The root cause of tribalism in Kenya

Any logical person who believes in facts will agree with me that Kenya as a country continues to fall apart because of internal divisions of which tribalism is a major ingredient.

The state of advocating for ethnicity: a way of thinking and behaving in a manner in which the parties involved are more loyal to their tribe than they are to their friends, country and any other existing social group.

That possession of a strong cultural identity that separates a person in a particular group from people in other groups is tribalism.

People learn this vice as they grow up from those around them. But as they mature, they are educated and get exposed. It is through this that some learn that tribalism is of no use and therefore drop it.

Those who are not exposed remain rooted in their culture and know not how to appreciate others' culture.

Theirs is the only one existing. The rest are null and void. I do not however mean to say that cherishing one’s culture is wrong.

Yet still, others who consider themselves educated and exposed take an oath that tribalism must be part of their life. The decision however remains fully personal.

Certain communities believe their counterparts are evil and have committed injustices which are not worth forgiving.

This belief has been transferred from one generation to the next. A brief flashback to the immediate post-colonial era when KANU and KADU parties were in existence would clearly show the roots of tribalism. Before the invasion by the Europeans, no community knew the other as better.

KANU was largely dominated by the Luos and Kikuyus while KADU was a combination of the other tribes whose fear was that the Luos and Kikuyus would dominate.

However the unity between Luos and Kikuyus was short lived. Immediately after Mzee Jomo Kenyatta became the president, his administration began favouring the Kikuyus shamelessly.

The Luos were discriminated and their complaints only elicited assassination and at times intimidation.

The rift between the two widened when Tom Mboya was assassinated on July 5, 1969. The act was highly blamed on the Kikuyu personalities. He had been a threat. The rest is history. This enmity has existed till date.

Loyalty to one’s tribe has been given greater relevance than one’s loyalty to the nation. This has been witnessed in the lack of accountability and poor governance.

Not in many instances would people question a government run by their kinsmen. It has also lead to under-utilization of resources in other areas.

Worse still, some areas have been ignored. One only wants to create opportunities for his or her kinsmen.

The 2007/08 Post Election Violence was also largely attributed to tribalism.

Tribalism is dividing Kenyans faster than we can imagine. I earlier stated that education has always been seen significant in this regard since it exposes one and may make them change their minds.

But what has been witnessed so far in institutions of higher learning especially universities has disapproved the fact that education can refine an individual.

Many at times University students have fulminated against one another along tribal lines especially when it comes to power issues.

Students vote according to ones tribes. Chuka University was closed indefinitely for a riot caused by it. Last year Moi University, Maasai Mara University among others had the same issues.

Tribalism is clearly brought out by competition and hunger for power and monetary gains.

The people's paramount interest, albeit the wrong one is to safeguard the positions of power for themselves and their kinsmen and ensure that they rule for as long as they live.