The greatest challenge of our generation and as a country is creating a Kenya where every person is equal, institutions work, and innovation and merit are the key determinant of reward. For the past 60 years after independence, our struggle to construct a nation has gone through highs and lows. The lows and highs have followed specific patterns of electoral cycle alignments. The quest for a stable political architecture that transcends electoral seasons has lingered in the minds of intellectuals, diplomats and politicians.
The struggle has always been that of ideological divide started between then global political alignments that infiltrated into the Kenyan political space. Ever since, Kenya’s politics has always created two factions who agree on anything other than politics. The key point of divergence has always been about distribution of national resources; with one side deeply representing social national structures with strong government control while the other representing liberal capitalistic structures with strong influence of the private sector.
To achieve control, each side has always played the ethnic card by marshalling tribal troops with a view of creating a national appeal to propel influence at the national level for advancement of the ideology. Two strong proponents of the two ideologies have always stood stuck in the opposite sides in each electoral cycle thereby creating conflict. There are also the third non-aligned group, also called the swing vote, who hold no strong opinions on either and therefore has historically supported either side depending on political convenience.
Now, how can a country curved out of 43 tribes create a united nation? How can a country that has established her politics around ethnic demigods create a nation where all people are equal and tribe does not determine leadership? The clamour for multi-party politics, promulgation of the 2010 Constitution and the current call for constitutional change through the BBI are all initiatives seeking the elusive vision for a united Kenya.
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Nations that develop must create a sense of nationalism; they must create a national vision and inspire citizens towards achievement of the vision at individual level; they must instill a national culture that creates what Kenya stands for locally and globally. So what is the solution to Kenya’s problems today?
A rotational presidency? This has the potential of diversifying leadership across regions thereby giving people including from marginalised areas, capacity to take leadership of the country. A Parliamentarian system? This has potential of reducing those with the powers to elect the president by replacing the popular vote with the college vote.
Decentralisation of resources through federalism? This will decentralise political power and economic power to the regional states with a federal government at the national level. There have been attempts to move in this direction in Kenya. Two signs show this; firstly, the degenerating in multiple nations in one country; a reality that people do not want to accept even with the signs so much on the wall. Secondly, the counties are well acceptable as structures of governance because it distributes resources to the local level where it flows to the ethnic geographies. Thirdly, the counties within the regions that previously were administrative units during the provincial administration are now being amalgamated in regional economic blocks. The bone of contention of implementing this in Kenya now is resistance from the centralists who believe power being consolidated at the centrally.
Creation of more positions? This has been tried in the 2010 Constitution which created new positions at the county and national level. Moreover, increasing positions only solves Kenya’s problems conveniently now but not sustainably.
Integrity in elections? This remains the key to political stability. The vote is the only voice of the people and it’s the only way the people establish a contract with the government. When you make the vote meaningless, you disempower the political power of the people as well as subvert their will.
-Dr Churchill Saoke is an expert on governance, politics and international relations. churchillsaoke@gmail.com
