Kenya, still a long way from nationhood PDF Print E-mail
Written by Josh Maiyo   
Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Elections are all about choosing persons who can best represent the interests of the electorate in government. True representative democracy dictates that elected leaders have only one duty, to effectively advocate and defend the interests of their constituents. To act contrary to this social contract is an abdication of their very raison de etre.

The assertion that elected leaders should abandon their obligations to the electorate in favour of some undefined 'duty to the nation' is not only erronous but also misleading and not well thought-out. While the narrow interests of the electorate at the local level may not at all times be congruent with broader national policies, the very tenets of representative democracy binds elected representatives to the wishes of their constituents.

The argument that members of parliament should put the interest of the nation ahead of their constituents is therefore flawed and inherently undemocratic. Indeed it is the very same legislators who appeal to ethnic and regional bigotry, fanning the flames of ethnicity and division in order to win elections. Its therefore laughable that they can now be expected to turn around, swallow their own vomit and advocate a national interest they do not believe in in the first place. 

Onyango makes several unsubstantiated assumptions that cannot go unchallenged. First, what is his understanding of the ‘nation' and who constitutes it? Don't the very same electors form part and parcel of the nation? Is the nation some entity other than the constituent parts that make the whole?

Secondly, does Kenya as a state have a coherent, homogenous and unitary national identity, aspirations and interests? Do the more than 30 million kenyans, 42 ethnic groups, 210 constituencies, 71 districts and 8 provinces think as one, have the same values and believe in their achievemnt jointly or individually at the exclusion of the ‘others'? These questions go to the core of our national identity. Does a country so characterised by ethno-nationalism and regionalism have a single national identity?

Third, if indeed there is such a thing as a single national  interest, what is it and who defines it? According to Onyango, MPs are supposed to educate their constituents on what the nation wants and thinks. Again, who is the nation? Who decides what the nation thinks and wants? Is it parliament? The MPs? The cabinet? The ‘government', or the citizens themselves? Is it the place of elected representatives to define the national interest or simply articulate the wishes of their electorate?

Fourth, democracy is essentially a bottom-up process by which disparate interests from varying social groups are harmonised, aggregated and represented at the level of government, be it local or national. By arguing that ‘national' interests trump local aspirations, Onyango is advocating for an authoritarian, undemocratic and repressive top-down system of government. It is a shameless defense of elite politics that have continued to disenfranchise millions of Kenyas while propping up, glorifying and excessively empowering the ruling class. This is  contrary to the very tenets of democracy and participatory governance.

A desire to make a substantive argument on nationhood could begin at wikipedia, which defines a nation as a 'form of self-defined cultural and social community whose members share a common identity, and usually a common origin, in the sense of history...' This is where we begin to recognise the enormous challenge that Kenya faces: do we have a nation called Kenya? A common identity? A sense of nationhood? Are the citizens that fill the geographic space called Kenya nationalistic in any way? A critical review of our history since independence, brought into sharp focus by recent socio-political events leading up to and following the last general election may be an eye opener and your guess is as good as mine. We cant even agree on a national dress!

What is my point then? That the challenge facing us as a nation is enormous. Simplistic arguments such as Onyango's fail to capture the complexity of the difficulties and the depths to which we have to go to resolve the challenge of forging a common national identity as a people with a shared destiny. Only then can the electorate stop thinking in terms of 'us' versus 'them' and that their interests can only be realised at the exclusion of the ‘others'.

The absense of a critical and well thought out diagnosis of where we are means we cannot develop comprehensive, effective and far reaching solutions to the challenges facing us today. The result will be mediocre, populist, narrow minded and often elite controlled and selfish measures that only serve to perpetuate the status quo.

We need to go back to the basics and recognise that the sense of ethnic, tribal or regional identity is so deeply rooted in our subconscious that it has become a part of who we are and what defines us as a people. Look at our political culture,  for example the character of our political parties and their alliances. Our hope as a nation lies in inculcating a new culture, a new sense of self-consciousness and a common identity that transcends the narrow divisions of ethnicity, tribe, clan or region. Only then can a new nation called Kenya be forged. Perhaps then can we know what the nation thinks and wants.

