Uhuru and Raila must rein in violent campaign talk mongers

I am tired. A debilitating fatigue is setting in and I’m honestly not sure I can survive the next two months until the polling day.

Now, if President Uhuru Kenyatta and Nasa leader Raila Odinga, and their respective hordes of brain-dead zombies, can put me off to that extent, what do they do to the millions of other fellow Kenyans who have not made careers out of watching politics?

Observing electioneering from close range is supposed to be fun and exhilarating.

TRADING INSULTS

It is supposed be an adrenaline-filled observance of history as it is made, and a raucous and unbridled democracy at play.

But as long as electioneering remains no more than a virulent display of insults, grandiose promises, hate speech, incitement to violence and dangerous appeals to ethnic nationalism, our democracy has not evolved one bit since the pre-independence General Election of 1963.

When Mr Kenyatta and his Jubilee Party running mate William Ruto fend-off the challenge from Mr Odinga and Mr Kalonzo Musyoka of the National Super Alliance, a replay of the 2013 elections, one would expect that the standard of discourse has progressed.

NATIONAL HEROES
Instead, we see absolutely nothing to demonstrate that those promising to lead us into a new nirvana have evolved very much from the specimen of Early Man at the National Museum.

Campaigns devoted mostly to base insults and the incitement of anger and hatred against entire communities surely cannot be why the founding fathers so valiantly fought to free us from colonial subjugation.

The heroes, Mr Odinga, amongst them, who many years later sacrificed life and limb to deliver us from the shackles of one-party dictatorship surely did not envisage a bastardised democracy that only threatens to tear the country asunder.

ETHNIC HATRED
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga owe us all a favour.

In the first instance, they can cease subjecting fellow Kenyans to the divisive and violent rhetoric, whether directly from their own mouths or from their respective mouthpieces on the campaign platforms.

They can also rein in their paid gangs of social media terrorists who hide behind the anonymity of Twitter or Facebook to incite a dangerous brand of ethnic hatred that could well be setting the stage genocide.

I would beg of them both to demonstrate leadership, patriotism and a genuine love for Kenya by elevating the campaign discourse.

SOLIDARITY
Beyond name-calling, finger-pointing and grandiose campaign promises, Kenyans deserve a chance to evaluate the candidates on ideology, leadership philosophy, and clear social and economic policies and programmes.

The candidates ought at this stage to be demonstrating that they are running for President of Kenya and President of all Kenyans.

What we have seen, so far is a fellow running for a section of Kenya and a section of Kenyans.

This country will never be united when those seeking national leadership are busy balkanising it and trying to profit from ethnic and regional cleavages.

Keep in mind that appeals to ethnic solidarity ultimately lead to campaigns against the ‘others’.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga -- and this applies to all the other presidential candidates -- cannot pretend innocence while their election campaigns divide the country.

They must now take responsibility for everything being done on their behalf.

From now, we must assume that every Jubilee supporter who hurls ethnic insults at the Odinga camp does so with the approval of Mr Kenyatta.

We must also take it that every Nasa supporter who aims such words at Mr Kenyatta’s side speaks with Mr Odinga’s approval.

Ditto when it goes beyond the violent rhetoric to violent actions, we must lay the blame squarely at the hands of the principals.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission will still refuse to enforce the Election Offences Act and the Electoral Code of Conduct, but we, as voters, have the power to force all those seeking our favour to behave.

***
Ah, I’ve finally figured it out. President Kenyatta managed to get a handshake with US President Donald Trump at the G7 parley, and away from the microphones managed to whisper an appeal for two of Kenya’s most valuable crops to get unhindered access to the American market.

Mr Trump was thinking Kenya when he woke up late one night with coffee and veve (miraa) on his mind, but sleepy and jetlagged he accidentally transposed the ‘f’ and the ‘v’. Cofveve anyone?

Email: [email protected]: @MachariaGaitho