I Shall Not Give Up On My Motherland

          “I cried that our democracy gave us the worst. I shall never give up! Our time shall come and our children will enjoy the fruits!"

            -Boniface Mwangi- Award winning journalist and social activist.

            Kenyan Dream died on March 9^th.  A part of my heart died with it. First, I have to apologize that I am a tribalist. On March 4^th, I voted along tribal line because I wanted ‘our man’ to take over the torch of this nation. I admit guilt. Forgive me. But how did a majority of the nation turn such tribal? Jubilee ganged up the ‘Tyranny of Numbers’ and CORD amassed the Eastern and Nyanza ethnic blocs to win the election. When did it come to this? I know that is  a question that cannot be answered within this time frame. 

            Kenyan Dream died because the majority voted in the status quo. We let off a moment in history slip by all in the name of ‘compact majority.’ Mutahi Ngunyi aptly called it ‘Tyranny of Numbers.’ Check the word again ‘Tyranny.’ That’s the word.  Simply oppressive numbers. We had a moment to choose a lesser devil but we failed. And that’s what democracy is all about anyway. You elect your own demons. 

            Tribalism has mutated into an interesting thing in recent years. This is not based on any research but it is there in the open. The most tribalized people in our country right now are the youth. The majority of this population. Those who have had the privilege of exposure. People like me who have been raised in different provinces, interacted with friends from various ethnic communities and have had the benefit of technology. We get informed every second. We are tech-savvy. But in the modern Kenya we are worse than our fathers and mothers. Those of whom some lacked the exposure to travel around and witness firsthand tolerance and love between, for example, a Luo and a Kikuyu. I am a living example of those youth who has had his education in Nyanza, Central and Western. By normal standards I am diverse. I may say that. But that horrible virus of tribalism has infected me. 

            In the run up to the general election, anyone who bothered to visit the social networks especially Facebook will attest to the fact that our society is sick. We are going to the dogs in matters concerning nationhood. A friend recently noted to me that post election violence of the just concluded elections happened in the social networks. I witnessed it firsthand because I earn my daily bread online and it is horrendous. The ‘techno-fight’ I saw and still seeing in Facebook is a sign of bad times. Both Generations Y and X have lost their brains. The vitriol in social networks demands that our national leaders urgently address this escalating potent phenomenon. And it will not be hushed with empty rhetoric of ‘Let us move on’ and ‘Peace’ calls, no. The elephant in the room must be hauled outside and shamed. Young people need to be fumigated with intense prayers and counseling. Education on the pride of nationhood should be among the priorities of the incoming government. But again, the question comes, if they used us as pawns to win the elections, how will they teach us nationhood? Between a rock and hard place you say. All in all it must be done. It is urgent. 

            Another shocking element of our recent idiocy after the elections is trashing CORD presidential candidate’s decision to go to court to challenge the election. Log in to Facebook and read what both the old and the young are saying. The educated and not educated, the informed and not informed, mainstream journalists and bloggers – there is a popular rallying call. ‘Concede we move on.’ What precedent are we setting for our institutions? Because ‘our man’ won today, let the aggrieved just concede then ‘we build this beautiful nation. We need to move on.’ Tomorrow what if ‘our man’ lost. Would we stand by ‘Kubali yaishe (Accept we get over it)? That’s the rot of what tribalism has done to national psyche. We have become so polarized we defend ‘our criminals.’ That’s our man, don’t touch him. Right now social networks borders on shameful ignorance blinded by negative ethnicity. 

         The new president of this nation has work cut out for him. Let him heal us from ignorance. If he will have to hire T.D Jakes, Reinhard Bonnke or even Benny Hinn I don’t care but I want our ignorance cleansed. If he chooses to go East, still okay but we need prayers.

             Kenyan Dream died because we have refused break up with the past. This is not what Koigi wa Wamwere, Wanyiri Kihoro, George Anyona, Chelagat Mutai, Gitobu Imanyara suffered for. This is not what even CORD presidential candidate Raila Odinga got detained for together with Charles Rubia, Kenneth Matiba and renowned humorist the late Wahome Mutahi aka Whispers. It is not what student leaders got jailed and died for.  We may want to couch it with savory words such as ‘majority’ or ‘democracy’ or ‘the people have spoken’ but our folly remains. Some words to ponder about from the Norwegian playwright in his play ‘An Enemy of the People’:

         “The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help rebelling against. Who are the people that make up the biggest proportion of the population the intelligent ones or the fool”