Thursday, February 28th 2008, some minutes to 9 pm, at Harambee House in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The two main opponents in the hotly disputed presidential results, PNU’s Mwai Kibaki and ODM’s Raila Odinga, appear on our TV sets, flanked by Hon Kofi Annan. Their beaming faces reveal something that the whole country had been crying for; an agreement that would finally put to an end the political madness that was almost tearing the country apart. They had finally penned down a deal that would save the country from total collapse. This deal is brokered by former United Nations Secretary General and now member of the Panel for Eminent African Personalities, Kofi Annan. The road to this deal is one every Kenyan would quickly wish to forget, owing to the anguish and bloodbath, never seen before, that we had grown accustomed to, since the declaration of President Mwai, as the winner of a controversy filled election, on December 28 2007.
The election results had kept the whole country on its tenterhooks, finally triggering off a bloodbath that shook the entire nation. Within less than three months, Kenyans were slaughtered, others maimed, women and girls raped, children orphaned and thousands others left with traumatizing memories of events, never seen in this country before. Property was looted and destroyed. Households were torched. Pandemonium and anarchy reigned as Kenya was thrown into near civil war. The country was slowly but surely being thrown to the dogs. Anarchy reigned in a country that had for long been considered as among the most peaceful and politically stable ; an example to the entire world. The aftermath of this politically instigated violence was beyond imagination; more than 1,500 dead, more than 600,000 left homeless and property worth billions destroyed. Thanks to the international community, notably Panel of Eminent African Personalities, through Kofi Annan, Kenya was saved from self-destruction.
The seeds of this violence had been grown years back, due to the dirty, ethnic based politics in practice since the introduction of multi-party democracy in 1992. Notably, the 1992 and 1997 Molo land clashes, among others, happened around the electioneering period, but nobody cared. Election malpractices had also become the order of the day. The outside world thought that all was well, but we, as a country knew it was not. We sunk our heads into the sand, like the proverbial ostrich, and lied to ourselves that since we could not see the lion fast coming for us, all would be well. The political class was only interested in selfish, narrow- minded and misguided welfare, only meant to fulfill their political egos and narrow interests, at the expense of the electorate and entire nation. The rest of Kenyans mattered less. Ethnic based politics were then perpetrated by our selfish politicians. Dirty and misguided politics, fuelled by ethnic interests took centre stage. This was the perfect recipe for the unimaginable destruction we came face to face with after hotly disputed presidential results in 2008. The holy book warns us that we reap what we sow; unfortunately these scriptures were fulfilled in late 07 and early 08, when we experienced the agonizing post- election violence.
We are barely a year away from the next General Election in 2012, but with so much to put in
order before we can sleep safe, waiting for a peaceful election. Prosecutions for the Hague Six; who are believed to bear the greatest responsibility over the post-poll quagmire are ongoing at The Hague, Kenyans are languishing under deplorable conditions in the IDP camps and justice for the victims still seems to be distant dream, far away in the horizon. The nation is still bleeding from the post-election violence. All these should have taught us invaluable lessons as we gear up towards the 2012 poll. One, politics should be solely for the progress of the people, not the selfish interests of the narrow- minded political class. As Kenyans, we should desist from ethnic politics and not foolishly follow any politician and leader who lead us to the abyss. Politically mature and moral- grounded decisions, which are integrity driven for the well-being and progress of the entire Kenyan nation, are a must. As a nation, we must shun and condemn any political leader who violates the above.
A credible and trustworthy electoral board is a must for peaceful elections to prevail. The now defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya was blamed for the bungled elections that led to the post- poll bloodbath. The election results were handled in the most unprofessional manner ever seen in the country. The fact that it kept the whole nation waiting, on an election that was too close to call, plunged this country into unnecessary tension that culminated in the violence. The commission that will oversee the elections in 2012, must sit down and analyze what went wrong with their predecessors, for a repeat of the same mistakes can plunge the country into violence, never witnessed before.
The greatest responsibility lies with the Kenyans. Destiny is in our hands, to make or break our nation in 2012. We must realize that we have no other home outside Kenya; therefore we must do all within our ability to ensure a safe and peaceful Kenya, after the elections. As President Kibaki put it after the peace deal was brokered, ` the process has reminded us that as a nation, there are more issues that unite than divide us…..’, cheap and dirty politics should not destroy the way we live. Ethnic party affiliations should not divide us; after all, we need each other to build our nation. A tribe should not rise up against another tribe, due to political differences that can be amicably resolved. A Kikuyu should not raise a panga or a machete on a Luo, simply because of misguided politics.
We are all Kenyans, and no tribe, individual or ethnic groups are superior over the other. All the 42 ethnic groups in Kenya are equal. We need each other’s help in our endeavor to make Kenya a better place to live in, far much better than we found it. We cannot afford to go the same way we did in 2007/2008. We must play our cards safe.
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, politics without principle is one of the seven deadly sins. The repercussions are unbearable. As a nation, we learned it the hard way, akin to the saying that experience is the best teacher. The 2012 General Elections should leave us more united than ever.
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