Tomorrow is June 1st, Madaraka day, a day that Kenya attained internal self rule from the British Government, in 1963. But fifty three years or so after independence, Kenya finds itself at a cross road that may not bode well for the country's future. Indeed, there have been numerous positive strides towards achieving the middle-income economy envisioned in the vision 2030 blueprint. But politically it has been a case of two steps forward and one backward. It shouldn't be so, but it is. And grimly so. Let me elaborate.
The genesis of the political conundrum we find ourselves sinking in cannot be said to be the 2007/8 post election violence (PEV). Ethnic division and polarization, corruption, nepotism and the curse of negative ethnicity, as called by Koigi Wa Wamwere, seem to have been midwifed alongside our new republic. Soon after independence, ideological battles that pitted former allies began, which would culminate in political assassinations in broad daylight, coup attempts, Kangaroo-style trials, tribal clashes, unlawful detention and the ultimate near police-state. It wasn't until 1992 when, because of agitation by those termed as dissidents, the baby of multipartyism was born albeit to a "teenage" mother who couldn't nurse it into adulthood.
The numerous political patries birthed by the repeal of section 2(a) of the now-defunct constitution of Kenya, devoid of any ideological philosophy, couldn't steer the country down a safer path of democracy and the rule of law. This meant that Kenya continued to strut, quickly down the avenue of balkanization and tribalism. The machinations of the government of the day against the opposition did not help either. But, eventually, the opposition got their opportunity at the trough through the 2nd liberation. They had fought, resisted and broke through the fog of baton wielding policemen, tear gas, unlawful detention, torture and murder. Indeed they lived to tell.
A mammoth, euphoric crowd gathered at Uhuru park in the early hours of December 29, 2002 to witness the rebirth of the republic. Stones were cast, expletives yelled, choruses sang as the crowds surged forward to witness a change of guard. A change many born decades before had thought impossible. At the dais, promises were made; no longer would the curse of corruption bedevil our public sector; memoranda were signed. Kenya was headed towards a new dawn of prosperity, development and peace. But old habits die hard. Soon after that nostalgic day, cracks began to appear and widen within the ruling coalition. The rest is history.
Kenya today finds itself etched firmly in the jaws of a constitutional crisis. And the new constitution, touted by pundits as progressive, only seems to nudge us father down the slippery slope of self destruction. We seem not to have learned from the Waki report, the Kreigler commssion, the Ndung'u land report and dozens of other so-called commissions and enquiries that were meant to act as W-beams on the road towards reconciliation. Political assassinations happen with surprising ease and surgical precision; corruption scandals are promptly whitewashed; narratives and counter narratives are quickly spun; we have become very efficient at sacrificing our society at the altar of greed and personal enrichment.
What should we do about the crisis at the Supreme court? The IEBC? pervasive Graft? Tribalism? Didn't the new constitution have any prescriptions on this? If it did, are we merely implementing the letter of the law and not its spirit? What can we expect in 2017?
Only time will tell.
