Keep 'harambee' in coat of arms, says Parliament

The word Harambee that is inscribed in the national Coat of Arms, is not going anywhere despite claims that its origins are dubious and that it is a bad omen.

The National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee has recommended that the word remains part of the National Coat of Arms (pictured), slamming brakes on critics that the word, on one of Kenya’s most important national symbols, is the cause of some of the country’s misfortunes.

The report followed a petition by Charles Mangua, who wanted the word removed.  

Mr Mangua said the word referred to an Indian goddess "with many hands", and who was invoked during the construction of the railway line in Kenya after the 1830s.

The petitioner tabled a photograph of goddess "Ambee" who he said was worshiped by the Indians.

After considering the petition, the committee concluded that discarding the word would be offensive to the Hindu community living in the country.

The House team added that the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission had acknowledged that in the Kenyan context, the word was a rallying call for people to fight poverty, ignorance and disease.

The team said the word was already internationally recognised and changing contents of the Coat of Arms would come at a huge financial cost.

“Harambee is a Swahili word adopted from Hindi and this has been in the public domain since time immemorial… Hindi is among the languages used in Kenya and Hinduism is also one of the religions practiced in Kenya, and it would thus be discriminatory to the Hindu to expunge the word from the Coat of Arms on the ground of Indian origin,” said the committee chaired by William Cheptumo.

In response to Mangua's prayers, the committee recommended that "the House rejects the petition for the introduction of a constitutional amendment Bill to change the wording on the Coat of Arms as requested by the petitioner.” 

Critics of the word have pointed to the dismal performance of the country’s national football team Harambee Stars as an example of Harambee’s propensity for bad luck. 

Just two weeks ago, a car fell off MV Harambee at the Likoni Channel crossing in Mombasa, leading to the drowning of a woman and her daughter.

The Harambee spirit, although packaged as a way of pulling together, has also been blamed for promoting corruption in the country.

Of authority

Among those who want the word Harambee retained is Furncon Limited, a company specialised in design of symbols of authority. In the 1990s, the firm was commissioned by the Government to design presidential instruments.

In its submissions to the committee, the company said the word formed part of Kenya's national heritage. “Any interference with the instruments of authority of the republic of Kenya would cost the county trillions of shillings."