Intermarriage across ethnic lines might be answer to Kenya’s woes

The suggestion is often attributed to Charles Njonjo (although online there is no evidence of the original assertion).

That to end the problem of ethnic divisions in Kenya, people should be forced to marry from outside their own ethnic groups.

It sounds like a crazy proposal but should not be dismissed offhand. In fact, it is not new.

During times of war between groups in pre-colonial Africa, elders turned to the traditional method of exchanging brides between communities to show that there was no ill-will between the rivals.

The logic was that attacking each other after such settlements would essentially mean shedding the blood of your own.

The problem of ethnic divisions in Kenyan politics may seem trivial. It looks like a game.

Every election season, elites from different groups form or break coalitions to get into power or retain it.

Each election cycle since 2002 has been characterised by dizzying levels of ethnic coalition building and breaking between competing elites who can call on the support of virtually every voter from their ethnic group.

However, lack of social cohesion has a very high cost. Apart from the bloodshed when violence erupts, political scientists have found that low income countries that have high levels of ethnic fragmentation and divisions find it extremely difficult to escape the poverty trap.

SOCIAL COHESION
The American economist William Easterly published a study in 2006 on the impact of social cohesion on the strength of institutions in a country and related to that, rates of economic growth.

His findings were not surprising. The team of researchers concluded that social cohesion is a key determinant of institutional strength in a society.

The argument was that “social cohesion determines the quality of institutions which, in turn, has important impacts on whether and how pro-growth policies are devised and implemented”. 

The East Asians are good examples of this. The likes of China, Taiwan and South Korea enjoyed dizzying levels of economic growth over a 30-year period leading up to the turn of the millennium. 

One of the factors that underpinned this was the social cohesion they enjoy.

They have few ethnic divisions that are politically significant. Their societies are united and the leadership can make bold decisions that propel the whole society forward.

There are some exceptions, of course, notably Malaysia. But in such countries, unlike Kenya, the leaders are able to show some wisdom by finding a way to build national unity and giving everyone access to the “economic cake”.

Prof Easterly offers the example of the contrasting reactions in South Korea and Indonesia to the great financial crisis of 1997.

South Korea is made up of essentially one racial/ethnic community. They are all Koreans.

Indonesia is one of the most diverse nations on earth. It has 360 ethnic groups that speak 719 languages spread over 13,466 islands.

When the financial crisis broke, Indonesians turned against each other. There was widespread looting and riots left 1,000 people dead.

In South Korea, the reaction was one of solidarity. Weeping citizens were shown on TV asking what they could do for their country.

Some sold their modest family treasures in what they believed to be an effort to contribute to the national economy.

'TRUE KENYANS'
It is little wonder, therefore, that solidly united South Korea now boasts one of the most advanced economies in the world while the Indonesias and Kenyas of this world remain strugglers.

Where is all this leading? The point simply is that many countries like Kenya where the society is so deeply divided must tackle this problem if they are to escape their status as perennial economic underperformers.

A united society is much more likely to move forward than a divided one. The guys that have the greatest power to edge the society in this direction are the politicians.

If the President, in particular, set out to be inclusive in the makeup of his administration, that would make wananchi have a sense/illusion of belonging and would help the nation move forward.

Opposition leaders, too, can find a way to compete on a policy platform outside appeals to a sense of grievance and victimhood.

It is obvious that the politicians will not see sense any time soon. Maybe society can take the lead.

If Njonjo’s words are heeded and everyone marries outside their community, that would produce the first generation of “true Kenyans”.

That group might finally aspire to compete on an equal footing with the South Koreas of this world.
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