Poll violence and unfolding bigger story

So do you think President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto will hand over power to (Nasa’s Raila) Odinga if he wins the elections? the European journalist was persistent in her line of questioning.

Like most other reporters, she was reducing the Kenyan election to a war between two men.

It was a simplistic narrative that, in my view, completely undermined the bigger transformational story that was unfolding.  

The interview was to be part of a major international newspaper story that was to be published on the Eve of the August 8 General Election. 

The journalist had been referred to me by a Kenyan political analyst, who had also been interviewed. 

“I believe Kenya is at a turning point,” I said rather emphatically. She moved her recording device closer and began to scribble on her small notebook. I really did not want to be sucked into a myopic discussion about which of the two leading presidential candidates was going to win the race.

FORTITUDE

In my mind, the bigger question was whether there was enough fortitude in the populace to withstand the inevitable political and economic shocks that could hit the country after the elections.

“No pain, no gain,” I said. “We are in a process of self-discovery, and it is going to be long and painful. Nobody is going to give it to us on a silver platter.”

She stopped writing and looked at me.  “Are you saying there is going to be violence?” she asked. 

I could feel myself getting worked up. “We have already endured a lot of violence,” I said. 

“We have lost many lives in this long journey of self- discovery. Over the last decade or so, many people have died, and even in the last few weeks; lives have been lost.”

She looked stunned and a bit confused. I knew she wanted me to talk specifically about the elections, and I was determined not to lose sight of the forest because of the trees.

ELECTIONS

“Kenya is not facing a problem because of elections,” I said. “Elections often manifest the rot in our society, but the real problems we face go much deeper. 

We have serious issues that we have not been able to solve since your government – the British colonial government – handed over power to Jomo Kenyatta and his cronies.”

I knew I had touched a nerve.  The journalist’s face turned slightly red, and she put down her pen.  “Mr Ondeng,” she said, with an air of annoyance.

“Kenya has been independent for five-and-a-half decades. Are you still blaming the British for the governance problems in your country?”

It was the challenge I was looking for. “What I am saying, Mildred, is that we will never solve our core problems if we are not willing to go to the root of those problems.”

Mildred pushed her notebook aside and lashed back at me.  “What does this have to do with the British?” she asked. 

OPPRESSION

“Your government planted the seeds of oppression and division that you see playing out in our country today.” I replied.

“Your government set us on this collision course, and we have not been able to get off it.” I was upset, and she could see it.

We argued back and forth for a while, and in the end, both of us seemed to concede that a major crisis is looming.

She agreed with me that the entrenched ethnicity and oppressive leadership are impediments to progress. 

At the end of our conversation, Mildred came back to the question that had led her to look for me in the first place: Are the 2017 elections going to be violent? 

Her persistence did not surprise me. I shrugged my shoulders and stood up. 

“I don’t know, Mildred,” I replied as I reached out to shake her hand. “I sure hope not.”

Mr Ondeng is a leadership and governance expert. [email protected]