Kibaki will win this Year's Elections- Explaining Tribalism , Peter Okoth

Colleagues,

Dr. Ochuodho, Brenda and even Dr. Peter Okoth all made exciting observations on the issue of tribalism. Theirs is a wrong diagnosis of the issue of tribalism. Brenda actually fell straight into the trap of propaganda and did not even address the issue at hand. Once you have done the wrong diagnosis then the prescription will without guessing be wrong also.

I assert that Kibaki, external boundary and environment and all these are a lie when it comes to adressing the concerns generated out of the stench of tribalism. We are starting to revise our history and therefore becoming part of the confusion;

Dr. Peter Okoth stated as follow;

“I don’t quite agree that tribalism is bad. Tribalism is an identity paradigm. The whole idea revolves around the Hierarchy Theory. You start with individuals congregating around families

(we know that most people are closer to friends than brothers or sister who they have to relate with simply because they were born together- that is how you end up marrying a woman or man you only met 25-30 or so years after you were born to a family. Emile Durkheim calls the kinship basis as mechanical solidarity and the relationship we build based on other bases of association -organic solidarity),

around clans, then tribes ,

(This is a false hierarchy- most people only identify with their clan when there is a burial back at home)

then nations, then regions. (Nations are build on the foundations of organic solidarity - every one’s good is maximized if all are served better)

Dr. Okoth: The matter of tribalism is normally dictated by the external boundary and environment which could be a geographic boundary or a social boundary. Such boundaries create Energy neutral zones (low entropies) where all individual members feel comfortable, relaxed and at peace with each other. Culture, values, traditions and shared activities is one kind of a common denominator that removes the energy and creates common interest and low energy zones. When such a system is disrupted by an external force then chaos ensues because the disruptor conditions energy dissipation and disorder. A church, mosque, place of worship are perfect examples of energy-neutral zones. If disrupted then chaos ensue. Tribes and clans are the same.

Nyamwamu: This theory is a false theory. Tribalism is a negative term that develops out of profiling of a group of people based on three factors;

physical and natural attributes ( primordial ethnicism ),
constructivism- seen in situation like bringing several ethno-identities together to form some fortified new ethnic identity of a larger nature - This is how the Luyhia and the Kalenjin were constructed. Gema was also constructed around lies and funny stories about this being the cousin of the other.
Instrumentalism: once ethnic constructivism has been achieved then it is used as a basis to allocate resources, opportunity, securing dictatorships and interests and of course informing Government policy. Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 is one such example of policy informed by ethnic considerations where a lie was perpetrated defining some regions as Highly productive and other regions as un producitive. With Mboya ( one of the architects of the Session paper gone in 1969, the Luo Nyanza region which was previously defined as highly productive area was neglected as a place of Lazy people and therefore new definitions of productive areas was originated)

Dr. Okoth stated: So which way forward? May be one suggestion on the way forward would be that any leader or group of leaders study the Kenyan tribes and filter out issues that they share in common as Kenyans including their dislikes and preferences. Make these be the national values that each Kenyan must memorize and practice. Don’t be selective on issues of resources sharing. Look at equity and opportunities for all. Don’t marginalize so as to conquer and Lord over. Hire people on advertised basis and don’t select based on obscure criteria. Learn from history and correct what went wrong. In this way you will create a transparent and low energy nation. These principles are the yardsticks that are being used to evaluate President Kibaki and other potential leaders. Are they able to study and understand the common interests of the Kenyan people and deliver these to them? If you have an answer to these questions then you can now revisit you submission here below and re-present the winning formula with examples.

Nyamwamu: The question for Dr. Okoth is, what if the Leaders do not study Kenyan tribes, because they will not study these tribes any way, and since they do not see the need to study and since they are not interested in promoting national interests and values and since they are happy with the status quo where they use tribalism for instrumentalist goals?

Dr. Okoth: I must admit that most of our leaders have not yet understood what most of our real needs as Kenyans are and which could be the high level interests.

Nyamwamu: But Dr. Okoth I disagree. The politicians (whom you call our leaders) are just politicians. They understand our needs but they are interested in promoting their interests and not the people's interests. They are robbers who have criminalised the state!. What they are interested in is promoting their individual interested under the cover of tribes and pretentious claims to nationalist agenda!

