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Kenya’s Political Atmosphere Lacks Identity

By Geoffrey Okelo

With Kenya’s politics proliferating to greater heights of democratization, it lacks gentility, identity, acumen and maturity. From all sorts of the ethnic empires, a new wave of declaration for the country’s chief executive slot has emanated from leaders who would rather use their ethnic voting blocks to the top. This simply suggests how leaders have refused to move forward for the sake of the country rather at the expense of their individual desires for the country’s top seat. It shows how monolithic the country’s politics have been focused to tribal cards not manifested from a developmental agenda but from a community and ethnic backing. The question which still remains is how the country’s top seat can be low leveled to a mere tribal affiliation? What way forward leaders? What about the minority tribes? Who represent their interest? What happened to the big picture of the Kenyan good?

However it’s within the constitutional setup that anyone who feels comfortable for any seat is free to declare his/ her interest: it’s also within the norms that we respect the institutions rather than think of them as a means to divide and rule system, whereby the majority takes advantage and minority gets the residues. The current crops of leaders have used the presidency as nexus to foster tribalism to the highest standards. Take a look at the current kitchen cabinet; nowhere would you see anyone with a last name starting with “O” or other tribal names except “M” from the central area. Could this be the status quo our future presidential candidates would like to maintain? However no one would like to answer this quiz but perhaps their interest is vested more on ethnic backing rather than the big national picture. We are not yet ready for another political dispensation if our current leaders cannot see each as brothers and sisters from all walks of Kenya.

The next presidential aspirant would be voted not for tribal affiliation but for a clear manifestation of his / her development agenda, how he / she will move the country from a crumbling system to a more sustenance system to greater heights. This therefore will remove the barriers currently in place for the aspirants who would rather have their own back him / her not because of their likeness to him / her, but because of his equal representation in his cabinet, development plan for all over Kenya and his non-tribal vindication.

A short analysis of the current ODM power struggle show how tribal our leaders still are, its shows the system is not going to change come a new president. Take for an example Raila becomes the next president, Luos will be happy because they voted for him, what happens to them after Raila’s presidency? What happens to the other tribes after that? However miniature we can be but this politcs is not taking us anywhere, its does what is called disenfranchisement to the Luo voters come another election time when Raila’s time is out. The same goes to Kalonzo or Ngilu and the Kambas and Balala and the Coastarians, Mudavadi or Kombo and the Luhyas etc. My advice to leaders is to let your egos out of this national office that represent all Kenyan faces. Concentrate in your constituency politics if you cannot come out of the tribal box. Let’s come up with a game plan that represents all Kenyans from East to West and North to South. Let’s be very gentle when we tackle national politics for the sake of fellow taxpayers who would rather see a developmental change and not a facial change in the office holders. ODM please encourage competitive politics that nurture political maturity and self sustenance but not politics of sycophancy, hatred and ethnocentric. Let all the stakeholders’ campaign out there in a free and fair system, we will vote for the best of the best for the country’s top seat. This is how hard it should to portray lack of sleep in that office and not a “Tosha” call to signify comfort of being served on a silver platter. That is why we pay Ksh 2M per month for office bearer.

The write resides in North Carolina, Raleigh USA

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