THE WAY FORWARD FOR KENYA

By John Cheruiyot
Indeed hell broke lose as soon as Kibaki was declared the winner of 2007 General Election by ECK chair Mr.Kiviutu.If hell is headed by the Satan himself Kenya was for six weeks a Satanic kingdom. Wanton destruction, mayhem, arson, murder, rebellion, looting, anarchy and lawlessness were the order of the day throughout the nation. Houses and churches burnt down, vehicles and property destroyed. Roads were barricaded by millions of unruly youth. This took place basically in ODM strongholds and later PNU areas too unleashed hell on the political adversaries.
In North and South Rift initially among the Kalenjin PNU supporters had their property destroyed. In Eldoret North at Kapsang and Kambuku villages PNU supporters were punished heavily. One had his farm house and store burnt down. He lost over 300 bags of maize through arson. He lost a brand new animal feed mill. His house was looted before it was set on fire. These were Kalenjin youth afflicting pain and lose on their very own blood and bones. Another victim had his posho mill compelled to grind stones for maize. Others who voted for PNU had their stone and grass houses torched. Their beddings and clothes destroyed. This was the lot that did not have anywhere to flee. If they went to Eldoret Show ground they would be lynched by Kikuyu refuges for being Kalenjin stork that they believed as their arch enemies.
Indeed the post election mayhem set brother against brother and neighbour against neighbour. Kenya was no more. Kenya fainted. Kenya was unconscious. Police stations were no more. Government officers were no more. For six weeks Kenya was in ICU.Over 1000 bodies passed through morgues and a million people displaced. The economy too went to the ICU.Tourism and horticulture fainted and every aspect nationhood was suspended.
Why this mayhem and wanton destruction?
The ODM campaign machinery had electrified the nation by promising devolution and Majimbo dispensation. Communities and regions saw themselves in charge of their destinies and their resources through ODM revolution. For the first time in Kenya ’s history the poor peasantry and urban poor saw a light in the tunnel of economic prosperity. Millions of unemployed youth were thrilled by ODM promises: a new constitution and a new chapter of prosperity.
Hence when Kiviutu declared Kibaki winner under very controversial circumstances regions and communities that supported ODM to the last man saw an evil hand in ECK set to install status quo and perpetual poverty in the land. This was the spark that set fire throughout the land.
To restore sanity throughout the nation requires a brave and humble leadership. A leadership ready to let go privileges for a minority in favour of the majority.
Indeed unemployment and poverty fuelled anarchy and mayhem in Kenya . That Kenya is the third unequal nation after South Africa and Brazil is the real threat to national cohesion and stability.
The poor majority are fed up with artificial marginalization throughout the nation. A million landless and a few million acre land lords is a threat to national good.
Kenyans must come to terms that change is inevitable. A new dispensation is inevitable if we have to survive and hold together as a nation. The brass in corridors of power must bring real changes for good of the nation if we have to be a tiger and pearl of Africa .
The affluent and the middle class must adjust for change in the land.Exclussive institutions like hospitals, hotels, schools, colleges and universities for the rich and none for the poor is a threat to national cohesion.
Categorizing public high schools as national, provincial and district where national schools admit mere 3000, provincial 118,000 and district 321,000 as it did this year is a recipe for national disaster. The bulk of the youth who sparked off the post election mayhem were graduates and drop outs from district secondary and public primaries schools where standards and facilities are substandard. This indeed is the root cause of Kenya ’s cancer.
The church is equally guilty of the unjust society Kenya as become. The clergy has become part of the grand corruption in the land. The church has lost its prophetic and moral role. Justice and righteousness in Kenya is no more.
If indeed Anan led mediation fails it means the status quo in the land will remain. This will further trigger hopeless destruction in the nation.
It should be noted that the masses have discovered that they have massive power. If they unleash their muscular power nothing will stop them. No police and army are massive to crush popular up rising against the status quo.
Leaders both in ODM and PNU must be humble enough to set in motion massive reforms to the constitution.
An executive prime minister for ODM and a ceremonial president for PNU may not be the answer. Kenyans want to partake of national cake. They want to determine their destinies. They want to elect their mayors directly. They want to hire and fire the government without interference from the imperial institutions in the land.
Further more multiparty dispensation that was introduced fifteen years ago has failed totally to inject democracy and justice in the land. The opposition is meaningless in the winner take all set up. The opposition strongholds are marginalized in national resource allocation now and in the past. Back ward areas are those that have basically been in outside the ruling parties. Hence party or parties that lose an election automatically lose out in national cake allocation. That is why Majimbo dispensation advocated by ODM swept the nation like a storm.
Kenya thus is ripe for inevitable changes either peacefully or violently. With wise leadership Kenya will prevail with short-sighted leadership Kenya is set for uphill national development.
What Kenyans witnessed during the post election violence was a turning point. It should be a lesson for both the ODM and the PNU to midwife a new dispensation that favours the good of all the 34 million Kenyans. It should be noted that both Raila and Kibaki are today at the apex but like the past leaders like Kenyatta and Moi they will exit. What legacy will they leave behind? A lot depends on Kibaki.If he will accept to share power with his rival Raila he will with his hand transform Kenya for better. If he will cling to power alone and refuse to share history will be a witness should the country nosedive to anarchy.
What is in store for Kenya in the next five years under current stalemate is anybody’s guess.
The hard-line positions taken by the PNU is a replica to the ancient Egypt under a Pharaoh who refused to let the Israelites leave the kingdom under Moses. What happened eventually is history. The Egyptian ruling class perished in Red Sea under divine punishment. This may not fit our scenario but hard-line positions naturally portends bad omen.
