This govt has failed Kenyans

Letter from Kenya Times 31-07-2007
Linus Egesa,
University of Nairobi.


When President Mwai Kibaki was sworn in on December 30, 2002, I had a very deep emotional feeling. A new nation was being born. It symbolised the fact that a new order was coming into being and an old order was passing away. I wanted to be involved in it, be part of it, and notice the birth of the new regime with my own eyes.

Several months down the line, political mischief began; promise of a people-driven constitution was a mirage; a lean cabinet resulted into a bloated one; among other issues the Artur saga. However, despite this, the Kenyan people remained steadfast and hoped things will improve with time. Critics of the unfolding unpleasant events were branded as power-hungry, self seekers and tribal bigots.

Cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities I cannot sit on my laurels without commenting on issues affecting Kenyans. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Anyone who lives inside Kenya cannot be considered an outsider anywhere within its boundaries.

There can be no gainsaying that ethnic injustice engulfs this country. Its ugly record of ethnic-based favouritism in appointments, rising crime rate and poor distribution of resources. These are the hard and brutal facts obtaining in the country today. On the basis of these conditions, ODM-K leaders have in the recent past sought to negotiate with their NARC-K colleagues but the latter has consistently refused to accede to good faith negotiations.

As in so many past instances where our hopes have been shattered, the shadow of deep disappointment settled upon us. The mwananchi had no alternative but to take to the streets whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and international community. In typical totalitarian societies, the Narc government showed its might by teargassing demonstrators.

Demonstrations usually seek to create a crisis and foster such a tension that an elite which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to dramatise the issue so that it can no longer be ignored.

I am firmly opposed to violent demonstrations but there is a type of constructive, non-violent tension which is necessary for growth. Socrates understood this when he felt it was necessary to create tension in the mind, so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal.

Some have asked why not give the government time to meet its promises? The only answer to this query is that the Narc administration must be prodded as much as the former Kanu regime, before it will act. We were sadly mistaken that the election of President Kibaki would bring manna to Kenyans.

The government is by and large composed of old guards dedicated to maintaining status quo. Historically, privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and involuntarily give up their unjust posture; but as Reinhold Neibuhr reminds us, groups tend to be immoral than individuals.

Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed. Kenyans must exercise vigilance at all times.