Dr. Okoth: Education, security, opportunities for progress, settled minds, shelter for all; efficient infrastructure, good focus and better livelihoods could be some of the issues. I will be very proud to be a Kenyan when nationals of other countries look at me with admiration and envy for what we are as a nation. This will create a detribalized Kenya and nothing more. Not preaching about how bad tribes are without qualifying such statements with valid arguments. Macro-level economic gains by the Kibaki government are still not tangible benefits that are enjoyed by the common man on the streets. Mostly we get annual aggregated economic statistics to raise our egos and that it-period! Still there is no real economic proposal to make the common Kenyan person be healthy and wealthy.

If I am wrong please kindly correct me.

Nyamwamu: You are not wrong Dr. Okoth, it is the diagnosis that is wrong so the prescription is just not the medicine for the disease.

We still have hundreds and thousands of Kenyans who are immigrating and planning to do so. Let’s check this and create that nation that we feel comfortable to be in.

Nyamwamu: From this analysis- the Primordial perspective of tribalism ( which is why Nyachae thinks that Ochuodho or Raila can not lead Kenya) to the Constructivist perspective ( which is why Moi is said to have sent Mostly Kipsigis army men to peace keeping missions with the UN and why Ruto is in trouble in Eldoret being accused of being a Kipsigis in Nandi territory) to the instrumentalist perspective (which is why most of your PSs and Ministers and high ranking Parastatal chiefs belong to a certain as compared to the number of other communities and Why Nyeri gets Kshs 1 B for water while Makueni gets 20 M); certain logical proposals would follow;

- Enact a new constitution (informed by the Bomas draft) to ensure devolution of resources and power and ensure greater participation at the grass roots. This way If a Giriama to pay rates and do business in Kisii he will be invited since the council in Kisii wants invest for jobs for the people of that area and to make the county or Municipality competitive.

- The New constitution should strengthen political parties, fund them and de-personalize them. Institutionalized political parties will find that it is only their manifestos and what they have to offer that will attract votes and therefore ascend such parties to power. Identities will matter less. Parties that will not attract votes will die out since they will not be funded.

- Horizontal and not vertical solidarities be fostered . So that Wanyiri Kihoro should be in SDP with Ochuodho, Pherozee Nowrojee, Jim Orengo, Mwandawiro, Ann Njogu and Nyamwamu, because they stand for the same ideas. Nyachae and Kibaki, Karume and Koech should stand together because they stand for the Market and wealth of a few and the dispossession of the majority (so in the conservative Party KANU with Moi where they all belong). Workers, tea growers, students, women, peasant farmers should stand together because they are in the struggle to liberate their products and labour from the few exploiters and middle men. This Horizontal solidarity can only be fostered through progressive political parties headed by conscious Political, community and business leaders, conscious youths and professionals and conscious artists in their music and theater etc.

- Vertical solidarity is the solidarity where a Kikuyu beggar on the streets of Nakuru or Nairobi, feels more comfortable voting for Mwai Kibaki or Uhuru Kenyatta simply because Kibaki or Uhuru is a Kikuyu rather than vote for Jaramogi Or Raila Odinga who will give back the land the colonialist and the home guards like Michuki and Njonjo and Nyachae took away from this beggar and therefore transform the living conditions of the beggar. Vertical solidarity is founded on the norm of false-class consciousness which I leave for another day.

From these foundational steps

- take leagal and policy steps to secure Ethical, courageous and visionary leadershi

- Guarantee Nation building though the promotion of values and principles of all Kenyans ( Dr. Okoth was very clear on this)

- Instutionalise Politics and governance of equity- though the budget, laws, the constituton, policies such as through sessional papers and gazette notices

- institutionalise a new economy founded on innovative and efficient production and distribution of resources, capital and opportunity ( based on the Weberian Principles etc)

- a new architecture of responsive institutions begin with the family, religion, the media, the school or education, the military and police, etc

Thanks!

Dr. Peter Okoth

Nairobi , Kenya