TRIBALISM – THE BANE OF THE KENYAN NATION

K

enya is at a cross-roads! The sting of the axiom, ‘if you want to kill a dog then give it a bad name’ has never been as potent as it is today. It reeks with an odious stench so appalling, abhorrent and reprehensible it could actually drive the irreverent leviathan out of hell! Why I make such a damning indictment of affairs will be discussed below. Traditionally; in days gone by, the nation states of Africa used to trade and engage each other with decorum, love and mutual respect. Other than sporadic expansionist wars between the various tribal groupings and innocuous cattle raids to raise bride price; trade used to be the only exchange that would precipitate between these groupings. Adjacent villages would hold festivals together like dances and sporting activities. As the African has naturally been known to be a vibrant and energetic entity, wrestling matches among the men as a show of virility were held among proximal villages. The legend of ‘Luanda Magere’ is a byproduct of such engagement between the adjacent states. The region referred to as Kenya was initially bush and greenery bristling with a cacophony of fauna and issued a brilliance of flora. Many of the groups currently living here migrated from the Cameroon-Benue-Congo regions and the upper Nile. They had met countless and seemingly insurmountable challenges along the way. Disease, battle and pestilence had been their staple along the way. The progeny of these were though hardened, also yearning for tranquility and a crack at enterprise. This no doubt magnetically attracted a microcosm of tribes to take advantage of this ‘heritage of splendour’ as suitable domicile for their weary feet. Gradually, the several groups migrated and settled into their current locales. Much later came the white man. The black man with his typical dark complexion could never continence that a man could exist in such hue and appearance. Spell-bound he was given to worshipping any edict that issued from this new creature. Unbeknown to them, there was nothing divine about this ‘pseudo-god.’ His sole intention was to captivate the man then denigrate his religion, way of life, dress, culinary habits, economic activity and marital practices or to crudely put it his ways of associating with the opposite sex. He brainwashed the African and successfully captured his ‘prime-mover software’, the mind. He taught Mr. Black man that the only good that could come out of his neighbour was to be captured and traded as a commodity into slavery for sheer pecuniary gain. He taught the naïve African to start viewing his fellow man with unverifiable suspicion, paranoia and at worst malice. Then the real cracks started to form.

Each tribe used to have their trademark skills. Some of these were so sublime and unique to each grouping as to be held in high-level esteem. Some were expert blacksmiths, fishermen, farmers, traders, long-distance entrepreneurs, messengers, pastoralists, rain-makers, prophets, clairvoyants. Some of these were definitely difficult to replicate so neighbours had no choice but to periodically tap on to the expertise of their contemporaries.

After the scramble for Africa and its subsequent partition, Europeans powers started consolidating their spheres of influence. Suddenly people with varying leadership structures, traditional practices and customs were forced together as a conglomerate to be governed as a state. But the story goes even further. Historically, the region currently known as Kenya consisted of slightly more than 42 contiguous nation states. Each had its own leader. Then came silk, the Bible, some rum lubricating the path for British Imperialism. The segregation-based policies piloted by colonial leadership bred and entrenched the putrid culture of ethnicity in Kenya. Africans were in one nation but restricted into native reserves which became based on each one’s tribal affiliation. If a community from elsewhere were to find its way here, they were viewed by the sons-of-the-soil as intruders. Ethnic nationalism was born out of fear to lose land to these new inhabitants. Bad - blood percolated the reserve locals’ collective psyche and these new settlers had to be expelled at all costs.  The British used this means to cause fractious divisions, suppressing their unity to facilitate their rule of the local communities. The ‘divide and rule’ system was alive and well. Those that resisted the advancement of the Queen’s empire found themselves forced to hate their erstwhile neighbours who were now viewed as collaborators.

