?Make 2018 better from lessons learnt this year

 

Few Kenyans will look back at 2017 with fondness. It was the year of devastating drought that brought hunger and hardship to millions; and the year of credit crunch that limited businesses from accessing the credit they needed to grow and create jobs.

But above all, it was the year of the never-ending election. While elections by their nature always produce uncertainty, this one was different. The campaign was hard fought, all-encompassing and long.

Too long. The vote itself was tense and nerve-wracking, and the standoff that has ensued since the first poll on August 8 is unprecedented and deeply unsettling.

While the increasing duration of the campaign itself is a feature around the world (just look at the US where they already seem to be campaigning for 2020), the four-month-and-counting paralysis that has occurred since August 8 is entirely self-inflicted.

Or rather, inflicted by those who are unable to accept the democratic will of the people and the constitutional ruling of the courts.

More than anything, it is the election and this Raila-imposed stasis that has cast the longest shadow over 2017. 

For us to ensure we do not make the same mistakes in 2018, we must learn some important lessons from this year’s trials and tribulations. In the interests of brevity, I have narrowed them down to four.  

Unity

Kenya is one nation, and we are one people. When we are united we can achieve much more than when we are divided.

That is why our coat of arms bears just one word – Harambee (all pull together). We, as Kenyans, have a responsibility to act in this vein, and we must urge our leaders to behave in kind.

We must reward those who seek dialogue with their opponents, and turn against those who preach division and intolerance. This must stop immediately, and give way for a more conciliatory political culture that builds bridges, rather than burning them, if we are to achieve our potential in 2018. 

In today’s political climate, phrases like America First or Britain First have become bywords for isolationism and anti-internationalism. That is, their implicit meaning is putting your country ahead of other countries.

But the meaning of Kenya First is entirely different – it means putting Kenya ahead of yourself.

Many of the difficulties we encountered this year were down to politicians, and particularly Raila and his friends’ inability to look beyond their own self-interest.

For Raila it may make sense to ignore the rulings of the judiciary, but it certainly doesn’t make sense for Kenya. Our leaders’ ability to put the country first will be critical to our recovery and growth in 2018. 

Pulling together

Too often our leader’s forget – or ignore – that words have consequences. Big, and often grave, consequences.

So if a politician describes the President as ‘illegitimate’, says Kenya has ‘no sitting president’, or announces plans to swear himself in as an alternative ‘president’, there will be ramifications. While thankfully the tension of recent months has not resulted in widespread violence, it has affected our economy.

What businessman would open a new company when there are threats of secession? What right-thinking foreign investor would choose to invest in Kenya when they see a real chance of an ‘alternative government’ being formed?

The sooner our leaders realise that their words effect people’s lives – their chance of getting a job, their ability to buy food for their family – the better.

Perhaps remembering this will lead to more sober and responsible leadership from some in 2018.

For the past four months, our government and president have been unable to take the big decisions required to move Kenya forward due to the political paralysis.

We have had four wasted months, when instead of delivering on his manifesto promises, Uhuru has been forced to wait – first for the court ruling, then for the second ballot, and then for the court ruling recognising the second ballot.

Now the Opposition is trying to delay him further by continuing the charade of an ‘inauguration’ for Raila.

We have a president, he was elected, he has a clear mandate, and if his inauguration speech is anything to go by, he has a clear vision and a plan to deliver it – why don’t we all let him do what he was elected to do! 

2017 was a lost year for Kenya. A year of paralysis and suffering. One lost year is bad, two are disastrous. We must learn the lessons from 2017 and fast, so that we make up for lost time and ensure that 2018 is a year of development and growth. 

Happy New Year!

Mr Temba is a Communication Consultant