The
world's eyes are on Kenya
as we usher in the New Year, perched on the edge of an abyss, an abyss beyond
which we could plunge into darkness and death.
With the riots and mayhem of the
last few days there is for all of us a sense of loss and little to celebrate
considering the cloud of fear hanging over the country. Many of our brothers
and sisters are in mourning for those lives we have lost. Our disagreements are
threatening to erode many of the important strides we have made.
While
the campaign period and Election Day were outstanding examples of true
democracy in action, there is no denying that the post-election period has
accentuated some differences between us, and that many of us are deeply disappointed
at the outcome of the process. We do not write here to deny this reality, or to
pretend that there are not urgent issues that need resolution. We find however
that in spite of the differences, there is a common history and core values
that unite us as Kenyans, values which must bring us together to preserve our
country in this time of its most urgent need.
We
are today light years removed from Kenya's
triumphant extraction from foreign rule, a period in which our lives were
controlled by foreign powers, from the hospitals we were born in, to the
reserves we were packed into, the schools we were allowed to attend and the
jobs we were restricted to. A few years before that birth, we had already taken
ownership of our new nation. When in 1960 Tom Mboya stood before a crowd of
20,000 at City Stadium and asked our parents and grandparents "Whose Kenya is
it?" they all answered in unison "Ours."
It was indeed theirs then, and we have
now possession of it. Yet we too are but custodians of this asset for our
progeny. It is a fragile asset that must be tended with the utmost care. Tom Mboya and Bildad Kaggia delivered to us one nation, with our ethnicities
are secondary identities. They did not let their ethnicities stand in the way of their politics, and we must now ask ourselves what we can do to
nurture this young nation, to bring its people together, and whether we are working enough to leave a better Kenya
for our children and our grandchildren?
As
are most modern countries, our Kenya
is a big tent, made up of a myriad of ethnicities, religions and political
persuasions. In order that we may succeed as a family we must accept that there
will be times when views other than our own will prevail, and that even in our
triumph we are charged with ensuring that the rights of minorities and the weak
are upheld across the country. No matter how difficult things appear now, we
must seek assurance from our history that we can find a negotiated solution.
Conciliation has been extracted from much more intractable situations but this
asks of us hope, patience, a commitment to dialogue and a willingness to trust
each other and work together to a common prosperity.
There
rests with each one of us in these times, in the midst of the confusion and
fear, a responsibility to think three steps ahead of our every action. We must
consider the effect of every text message we send, every rumour we help spread,
every confrontation we get into and every perception we help to create. We have
as Kenyans, been blessed with a calm and prosperity that has been the envy of
many of our neighbours. Even through our worst moments, we have proved
resilient and ultimately come out triumphant, and along with us our unity, our
diversity and our country. This has been a year of prejudice, and of loss, but it
may also be the year that Kenya
makes good on the promise of its constitution to serve and protect. It could,
if we made it so, the beginning of a promising journey of. After all, who are
we without each other?
With the greatest gratitude to all the Kenyans who have given their time and effort in collaborating to fashion this article.
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Until Kenyans realise the fact that this election was the first election that really and truly threatened the entrenched interests, Kenya will continue on the path of social and economic stratification. Being as it is that Kenyans have been known for their short attention spans (Kibaki's strategy here), come 2012, the system will front Uhuru.
Out with the system.