ETHNICITY OUR GREATEST UNDOING
In Towards Genocide in Kenya:The Curse of Negative Ethnicity,Koigi wa Wamwere points out that balkanization of the Kenyan society into ethnic federal states by our volatile and polar political system is the cause of the current socio-political woes the country is undergoing through, since independence.
The balkanization process,which is steered by the opulent political class uses the propaganda of ethnic hatred to advance separatist politics to reach their political goals.When a community in Central Kenya is mythologized by their tribal kingpins to believe that a community in Western Kenya is their enemies,this sentiment is passed on from one generation to another-and this is the root cause of the ever unending tribalism cancer in Kenya.
I laughed when I watched one of the G7 lieutenants stand in the podium to ' preach peace and harmonious co-existence' among the Kenyan citizenry.Ironically,in' pacifying and uniting' these Kenyans,he said that they should not co-operate with the leaders of 'other communities' because they had rejected to support a bill seeking to see one of their 'member' approved by parliament to hold a strong position within the judiciary.
Now,one wonders whether there is any difference in old-style divisive politics of the KANU era and mature politics in the new constitutional order.
These are the leaders who have come out to express their presidential bid in 2012.Where are they driving back this country to?Did they not feel the carnage that post-election violence of 2007/2008 left to helpless Kenyans who continue to languish in abject paucity and desperation?
Okwudiba Nnoli in the introduction to Government and Politics in Africa puts the image of African politics as 'nasty,brutish and bestial'.He continues'...detractors can easily point to the one-party system,the life presidency,the ubiquity of negative ethnicity,religious strife,political violence,genocide,military rule,the rigging of elections,corruption,abject poverty and the nightmare of refugee flows in the history of African politics...'
In reference to the above description of African politics,and our own Kenyan situation,some leaders have spent almost all of their adult-life in parliament.The keys to survival have been politics of patronage and hoodwinking the electorates.
How do one feel,succession politics at the height of skyrocketing food prices and high inflationary rated to starving and disillusioned citizens?This is a demonstration of the worst kind of negligence by leaders to the Kenyan citizenry.
Another take:the irony of the ongoing Conference on the implementation of the Constitution.While August acts as the deadline in which key bills for the new law to be fully in force,the parliament has only managed to pass only seven out of 50 bills which are instrumental fot the transition period to end .And with the parliament engulfed in unnecessary political contests,the common mwananchi will continue to wallow in hard economic times as the Kenyan shilling continue to depreciate aganist other international currencies.Having reached a mark of Sh.92 aganist the US dollar,economic pundits are warning of difficult times ahead.
Our leaders should go back to the drawing board and re-think of Kenya's future rather than engaging in blame-games.The G7 lieutenants have the power to end the current IDP menace because it is their communities who loathe aganist each other.I believe if this alliance practice policy-oriented campaigns and be ready to preach peace without blaming other communities for their woes,this country can make great strides socially,politically and economically.
Let the ongoing Conference on Constitutional Implementation process be a breakthrough for speeded up implementation to restore Kenyans' hope on the new law's implementation.
The destiny of this nation lies with our leaders' accountability.
Wanderi wa Kamau,
In Towards Genocide in Kenya:The Curse of Negative Ethnicity,Koigi wa Wamwere points out that balkanization of the Kenyan society into ethnic federal states by our volatile and polar political system is the cause of the current socio-political woes the country is undergoing through, since independence.
The balkanization process,which is steered by the opulent political class uses the propaganda of ethnic hatred to advance separatist politics to reach their political goals.When a community in Central Kenya is mythologized by their tribal kingpins to believe that a community in Western Kenya is their enemies,this sentiment is passed on from one generation to another-and this is the root cause of the ever unending tribalism cancer in Kenya.
I laughed when I watched one of the G7 lieutenants stand in the podium to ' preach peace and harmonious co-existence' among the Kenyan citizenry.Ironically,in' pacifying and uniting' these Kenyans,he said that they should not co-operate with the leaders of 'other communities' because they had rejected to support a bill seeking to see one of their 'member' approved by parliament to hold a strong position within the judiciary.
Now,one wonders whether there is any difference in old-style divisive politics of the KANU era and mature politics in the new constitutional order.
These are the leaders who have come out to express their presidential bid in 2012.Where are they driving back this country to?Did they not feel the carnage that post-election violence of 2007/2008 left to helpless Kenyans who continue to languish in abject paucity and desperation?
Okwudiba Nnoli in the introduction to Government and Politics in Africa puts the image of African politics as 'nasty,brutish and bestial'.He continues'...detractors can easily point to the one-party system,the life presidency,the ubiquity of negative ethnicity,religious strife,political violence,genocide,military rule,the rigging of elections,corruption,abject poverty and the nightmare of refugee flows in the history of African politics...'
In reference to the above description of African politics,and our own Kenyan situation,some leaders have spent almost all of their adult-life in parliament.The keys to survival have been politics of patronage and hoodwinking the electorates.
How do one feel,succession politics at the height of skyrocketing food prices and high inflationary rated to starving and disillusioned citizens?This is a demonstration of the worst kind of negligence by leaders to the Kenyan citizenry.
Another take:the irony of the ongoing Conference on the implementation of the Constitution.While August acts as the deadline in which key bills for the new law to be fully in force,the parliament has only managed to pass only seven out of 50 bills which are instrumental fot the transition period to end .And with the parliament engulfed in unnecessary political contests,the common mwananchi will continue to wallow in hard economic times as the Kenyan shilling continue to depreciate aganist other international currencies.Having reached a mark of Sh.92 aganist the US dollar,economic pundits are warning of difficult times ahead.
Our leaders should go back to the drawing board and re-think of Kenya's future rather than engaging in blame-games.The G7 lieutenants have the power to end the current IDP menace because it is their communities who loathe aganist each other.I believe if this alliance practice policy-oriented campaigns and be ready to preach peace without blaming other communities for their woes,this country can make great strides socially,politically and economically.
Let the ongoing Conference on Constitutional Implementation process be a breakthrough for speeded up implementation to restore Kenyans' hope on the new law's implementation.
The destiny of this nation lies with our leaders' accountability.
Wanderi wa Kamau,
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