Its foolish of us to fight for politicians

It’s about time we checkmated ourselves as Kenyans. What the hell is going on? Why will people fight among themselves and hurt each other just because its campaign and election time?

Why have we allowed ourselves to be used as pawns by politicians in their quest for power? As we marked the 53rd Jamuhuri Day, a celebration that needed to unite, rejuvenate and make us proud as a nation we failed to rise to the occasion instead choosing to play to tunes of the competing political demagogues. It was a day we were supposed to reflect on the numerous challenges we are facing as a nation, but it turned out to be a day full of drama. From Mombasa to Meru to far wide areas in Siaya and back to the capital politics took centre stage. In most areas opponents heckled each other and the celebrations disrupted.

Why do we resort to such levels of chaos? Every election period is littered with stories about someone doing something as blatantly irresponsible as beating people and inflicting wounds on them. What kind of thinking leads to the destruction of property? We’ve allowed politicians to think of us as poor people living in a stinking pot that they can pick up to use as dummies at their own convenience. We need that to stop. We need to shut the politician and his selfish interests up.

Despite our many differences, our country is a grand experiment in bringing people of different backgrounds together, not one against the other. Which is why it is foolish for anyone to take up arms and fight for a political party, and even more foolish to believe that the political party they are ready to lose a limb or two for, cares about them. We have no one to blame but ourselves, because these are the people who know we will vote them into office come hell or high water.

You’re more than a politician’s puppet. You’re more than a political party’s force of darkness. You have a voice! You have the power to decline the politician’s ridiculous offer to go create mayhem, no matter how tempting the offer.