Post independence unfortunately, the ethnic contempt wedge was further driven into the heart of the nation. Our new cadre of leaders, the black neo-colonialists institutionalized tribalism. They pillaged and looted state institutions to the ground under the guise of their tribe. When caught they retreated back into this cocoon for security. As a matter of fact, tribalism was aggravated after the departure of the colonialists. We as a nation find ourselves more deeply mired in the ills that affected our forebears before independence which include poverty, illiteracy and disease. Why should this be the case? Wouldn’t it be better if the imperialists came back? At least they took some initiative to create some equal level of development countrywide. It can only be termed a tragedy of cataclysmic proportions when state largesse only trickles down to those in power, their lackeys and tribesmen. This has resulted in cut-throat competition for power which is now manifesting its detrimental effects. Professionals and intellectuals throw all their years of erudition, experience, refinement and sound qualifications to the wind; instead preferring to side with their ethnic kingpins (sometimes warlords) for tribal expedience and financial gain. Such acts against your fellow man will inevitably undermine any effort at unity.

Intellectuals froth at the mouth trying to prosecute views that have insufficient structural integrity to even stand the test of basic common sense. They chase after wind trying to defend the indefensible, repugnant and utterly bizarre pronouncements and acts propagated by their moneyed kinsmen. Mischief is their common denominator. Objectivity is thrown to the wind and anyone who tries to make an effort to illuminate the darker echelons of the umbra cast by this moral perversion is immediately dubbed an idiot, naïve to the bone and insufferable. When a man who purports to have the ‘audacity of hope’ newly sprinkled to us by the Barrack Obama American presidency suddenly starts shrugging with hopeless resignation that we cannot end corruption and negative ethnicity, you know we are in deep trouble. If fire is burning your skin and causing you untold pain, why shouldn’t you make an effort to douse it? I am forced to conclude that if someone does not want to be part of the solution for specifically these two ills then it is not by default but he is no doubt part of the problem.

Tribalism is gnawing at the fabric of our republic no matter how you look at it. From the socio-economic, political and even religious facets we are forced to stare down at this bizarre culture that is not only alien to us but retrogressive. In the words of seasoned lawyer and linguist PLO Lumumba, ‘The blood of tribal convenience is apparently thicker than the blood of Christ! ’ Rwanda just started in pretty much the same way and those old enough bore witness to the effects in 1994. Why should we wish to tread the same path ourselves? These days when looking for a job in many a Kenyan State corporation; most notably the Kenya Revenue Authority, tucked in the middle of the interview questionnaire is a blatant question for one to state their tribal affiliations. Your answer becomes the principle determinant to whether you land the post or not. All the quintessential markers of meritocracy like experience, academic performance, integrity, actual genius, enterprise, proclivity for loyalty, proactive learning, promptness and even body hygiene matter in the least. We forget that brilliance is evenly distributed while opportunity only sparsely. In Kenya citizens are segregated by their ‘ethnic IQ’ as opposed to their intellectual acuity and speed of learning. By engaging in such macabre practices we deny ourselves the benefits that would accrue from picking the most suitable and best tooled man for the job. Chapter 6 of the Kenyan constitution is of no use provided you are ethnically correct. Accountability goes out the window when the only one you are answerable to is your tribal kingpin. This brooks impunity.

The other ill effects we see from tribalism are under development, corruption begetting economic sabotage, rigged elections leading to civil strife. Shockingly; the guy whose election is rigged is told to accept and move on and even labeled the impediment to Kenyan unity, a perennial cry-baby and war-monger by the very institutions he turns to for restitution. Tribal militias are permitted to mete terror in consort with the police against Kenyans on the opposite side of the divide to ostensibly quell opposition to misgovernance and pilferage of national funds. What became of the ‘Utumishi kwa Wote’ motto and disciplined mien that almost made yours truly join the force back in the day? My commiserations go out to the kindergarten children who have been time and again violated and tear-gassed in the guise of stifling riots in predominantly opposition strongholds. Punishing babies for the misdeeds of their parents. Is that collateral damaged or narcissistic behavior?  Assassinations have been the price some divergent voices have had to pay for the sake of voicing valuable insight the government of the day does not want to hear. In a previous piece; I have stated in no uncertain terms, that democracy dictates willingness to accept divergent opinions, letting the minority have their say while the majority has their way. Here in Kenya, you are likely to have retribution meted against you in celebration of your opponent’s electoral victory! Intimidation reigns supreme. The winner seeks to punish and utterly repudiate the opposite side for not contributing to their win notwithstanding the other side’s role in chipping-in to raise national revenue. A defectors fund is set up to entice the battle-weary election losers to the party in power in spite of the myriad of challenges bedeviling the collective good being left in the rear-view mirror, so to say. We must unapologetically resist this callous attempt to roll back our hard earned liberties.

