Kenya’s second republic is now fully constituted. We have a devolved system of government, an independent Judiciary, an independent bicameral Parliament and a President with limited powers. The two decade-long reforms may not have yielded exactly what our many valiant reformists envisioned, but we must agree we have come a long way.
Moving forward, Kenyans must remain vigilant to ensure consolidation of these gains and not be quick to fall into a state of buyer’s remorse. A perfect outcome is often the enemy of a good outcome.
We should remember we got here through a very divisive electoral process. President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta did not get 49.93 per cent of the votes cast on March 4. On Tuesday, he will take over a country deeply divided along ethno-political lines. One of his biggest tasks will therefore be to unite Kenyans for a common purpose. The task is daunting but achievable. History is replete with leaders whose tenures were punctuated with similarly divisive episodes but emerged to unite their countries and set them on paths to greater prosperity.
By virtue of the timing of his tenure, Mr Kenyatta has the chance to be one of our most impactful presidents in history. He takes over a country trying to implement a new social contract – in the form of a popular constitution - while on the verge of an economic takeoff stifled for a very long time by a bungling political class. Path dependence – the idea that our actions today have historical ramifications – provide Mr Kenyatta with a unique opportunity to shape the character of young institutions in the long run.
To do so he will require the support of all Kenyans. He must acknowledge we are a divided nation and take his constitutional duty as a symbol of national unity very seriously. The present political atmosphere is such that all his actions will be scrutinised for any hints of sectional biases. His actions must therefore not just be unifying but also be seen as such.
But even as he embarks on uniting Kenyans, Mr Kenyatta must not kill the opposition. A strong democracy requires a strong and viable loyal opposition. The opposition – in the form of the CORD Alliance – must therefore remain united and provide checks and balances to the incumbent Jubilee Alliance constructively. Mr Kenyatta must not fall into the temptation of weakening the opposition through side payments like state jobs. In his quest to unite the country he must distinguish between the people who voted and those they voted for. He must eschew the old system of using ethnic chiefs to reach the people. It is that very system that landed us in the current situation of regional inequities in resources and development.
The fact of the matter is that Mr Kenyatta’s contract as President of the Republic is with the Kenyan people, and not their various self-appointed ethnic chiefs.
The divisions we have as a country are a result of perceived historical grievances. Some of those grievances are real, but others are contrived by those out to gain political mileage. Mr Kenyatta can address some of the contrived grievances by the way he conducts himself as President, before moving on to the real grievances through deliberate public policy aimed at making our country more equal and just.
Those of my generation remain optimistic about our future as a country. We know if our leaders do their job right we are more than capable of competing with the Koreas and Singapores. Our many frustrations arise from the sense that our leaders are fundamentally disconnected from our realities.
Mr Kenyatta and his incoming administration must not let us down. He should have a singular focus on growing and modernising our economy to increase our global competitiveness and provide jobs and opportunities for the youth. But as he does so he must be careful to ensure we remain a united and proud country with strong institutions, including the institution of the opposition.
