Let’s awaken the tribe debate without fear of being gagged. (The
truth sets free)
One of the definitions for peace is an end of war, Kenya
media is awash with peace messages and this leads me to beg the question,…When
did the war begin? What war are we talking about? Who are the people at war?
What message are the warring factions trying to put out? Honestly I think that
the Mzalendo Kibunjia led commission is a big waste of tax payers’ money. I
challenge them to give Kenyans an audit of what they have achieved in uniting Kenyans.
The most annoying thing is when he tries to act as though he is a certain
societal prefect; I let this to be a debate for another day.
Kenya stands deeply divided nations, the wounds inflicted by
the disputed election are still sore. Consecutive elections have been conducted
and the citizens feel cheated. The Supreme Court has allowed Uhuru Kenyatta to
be sworn in as the 4th president of the nation, his main challenger
Raila Odinga has accepted the court’s ruling though grudgingly, everybody is
asking the nation to forge ahead as a unit but is this wishful
thinking?Yes,that I agree. Many people have questions to be answered. This
debate should not be censored, it should be awoken and the citizens must be
candid.
1) How is it that mainly two communities can come together
and produce a president against 40 other communities?
2) Evidence of election malpractice has been televised and
the losers trust that the elections were not free and fair.
3) How is it that the presidency is just rotating between
two communities?
4)Should Kenyans waste their time again to register as
voters, queue for 5-7hrs waiting to vote, and then some people ‘manipulate the
results?
It is easy to ask people to move forward but in such a
highly hypocritical society like ours, where even church leaders sing to the
tune of their highest paying offering congregants no one is to be trusted. A
nation that hypocritically bans a condom advert but turns a blind eye when rights
of the citizens are trampled on by the high and mighty. A nation where the
religious leaders keep mum when politicians live wantonly because they want to
be seen to be politically correct with the political masters.
The Kenyan moral fabric is dirty and it needs to be washed,
when a 60 year old man rapes a 6 month old baby, yet the same man has religious
affiliations who is to blame? Do not get me wrong but I believe that the church
has failed in her mandate in bringing up a moral society. Religious leaders are
themselves symbols of opulence, moving in fuel guzzlers and ranting about
sowing seeds yet the sowers have no morals themselves. They accept seeds from
drug traffickers, robbers, conmen and even child traffickers. The emergence of
charismatic church leaders is at an all time high. Success is measured in terms
of the residential areas an individual resides, the car he drives, where he
eats and the designer clothes he wears. We are a nation that craves success but
are not keen on the virtues of true success like honesty and patience; it is
either my way or the corrupt way. I know that the church should welcome
sinners, but also they must openly and energetically condemn evil without fear.
Our children steal in national examinations yet we keep mum,
sportsmen cheat their ages and we see this as normal for what we care about is
the medal not the honesty. You get a tender not because you qualified but
because the awardee was your tribesman or you had lined their pocket.
The media themselves glorify athletes, musicians,
politicians and even religious leaders who succeed without giving thought to
the values these lads further. We pretend to further patriotism yet retire to
our tribal cocoons whenever we are offended. An individual guilty of a crime
persuades and makes their tribe to believe that indeed it is the community that
is being persecuted.
I am not casting the first stone because I am clean, but I
do believe that this debate should be awoken without fear or gagging. Let
people be allowed to discuss tribalism without being given a template to guide
the discussion. Silence does not mean that peace has been achieved; when you
have a wound covering it is no remedy for soon it will smell. We need people to
openly talk about this ghost of tribalism we inherited as a society if we ever
need to forge ahead as one people. In the meantime people will treat each=h
other with suspicion as long as they harbor these wounds.
I look forward to a new leadership, not necessarily with
titles that will steer the nation without regards to their race, tribe or
religion and a society where elections will be and will also be seen to be free
and fair and where Kenyans from the smallest tribe have equal chances of making
it to any position because merit will be the yardstick. Indeed we are a lovely
nation on paper let the citizens experience that beauty starting from the
ballot. I know we will get there someday and that leads me to a song…”I’m
looking at the man in the mirror, for I know he’s great and any meaningful
change must start with him…”
