Kenyans, we have the potential, let’s do more

Delegates attend the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative report at the Bomas of Kenya on November 27, 2019. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • We comment extensively on our political system without volunteering or contributing to candidates who align our vision.
  • We whine incessantly about bad governance but never attend the next neighbourhood meeting.

I was recently honoured to host my American family for Thanksgiving.

We had a sumptuous feast, laughter and a magical time, thankful for the journeys we undertook together as a family and singly as individuals this year, including my two travels to Nairobi, the city of my birth.

The first trip was to launch an education improvement programme at Kawangware Primary School and the second to provide leadership training for young professionals.

Kenya has immense potential and opportunities. Our people are vigorous, open to new ideas, risk takers, travelling within and outside our borders for greener pastures, trade and commerce. Unmatched resilience and determination in Africa.

Unfortunately, our political leaders’ panacea for inequality, bad governance and corruption is often dictated and influenced by the West.

Our solutions are never homegrown and most of us believe the challenges are too gigantic to solve.

MORE ACTION, LESS TALK

As the recent launch of the Building Bridges Initiative report revealed, our cynicism with the solutions proffered by the political class to remedy our bad governance and promote inclusion is more cancerous than our endemic corruption.

Most of the non-political elite rubbished the report, and the launch, even before the presidential motorcade had left Bomas.

We rallied around the ideas that it should have been about lessening poverty, increasing jobs for the youth and investing in social programmes for the underserved amongst us.

But none of these accompanied a robust policy framework that is absent of political haggling for positions and power.

Our oratory and commentary can only take us so far without a sacrifice on our part to bequeath our children a better future.

As I told a friend recently, Kenyans, like me, in their 30s and 40s, can reshape the trajectory of the nation with more action and less talk.

As a group, we are the least tribal and have built personal and cross-cultural relationships with one another better than our parents did. We have some form of social capital inaccessible to our younger generation.

BE PROACTIVE

As a generation that grew up under dictatorship, we know we cannot stomach ‘Big Man’ politics and we recognise the global narratives that shape our policymaking.

Importantly, our parents and religion have no absolute hold on our worldview. We believe in the rights of others, even in disagreement.

What we lack is commitment to actualise change. We whine incessantly about bad governance but never attend the next neighbourhood meeting.

We talk about holding our leaders accountable but never involve ourselves in social campaigns.

More importantly, we comment extensively on our political system without volunteering or contributing to candidates who align our vision.

We need to create an action plan to build a nation that’s beyond short-term political strategy.

EXPLOIT POTENTIAL

Our ideas must spur investments in our impoverished communities. Increase the quality of our public education and provide opportunities for those who toil daily to reach their vision.

As PLO Lumumba reminds us in his rhetorical crusades, when the gods give us a lemon we should make lemonade, not ask for an orange.

I admit that Kenya is faced with insurmountable challenges but refuse to believe that we lack a home-grown solution for them.

Aren’t we, after all, the home of M-Pesa, Eliud Kipchoge and Tusker lager?

Mr Mukami is the global lead of the MLIFE Foundation. @mwangimukami