May We Dwell in Unity, Peace and Liberty

“O God of all creation, bless this our land and nation.”

These are the words of my national anthem, one of the first songs I did memorise many years ago.

I like to think I am proud of my country and I am sure every single one of us is. Nevertheless I do not approve of the channeling of the great minds that the people of the country are so blessed to possess. It is a nation with hardworking people, rich culture and great resources. But I am waiting for that day when I will be proud of my country for the reason of proper utilisation of the great minds and the resources. Let me dwell on the ‘minds’ for now.

It is two years since Kenya shed her blood in avoidable Post-election clashes.

Whereas we hide behind the phrase ‘The BBC and CNN just picked the bad bits’, it is clear that innocent lives were lost in a battle between two idiots but fought by innocent countrymen. As a common ‘mwananchi’, I went to the polling station and casted my vote according to my democratic rights. A few days later, a fellow Kenyan attacks me with a machete and kills me just because I belong to an ethnic community that one of the two idiots belongs to.  Helpless women and children are lynched in a church. Ethnic communities engage each other in a fatal cat-and-mouse duel. Roads are impassable. And the world is tuned to news of horror from a once-upon-a-time beacon of peace. The two men? They continue to sip their cups of tea and lounge with their cigars as the country burns to dust.

That was the first time I shed a tear for my country.

I fail to understand what makes me a bad guy for being born a Luo or a Kikuyu or a Kalenjin – name it all. I fail to understand why one would feel superior to me and elevated to a ‘Killer’ status just because they belong to a different ethnic community. I fail to understand why we stand by bad people with bad actions just because they speak our tongue. I fail to understand why we can be so mean as to choose power at the price of the precious human life.

I fail to see any sense in either Kibaki or Raila. I don’t care who won the election, for that is immaterial – either way there is no added value. If Kibaki really won it, then he was the people’s choice – the loved one. And he too, loves the people. He is a leader, our President. As a loved one leader -and President – he should have known that safeguarding the life of one of his countrymen is a natural duty. He should have preferred to surrender the mantle. On the other hand, if Raila really won it, he should have known that he was winning it for the people. To safeguard the rights of the people. It is a natural right, that of living. He should have known he was the one loved by the majority and therefore had the obligation of loving them back. Those majority would have still been his follower even if he surrendered the mantle to the incumbent.

But wait a minute, someone is dreaming here. Who can ever surrender any chance to become a President even if it means a few lives (thousands of lives mark you) have to be lost as a sacrifice? Not a Kenyan.

So, the problem is ignorance!

As a Kenyan people, we may be equipped with education stacking millions of Degrees, Certificates and other awards, but we missed the fundamental lesson – How to Live With One Another. We have refused to compare notes with our neighbours Rwanda and borrow a leaf from their magical rise from grass to grace. We continue to choose to be big headed and head in to the exam room unprepared. In there, we are taught by experience that it is not wise to do things this way. We also do appreciate that experience is a fool’s teacher. But as soon as we are out of that exam room, so do we go back to the streets with our big heads, throwing verbal stones at each other and arguing over foolish things.

Kenya needs education.

We need to know that in the eye of the country we are all equal and being as religious a country as we have always been, we need to learn and understand that in the eye of God, we are also equal.

We need to understand that we have no option of taking other people’s lives for their innocence of belonging to particular ethnic communities. We need to learn that we should respect each other and focus our brains towards developing the country, feeding the poor and building the national spirit.

We need to prove to the outside world that we are more than the single story of poverty, AIDS and now Political Unrest that they are used to. We need to appreciate the beauty of the country and go out and make it even more beautiful. We need to be proud of our ethnic backgrounds BUT at the same time respect other people’s inclinations.  We need to know that the world’s eyes are on us – because everyone knows we are better than we are currently displaying.

In view of this, we need to take all criticisms positively and start rebuilding the lost glory. Politically, we need to get rid of these idiots and their affiliates.

Above all, the few of us who were lucky to grow up in a generation where the world had changed to a heterogeneous society with peoples from all walks of life should refuse to be dragged into this same 1960 think process. We should know the country is bigger than each of us and that every one of us matters.

Let us take the mantle.

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