Like President Kenyatta says, we have to unite or perish

Just over a week ago, two teachers at Arabia Boys Secondary School in Mandera County were killed in what has everything to do with a terror attack.

But the identity of the teachers and the manner in which they seem to have been picked out points at a deliberate act of discrimination.

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers was later to declare that the two tutors were killed simply because they did not belong to the native ethnic community.

A Kuppet official argued that the killings were a continuation of a scheme to rid the Northern Kenya region of professionals seen as non-locals.

It is hard to see why a reasonable community would want to deny itself the privilege of professional services extended to it by those from a far and services which they are not lucky enough to have home-made practitioners.

TRIBALISM

But reason is not something common among suicidal elements, those who kill their own communities by denying them opportunities to grow.

And this shortage of reason, unfortunately, has robbed the country of two lives.

As this happened, the Borana and Garba were drawing each other’s blood over issues best known to them.

A week earlier, reports had it that the Kipsigis and the Maasai were butchering each other, and burning each other’s houses and property in Narok.

It all had to do with differences in tribe, a stupid thing really because very few of us can rightly claim pure allegiance to any given tribe.

These superficial differences that exist in this country and which have caused so many deaths need to be sorted out fast.

Kenya is too small a country to be divided into some 44 nations each fighting the other in the name of tribalism.

UNITY
It is for this urgent mission that every right thinking resident of this country, including myself, should agree with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent statement that, whatever we do, unifying the country should be given the first priority.

Speaking during the burial ceremony of musician Joseph Kamaru in Murang’a last week, President Kenyatta minced no words as he called on all Kenyans to drop everything and work on uniting this country.

He made it clear that despite having promised to deliver so much during his second term in office, he had come to full realisation that that would be impossible if the country was not united.

“Without unity we cannot move forward,” he said. And he went ahead to explain how that realisation has since dictated his presidential moves in the recent past, ending with the edict that: “We will unite this country, even if that is the only thing we will do.”

PEACE
The President’s words, luckily, have gained some consistency with his actions over the last few months.

Starting with the now famous 'handshake' of March 9 with his hitherto archenemy Raila Odinga, who incidentally was with him at the funeral, the President has spared no effort in ensuring that every significant political player joins the Kenyan team.

So when the President says he is pursuing unity, it is not hard to see that he means it.

Just before the funeral, the President had hosted two other delegations at State House, still with a view of making as many communities as possible feel they are part of the country.

Uhuru played host to leaders from the larger Luhya community as well as those from the Kamba, two constituencies which have been sending loud whispers with complains of being left in the cold owing to their assumed choices during the 2017 elections.

COMMITMENT
But what was even more profound and telling was the Head of State’s personal indulgence with former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and aspiring presidential candidate Moses Wetang’ula, at the country’s seat of power.

It is a great time to have all the main political figures in the country in agreement that we are better off as one.

That having been achieved, it is now the onus of every citizen to accept the fact that we all stand and prosper together or perish apart.

We cannot continue butchering fellow countrymen just because they profess a different religion. That is nonsense because neither you nor I really understand the origin of that religion perfectly.

It is illogical to burn a neighbour’s house just because you think he/she belongs to a different ethnic identity. How do you know that for a fact, anyway?

Like the President said at Kamaru’s burial, we all must play our part in ensuring that our country achieves the unity that will stand the test of time 100 years after our exit. It can be done.

Mr Mugwang'a is a communications consultant ([email protected]; @mykeysoul)