Sick and tired on enumerating the ills of this illegitimate enterprise, I will now attempt to proffer remedies.

·        Religious leaders should be at the forefront to disabuse the notions of tribalism. They should utterly rebuke the hypocritical characters who come to their precincts on Sunday yet for the other six days spew bile and retrogressive rhetoric. They should baulk at the prospect of cash donations in exchange for allowing miscreants to divide Kenyans, live from their sacrosanct pulpits. Jesus is love and his temple has no place for hatred.

·        We should encourage the practice of Intermarriage among tribes. Despite the many stereotypes we have been brought up on against people not native to our ethnic group, it is our responsibility to go out and embrace other ethnicities. This will eventually blur the lines of our tribal leanings.

·        We need to introduce into our constitution the notion of a rotational presidency among the various ethnic interests. In the line-ups of political parties, running mates should hail from tribes different from the leader. This should be a ‘modus-vivendi’ and well bounded by term limits. This will introduce the good-will in every group. They will feel that in due course their time will come. Nothing beats audacity and popular camaraderie. Revolutionary ideas include total scrapping of the presidency and having a leadership council handle affairs of state. This has worked to inspirationally foster greater development in the most developed nations.

·        As envisaged in Articles 11 and 44 of our newly minted constitution we should use our cultural diversity as a tool to foster unity, love and appreciation of each other. As a Physicist I was schooled on the theory of discordant polarities attracting. It should be no different in nature. No one should think of himself superior to the other just because he had his foreskin cut off and his neighbour retained his. You are not better than the other guy just because you prefer to gorge on ‘githeri’ when he relishes fish. Superiority complex based on tribe is the most asinine manifestation in the human society that should be relegated to the depths of the Hades. From our diversity should stem our greatest strength. Each distinct ability should be encouraged to plug any unsightly holes in our national tapestry. It should be akin to a peerless spice in our national broth. The ‘tribeless-youth’ initiative in Nakuru gets honourable mention.

·        Socio-economic empowerment of the rank and file of this nation. As proportionate contributors to the national kitty we all deserve an equal share of national development. Youth empowerment programs will keep this valuable asset of society gainfully engaged and not vulnerable to abuse by morally corrupt politicians.

·        Strengthening of county government. This will ultimately shield the man at the grass-roots even when there is economic pilferage at the top. A trickle-down economy is good for everyone.

·        Ruthlessly and unreservedly castigate public institutions that have engaged in bad practice on ethnic constitution and correct this injustice. There will never be a tribe better suited for a job than another as to have it reserved for them.

·        Pay great premium to meritocracy as opposed to tribal convenience. Just the same way the toiling farmer has a great harvest, why do we allow an undeserving character to reap benefits if for nothing else just as a consequence of his tribe. Such behaviour sabotages and ultimately kills enterprise.

·        We need a political climate where good policy trumps good looks and tribal leanings. This is the only way to attain meaningful development and the refinement education was supposed to bestow upon us. Ignore divisive rhetoric from maniacal politicians with the contempt it deserves.

Let’s take a step back for some introspection. Right now any efforts to annihilate tribalism are welcome not just borne out of goodwill but as remedy to an existential threat to us as a nation. If we do not slay that dragon today, then down the drain goes our 54 years of toil trying to create a country enjoyable by all. All the relics of past glories we are proud of fade from history. All the sporting triumphs, Olympic gold medals, technological ingenuity (Mpesa), Nobel peace prize laureates, Independent Supreme court Judges. The same game reserves that over years have served as tourist attractions will become the arena of new splits where our chalk-circle boundaries will cross. Tribalism is a retrogressive practice from which no communal good can ever accrue.