Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by Greek mythology, full of stories of great legends and gods. One such story is that of Icarus. The myth begins with Daedalus, a master craftsman and inventor, and his son, Icarus, imprisoned in the Labyrinth on the island of Crete by King Minos. Desperate to escape, Daedalus devises an ingenious plan. He constructs two pairs of wings from feathers and wax, a remarkable feat of engineering.
Before their escape, Daedalus gives his son a crucial warning: do not fly too high, or the sun’s heat will melt the wax, and do not fly too low, or the sea’s dampness will weigh down the feathers. He advises a middle path, a moderate flight, as the key to their freedom. Daedalus flies ahead, a paternal guide, but Icarus, filled with the exhilaration of flight, ignores his father’s advice.
Driven by youthful overconfidence and the thrill of his newfound ability, Icarus soars higher and higher, intoxicated by the sun’s warmth and the feeling of invincibility. This moment of hubris, of believing he could defy the limits set by both nature and his father, is the turning point. The sun’s intense heat melts the wax holding his wings together, causing the feathers to fall away. Icarus plummets into the sea and drowns, a tragic end to his audacious flight.
Corruption in Human Nature
While the story is more of a lesson on hubris than corruption, the elements of Icarus’s actions can be seen as a form of moral or character corruption. The “corruption” isn’t a malicious act but rather a flaw in his nature. These are some of the flaws that can be extrapolated from the story.
Hubris and Arrogance: Icarus’s fatal flaw is his hubris, an excessive pride that blinds him to reason and caution. He succumbs to the temptation of pushing beyond the boundaries of what is safe and reasonable. This overconfidence can be viewed as a corruption of a rational mindset, where the pursuit of an extreme experience supersedes common sense.
Also Read: Faith Odhiambo Explains Why She Accepted Ruto’s Job Offer Despite Calls for Rejection
Disregard for Wisdom: By ignoring his father’s warnings, Icarus demonstrates a disregard for the wisdom of his elders and the experience of others. His belief that his own feelings and desires are more important than his father’s carefully given instructions shows a kind of moral failing, a corruption of the filial respect and prudence one would expect.
The Lure of the Extreme: The story highlights the human tendency to be seduced by the allure of the extreme. The moderate path, while safe, isn’t as thrilling as soaring to the sun. This desire to test limits, to feel a sense of godlike power, can lead to a corruption of judgment. Icarus chooses the sensation of being close to the divine over the reality of his own fragile mortality, a choice that proves fatal. The myth teaches that this kind of ambition, when unchecked by prudence and humility, leads to destruction.
Faith Odhiambo under pressure
As a member of the once esteemed Law Society of Kenya, I see close similarity to Icarus and Faith Odhiambo, its current president, following her acceptance to serve as vice chair in the compensation committee on police brutality victims. As an adherent to the rule of law myself, I shudder at what may have compelled Ms. Odhiambo to make such a decision, considering only last year she had declined another presidential appointment.
The news is awash with reasons both legal and ethical as to why she should have declined her appointment, with calls only growing louder for her resignation from the lawyers’ body. Indeed, the pot broke at the doorstep, and hers just shattered into a million pieces. Even if perhaps we were to ignore the glaring unpopularity of the current regime, with its equally unattractive record of human rights abuses and unaccountability. And still, despite it all, it manages to convince the best and brightest in our midst to its cabal of deviants.
From economic brains such as Dr David Ndii, to legal scions such as Prof. Makau Mutua, and now Faith Odhiambo, it seems not many have the integrity enough to resist the allure of President William Ruto’s ‘charm’.
Speculations abound as to the motivations behind this. For some, it might be the allure of attractive compensation packages, power, and influence; for others, it may be a vertical climb up from their current status.
Whatever it is, this is another chapter in Faith Odhiambo’s cap of accomplishments. And one that will mark a legacy as the Lawyer’s top boss as she prepares to pave the way for her successor in February 2026. But even as we look at her accomplishments, the main thing that Faith will be remembered for is being a defender of the ordinary citizen. During the height of the June 2024 protests, when hundreds of protesters were arrested or kidnapped by state agents, she took the government head-on in representing and tracking these individuals.
The impact
It is this proactiveness that earned her acclaim and accolades from far and wide, including internationally, for being phenomenal. But just as fast as she rose, now she falls, with social media and mainstream media awash with headlines of story after story of her decision to consort with the Kenya Kwanza administration, which is responsible for all the bloodshed witnessed in the last three years of its reign. Oh! How the mighty have fallen.
Also Read: Blow to Ruto as Court Rules on Compensation Panel for Protest Victims
And just like Icarus when he flew close to the sun, Faith’s ambition and hopefully, well-intentioned motives of joining the presidential committee may be her Waterloo. Because, like most governmental committees, their works and accomplishments never see the light of day. Their reports become another heap of papers. The Kriegler committees of inquiry, the NADCO committee, and the Ndung’u land commission of inquiry are just some examples of proof that if you want something to die, you recommend it to a committee.
Needless to say, the die is now cast on the committee to identify, document, and compensate the victims of police brutality, which, if I were asked, dates back to the pre-colonial period, unless specific timelines are recommended. Whatever the case, close scrutiny will be given to the committee now that they have formally been sworn in to office. All I can do is wish them the best and watch.
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