone left from the house of Saul to whom he could show kindness for Jonathan’s sake. When Mephibosheth was brought before him, David restored Saul’s land to him and gave him a permanent place at the king’s table.
That story speaks powerfully to Kenya today.
Kenya’s forgotten citizens
Kenya is a country where many people feel like Mephibosheth. They are citizens who have spent years believing that development, opportunity and government attention are meant for somebody else. They live in forgotten villages, informal settlements, marginalised regions and neglected neighbourhoods. They have watched roads being promised repeatedly, schools remain under-resourced, hospitals struggle, young people search unsuccessfully for employment and small businesses collapse under economic pressure.
Some have become accustomed to being remembered only during election seasons.
Politicians suddenly discover them when votes are needed. Roads are graded, rallies are organised, handouts distributed and promises made. Their names appear on political mobilisation lists. Their suffering becomes campaign material. But after the ballots are counted, many return to Lo-debar—the metaphorical place where citizens are forgotten until the next election.
Kenya is now approaching the 2027 General Election, scheduled by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for August 10, 2027. The electoral body says it is preparing for millions of new voters, with an estimated 5.7 million additional voters targeted for registration, the majority being young people who have attained voting age.
This should force us to ask a fundamental question: Who will sit at Kenya’s table?
The answer cannot simply be the politically connected, wealthy, influential or well-networked. The table of Kenya must have room for the ordinary citizen—the boda boda rider, teacher, farmer, trader, nurse, artisan, student, domestic worker, unemployed graduate and small-scale entrepreneur. It must include women, young people, persons with disabilities and communities that have historically felt excluded from national decision-making.
The youth question is particularly important. Young Kenyans constitute a significant proportion of the voting-age population, yet their representation and participation in formal political processes remain disproportionately low.
The events of recent years have demonstrated that young people are not politically indifferent. Increasingly, they are demanding accountability, dignity, economic opportunity and a voice in determining the country’s direction. Youth mobilisation around voter registration ahead of 2027 illustrates an attempt to convert political frustration into electoral participation.
But Kenya must go beyond voting. A ballot can change leadership, but leadership must change lives.
Power should restore
The Mephibosheth story challenges leaders to think differently about power. David had the power to ignore Mephibosheth. Instead, he used power to restore. That is the distinction Kenya needs in its leadership culture: the difference between power used for personal accumulation and power used for public restoration.
Restoration means giving people opportunities rather than merely giving them speeches. It means building functioning health facilities rather than announcing them repeatedly. It means creating an environment where businesses can survive, farmers can earn a fair return, graduates can find meaningful work and children can access quality education regardless of their parents’ economic status.
It also means recognising that Kenya cannot be permanently divided into political winners and losers.
After every election, some communities celebrate while others feel defeated. But the Constitution does not create two Kenyas. It creates one republic. The prosperity of one county should not be constructed on the exclusion of another. Political competition should determine who governs, not who deserves development.
The coming election therefore presents Kenya with a choice. We can continue with politics that remembers citizens only when their votes are required, or we can build a culture of leadership that remembers them even when the cameras are gone.
A place at Kenya’s table
Mephibosheth’s story also carries a personal message. Being forgotten does not mean being worthless. Being delayed does not mean being denied. Living in Lo-debar does not mean that Lo-debar is the final destination.
There are Kenyans who have been overlooked for years. There are young people whose applications have been rejected repeatedly, professionals whose talents remain unused, communities whose needs have been ignored and families that have struggled from one generation to another.
They should not surrender to despair. The invitation still stands. There must be a place for them at Kenya’s table.
And for those who will seek leadership in 2027, the challenge is simple: Do not merely ask, “Who will vote for me?” Ask, “Who has been forgotten, and what can I do to restore their dignity?”
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That is the politics of service. That is the leadership of compassion. And perhaps, in a country searching for a better future, that is the kind of leadership Kenya needs most.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature and comments on education and social affairs.
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