Let’s face it, we’re all tribal, so why not make the most of it?

• The deliberate tribalisation in Malaysia has led to a common nation-state with limited racial tensions.
• Kenya has been at a crossroad for 45 years and is content with real development and the absence of war.

When they demand that the managing director of the Kenya Ports Authority be a coastal, Coast Province politicians are derided, yet they have a fundamental argument.

I share their view, but with the rider that all public appointments be based on tribe and merit in that order. Here are my thoughts.

In 1969, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta visited Kisumu for the first and last time. The public who were most probably Luo, pelted the old man with stones, and records show that many people were killed.

In the same year, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, was engulfed in bitter and bloody racial clashes.

After the clashes in Kisumu and Kuala Lumpur, Kenya and Malaysia took opposite directions in healing and reconciliation.

The people of Malaysia belong to three separate racial groups — indigenous Malays, Chinese and Indians. The British rule that used divide-and-rule tactics, created nearly three separate states in one.

Each racial group developed its own culture and economic stereotypes. There developed into popular nomenclature, the Malay farmer, the Chinese trader and the Indian estate labourer.

After the racial clashes of 1969, Malaysia made a deliberate and calculated choice to ethnicise opportunities in public employment, training and promotion.

Even politics was tribalised, with the largest coalition — Barisan National — being made up of three different parties, each representing the three different races. This racial balance is maintained in public service and politics.

The economy of Malaysia which, like Kenya, was colonised by Britain and gifted with independence nearly the same time, with a population half of Kenya’s, is 10 times ours.

The deliberate tribalisation in Malaysia has led to a common nation-state with limited racial tensions.

Dr Mahathir Mohamed, its benevolent but despotic leader from 1981 to 2003, took the Malaysian economy and nationalism to their apogee where it has remained since.

Malaysia is now a proud and Asian economic tiger. On the other hand, Mzee Kenyatta, after the Kisumu incident, made Nyanza a pariah region.

Public service was then monopolised by the Kikuyu, the President’s tribe. Other tribes were locked out.

When he took over in 1978, Mr Daniel arap Moi tried but with limited success to replace the Kikuyus with the Kalenjins.

President Kibaki is trying to bring back his tribe to complete dominance. Look at the key ministries and departments.

Whether we like it or not, the truth is that Kenya is a nation-state of 42 African-Kenyan tribes, European-Kenyans, Asian-Kenyans and Arab-Kenyans, making a total of 45 tribes.

Each of these 45 tribes is quietly and silently waiting for their turn to be at State House and replace public appointees with their own people.