Indeed hell broke lose as soon as Kibaki was declared the winner of 2007 General Election by ECK chair Mr.Kiviutu.If hell is headed by the Satan himself Kenya was for six weeks a Satanic kingdom. Wanton destruction, mayhem, arson, murder, rebellion, looting, anarchy and lawlessness were the order of the day throughout the nation. Houses and churches burnt down, vehicles and property destroyed. Roads were barricaded by millions of unruly youth. This took place basically in ODM strongholds and later PNU areas too unleashed hell on the political adversaries.
In North and South Rift initially among the Kalenjin PNU supporters had their property destroyed. In Eldoret North at Kapsang and Kambuku villages PNU supporters were punished heavily. One had his farm house and store burnt down. He lost over 300 bags of maize through arson. He lost a brand new animal feed mill. His house was looted before it was set on fire. These were Kalenjin youth afflicting pain and lose on their very own blood and bones. Another victim had his posho mill compelled to grind stones for maize. Others who voted for PNU had their stone and grass houses torched. Their beddings and clothes destroyed. This was the lot that did not have anywhere to flee. If they went to Eldoret Show ground they would be lynched by Kikuyu refuges for being Kalenjin stork that they believed as their arch enemies.
Indeed the post election mayhem set brother against brother and neighbour against neighbour. Kenya was no more. Kenya fainted. Kenya was unconscious. Police stations were no more. Government officers were no more. For six weeks Kenya was in ICU.Over 1000 bodies passed through morgues and a million people displaced. The economy too went to the ICU.Tourism and horticulture fainted and every aspect nationhood was suspended.
Why this mayhem and wanton destruction?
The ODM campaign machinery had electrified the nation by promising devolution and Majimbo dispensation. Communities and regions saw themselves in charge of their destinies and their resources through ODM revolution. For the first time in Kenya ’s history the poor peasantry and urban poor saw a light in the tunnel of economic prosperity. Millions of unemployed youth were thrilled by ODM promises: a new constitution and a new chapter of prosperity.
Hence when Kiviutu declared Kibaki winner under very controversial circumstances regions and communities that supported ODM to the last man saw an evil hand in ECK set to install status quo and perpetual poverty in the land. This was the spark that set fire throughout the land.
To restore sanity throughout the nation requires a brave and humble leadership. A leadership ready to let go privileges for a minority in favour of the majority.
Indeed unemployment and poverty fuelled anarchy and mayhem in Kenya . That Kenya is the third unequal nation after South Africa and Brazil is the real threat to national cohesion and stability.
The poor majority are fed up with artificial marginalization throughout the nation. A million landless and a few million acre land lords is a threat to national good.
Kenyans must come to terms that change is inevitable. A new dispensation is inevitable if we have to survive and hold together as a nation. The brass in corridors of power must bring real changes for good of the nation if we have to be a tiger and pearl of Africa .
The affluent and the middle class must adjust for change in the land.Exclussive institutions like hospitals, hotels, schools, colleges and universities for the rich and none for the poor is a threat to national cohesion.
Categorizing public high schools as national, provincial and district where national schools admit mere 3000, provincial 118,000 and district 321,000 as it did this year is a recipe for national disaster. The bulk of the youth who sparked off the post election mayhem were graduates and drop outs from district secondary and public primaries schools where standards and facilities are substandard. This indeed is the root cause of Kenya ’s cancer.
The church is equally guilty of the unjust society Kenya as become. The clergy has become part of the grand corruption in the land. The church has lost its prophetic and moral role. Justice and righteousness in Kenya is no more.
If indeed Anan led mediation fails it means the status quo in the land will remain. This will further trigger hopeless destruction in the nation.
It should be noted that the masses have discovered that they have massive power. If they unleash their muscular power nothing will stop them. No police and army are massive to crush popular up rising against the status quo.
Leaders both in ODM and PNU must be humble enough to set in motion massive reforms to the constitution.
An executive prime minister for ODM and a ceremonial president for PNU may not be the answer. Kenyans want to partake of national cake. They want to determine their destinies. They want to elect their mayors directly. They want to hire and fire the government without interference from the imperial institutions in the land.
Further more multiparty dispensation that was introduced fifteen years ago has failed totally to inject democracy and justice in the land. The opposition is meaningless in the winner take all set up. The opposition strongholds are marginalized in national resource allocation now and in the past. Back ward areas are those that have basically been in outside the ruling parties. Hence party or parties that lose an election automatically lose out in national cake allocation. That is why Majimbo dispensation advocated by ODM swept the nation like a storm.
Kenya thus is ripe for inevitable changes either peacefully or violently. With wise leadership Kenya will prevail with short-sighted leadership Kenya is set for uphill national development.
What Kenyans witnessed during the post election violence was a turning point. It should be a lesson for both the ODM and the PNU to midwife a new dispensation that favours the good of all the 34 million Kenyans. It should be noted that both Raila and Kibaki are today at the apex but like the past leaders like Kenyatta and Moi they will exit. What legacy will they leave behind? A lot depends on Kibaki.If he will accept to share power with his rival Raila he will with his hand transform Kenya for better. If he will cling to power alone and refuse to share history will be a witness should the country nosedive to anarchy.
What is in store for Kenya in the next five years under current stalemate is anybody’s guess.
The hard-line positions taken by the PNU is a replica to the ancient Egypt under a Pharaoh who refused to let the Israelites leave the kingdom under Moses. What happened eventually is history. The Egyptian ruling class perished in Red Sea under divine punishment. This may not fit our scenario but hard-line positions naturally portends bad omen.