 _________________

 

Josh Maiyo is a Political Scientist based in Amsterdam.

 


Josh Maiyo
About the author:
Josh Maiyo is a writer, researcher and Political Scientist, with interests in African affairs, media, development, democratisation, governance and conflict resolution. He has radio and TV journalism experience in Africa with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Kenya Television Network. Currently, he  is undertaking research on democratisation processes and the role of political parties in East Africa, based at the Africa Studies Centre at Leiden University in the Netherlands.





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Democratic Fictions - Theory vs Practice
written by Ngigi wa Kamau , August 28, 2008
Josh,

I chuckled when I read this statement: "A desire to make a substantive argument on nationhood could begin at wikipedia...". I sincerely hope Wikipidea is not your authoritative source for various intellectual knicknacks. Why not KI?

However, you also said that

Quote: True representative democracy dictates that elected leaders have only one duty, to effectively advocate and defend the interests of their constituents. To act contrary to this social contract is an abdication of their very raison de etre. .

I must disagree with you on this one. As a political scientist I am sure you're aware that it is impossible to aggregate in any meaningful sense the desires of more than three individuals where the choices can be ranked against each other- I assume you're aware of Condorcet's paradox?

Sure, democratic theory suggest that leaders ought to be true representatives of their constituents wishes & desires. But practice shows that it is impossible to collect the views of all constituents, harmonise them in all their contradictory forms, and present them unaltered & unadulterated before a contested policy making forum such as parliament. This is not to say that there is no role for representation an neither is it an endorsement of dictatorship. It is just to highlight the important role played by political leadership in shaping the fortunes of a state. Incentives on leadership are therefore crucial.

Ethnicised electoral appeals result not due to the inherent prejudices held by constituents or leaders but because the electoral systems is structured so as to allow such least common denominator appeals. The electoral system therefore determines whether parties will be issue based, or identity based.

Additionally, the idea of a social contract is a fiction we use to explain why things are as they are. However, an analysis that suggests ways of getting us out of this morass would be more useful so that we can then - as we embark on reconstituting the nation through renewed constitution making - create a binding broadly acceptable compact as to how we are governed.

Ngigi
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Kum Ba Yah my lord Kum Ba Yah.
written by Mlevi , August 28, 2008
No democratic country is without competing interests along regional, social, ethnic and class divides. There will never be a time when all Kenyans will all hold hands and sing Kum Ba Yah.

The kind of ethnic bigotry and myopia we see our politicians exhibiting is due to the fact that there are no laws against such behavior. When such laws do exist, there is no will or structures to enforce them.

A pragmatic approach to ending the excesses we have witnessed is not just a constitution that has very clearly defined individual rights but the mechanism to ensure that these rights are enforced. So that the next time some idiot politicians opens their mouth to spew their usual verbal diarrhea they can be assured that they will be carted off to court.

In all advanced democracies disparate interests are argued though this frame work of individual rights. Tribal interests in Kenya can be argued as a collection of individual rights in a manner that does not interfere with the rights of others.

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STRENGTH IN OUR DIVERSITY
written by Simiyu Barasa , August 31, 2008
Do the more than 30 million kenyans, 42 ethnic groups, 210 constituencies, 71 districts and 8 provinces think as one, have the same values and believe in their achievemnt jointly or individually at the exclusion of the ‘others'?

We can have strength in our diversity, unity in our regional interests. If the Coast province wants a better university in Marine techonology, is that not different from the Luo Nyanza who may want a Fish freezing plant? But dont these two different regional wants all come for the National Good-that of a country that is united in its need for efficient use of its resources to the satisfaction of all? That way Coasterians will taste Tilapia, Luo Nyanza will have Marine Proffessors!
As a country, provided regional needs are geared towards developmental good, our homogeneity exists. Only when people demand evils like corruption, nepotism, and tribalism does our diversity become our Achille's heel.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 19 September 2008 )
 
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