Peace, not handshake, should be our default line at all times

President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and opposition leader Raila Odinga address the nation after they had a meeting at Harambee House on March 9, 2018. The high level of prosperity Kenya desires requires mature and sophisticated politics. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Many Kenyans died in the recent election and the one before it and the one before that.
  • By design or default, election in Africa is mostly anchored on the selfish interests of the leaders and their cronies.
  • Economic progress can be hastened in a peaceful environment deficient of tribalism, corruption and nepotism.

I landed in a European airport soon after the rerun of Kenya’s General Election last October.

A very pleasant Immigration official, on seeing my Kenyan passport, asked me if I was a Maasai.

I said no. I then asked him why he thought I was one. He said “because you are tall, like a Maasai”.

I don’t think he had seen the high heels I was struggling to balance on. When he asked if I was a Kikuyu, I gave up. By then, my tribal demons had kicked in: Maasai? How?

The exchange reminded me, nonetheless, that the world fondly knows Kenya as one gorgeous tourist country and, two, many wrongly think it is only comprised of the Maasai and Kikuyu communities.

VIOLENCE

But before I could park my mistaken identity, the official landed the bombshell: “Are they still killing each other after the elections?”

If that doesn’t boil your blood, nothing ever will. ‘Are they’?

Like we are some ‘Republic of Wild Cats’ and all we do is gorge one another’s eyes out for a hobby every five years!

I seethed under my breath. Then I wondered why I was even angry. The officer was only stating a bitter truth.

Many Kenyans died in the recent election and the one before it and the one before that.

Violence has been a constant at elections and the only thing that has wiped the gloss off the beauty and good image of this country.

AFRICA CURSE

Corruption comes a close second, of course, with doping in sports third.

When things are made to go wrong by the few narcissists among us, the rest of the country is made to bear the cross.

I was not pleased to bear it for those who never consulted me before they maimed and tortured in the name of democracy. Neither did I want to, as I had nothing to do with the violence.

But there I was, being humiliated on behalf of close to 50 million Kenyans in a foreign land.

Hyper-normalisation of post-election violence is nothing new to Kenya or, indeed, Africa.

It seems just one country in the continent need to sneeze for the rest to catch a cold as far as violence goes. If only we could copy the positives with the same zeal!

LEADERSHIP TRANSITION

Democracy was always going to be a challenge in Africa.

Apart from a few countries that are mono-ethnic, most are comprised of different ethnic groups, each shouting tribalism the loudest.

It is a facade when we are told democracy can work in Africa by those that turn around and talk of ‘shared values’ in their territories.

Nonetheless, there is no justification to let violence precede every election.

After the recent Brexit referendum, the United Kingdom changed leaders peacefully when the former Prime Minister, David Cameron, elected to resign.

Germany stayed for about three months without a government when Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union Party failed to win majority seats.

Germany functioned normally, with no ensuing bloodshed or violence synonymous with Africa’s post-election periods.

TRIBALISM

By design or default, election in Africa is mostly anchored on the selfish interests of the leaders and their cronies.

It is rarely for the ordinary citizen. For Africa to prosper and stand respectfully shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world, it must change tack and pour peace into its conscience and seal it there.

Tribalism is the fault line that leads to exploitation of many African countries.

Because it creates a recipe for ‘divide and rule’ by the rest of the world and, indeed, local governments.

Shared values for countries such as Kenya that have been beleaguered by tribalism-inspired conflicts can only be obtained by grasping the true meaning of democracy.

PEACE

Crucially, the foundation for any election should be laid on peace.

It is pointless to preach peace after the carnage, when the damage is already done.

A “handshake” still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of those whose loved ones were maimed, tortured or killed, who, then, in a blink of an eye realises their bloody efforts were a smokescreen to power by a few individuals after all.

Economic progress can be hastened in a peaceful environment deficient of tribalism, corruption and nepotism.

The high level of prosperity Kenya desires requires mature and sophisticated politics devoid of bloodshed and violence. Anarchy won’t work and can’t work.

DEMOCRACY

Europe learnt the lesson of peace the hard way and, hence, forged unity based on socio-economic advancement of its people and made sure it sustained peace at any cost.

The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the European Union in 2012 surprised many.

However, looking back at the bloody history of Europe and its economic success and peaceful state, it makes sense and is well deserved.

Africa, and indeed Kenya, can achieve the same level of progress and maintain it if the political approach to democracy is honest from the word go and laid on strong peaceful grounds.

Ms Guyo is a Legal Researcher — [email protected].