For the good of our country, let's just move on

It is now official. President Uhuru Kenyatta will continue as President of the Republic of Kenya for the next five years. 

Finally, after months of contention, violence, legal decisions and two elections, Uhuru will be sworn in as president for a second and final term.

It is gratifying that the long-drawn-out election season which is always fraught with tension, and, unfortunately bloodshed, will hopefully come to an end.

Uhuru’s detractors tried every tactic, fair and foul, to ensure that their leader, Raila Odinga, could unseat the incumbent, but ultimately failed. It is hoped that they, for the good of Kenya and its people will become a vocal but peaceful Opposition and they should concentrate on trying to amass political support for a leadership tilt in five years.

Repudiate violence

Continuing calls for violence should be repudiated and quelled using all democratic and legal means. There are those who will raise the spectre of secession. This should be equally suppressed.

Kenya can ill afford the territorial bloodshed that has so affected our continent and led to so much war and violence. We don’t have to look too far to witness the fruits of division and disunion on a national or regional scale. We must learn again how to agree to disagree as the people of Kenya, united, prosperous and indivisible.

We need to unite around our flag, Constitution and democratically-elected leader. As president, Uhuru Kenyatta should be the unifier rather than a divider, a democrat rather than an anarchist and a visionary who wants to leave a lasting legacy of unity and prosperity when his time is up.

Uhuru demonstrated during his first term that he is prepared to provide a fair deal for all. His ambitious program of development and progress advanced counties that voted for him and those who voted for his opponent alike.

Hopefully even those governors who rallied against him politically, will find an open door and funds accessible for their regional programmes and challenges. He has demonstrate that he is the president of all Kenyans regardless of background or political persuasion. Nevertheless, the president, the government and parliament, require our assistance for their ambitious programme. This vision entails a national long-term development policy that aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrialised, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment. 

The future is bright

Kenya is certainly on the way to realising this vision and has reached many of the necessary benchmarks ahead of schedule. Kenya is a far more interconnected nation thanks to a recently built network of roads, widespread internet accessibility and the Madaraka Express.

The Madaraka Express will be extended by 250km between Naivasha in central Kenya and Kisumu in the west, and eventually to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, placing Kenya at the centre of an East African rail network, and the business and transportation hub of the region and beyond.

Education has improved, with students across the nation being given greater access to technology with the laptop project, more and more Kenyans are now covered by healthcare, especially maternity care, and the areas of the country with no access to running water or electricity are shrinking rapidly.

Kenya is on the verge of a revolution, the likes of which have never been before been seen in our region and it is up to us as Kenyans to grab it.

Internecine warfare, attempts to rupture our nation, demonstrations or strikes will drag us backwards and give our children a darker rather than the brighter future which they deserve. The last few months have seen Kenya at its best and its worst. 

Kenyans from across the country held free and peaceful elections on August 8, without incident. Most Kenyans accepted the will of the Supreme Court bench which overturned those elections and then millions came out to vote in a second unprecedented election, even though without the active participation of Raila it was a foregone conclusion.

Now the same Supreme Court bench has unanimously recognised the second election, overwhelmingly won by Uhuru as fair, free and legitimate. Those who disagreed with the first Supreme Court decision nonetheless accepted it. Now those who lauded the first decision must accept the second decision, even if they do not agree with it.

This is democracy, liberty and the rule of law and is the bedrock of our freedom and progress as a nation. So for the good of Kenya, it is time to move on to realise our potential and seize an inimitable future.

Ms Mghongo, an architect, is an MBA student, University of Nairobi