When we hear a Kenyan making a good impression at the UN or in the presence of foreign heads of state, or at international institutions or before diplomats in Nairobi, we must be glad, but not overawed or thankful.
We must ask ourselves, whether he is making as good an impression on Kenyans in difficult circumstances or is solving their problems.
How we smile and speak at UNGA and how we don’t smile and don’t speak in Ukambani, how we smile and speak in the United Kingdom (UK) and how scowl and scold in United Kisumu (UK), are unfortunately all different things.
We at home hear a different voice and see a different face.
Why? A major reason is this regime has no vision for Kenya. They have nothing to say to fellow Kenyans, except warnings and threats. They have never had a national vision.
They hold up no standard. Such a vision is absent from their thinking and planning. And, sadly, this regime has no national political visionary legacy of its own to draw upon.
A country needs a vision so it can, without deep divisions, have common aims and methods to reverse the absence, immediate or long-term, of solutions for its serious problems. Here are examples:
The United Kingdom: In 1945, the Labour Party won elections. It implemented its vision carefully fashioned over the years 1906 to 1945: ‘It introduced nationalisation of the mines, the railways, the Bank of England, the gas and electricity companies, of the welfare system, of education and creation of the National Health Service.’
It is that vision, implemented in 1945-1951, that broke poverty’s hold over the health of majority, and helped ease that poverty for the next 70 years of the NHS, and saved UK during Covid.
India: In 1947, India won its Independence under the Congress Party. It implemented its vision for the country, carefully planned over the years 1885 to 1947 of the freedom struggle.
It framed and began implementing its new Constitution and its economic Five-Year plan for social, economic and legal changes within freedom and the rule of law. That vision and base, over the past 75 years, helped India build itself to where it is now.
The United States: In 1929, the Stock Market Crash brought sudden hardship and poverty to the United States.
A vision of recovery was thought through. It was called the New Deal. It began the process of economic and social recovery guided by that vision.
It was not an ad hoc approach, but a systematic series of steps, with a vision of the future. It brought the country together and secured recovery. This is where we have to be. South Africa: In 1948, the African National Congress (formed in 1912) had to state its vision of South Africa when faced with the absolute power and discriminatory vision of the Apartheid Boer regime.
The ANC with its partners framed the African Charter. Its vision was of a democratic, non-racial, secular, equal and united South Africa. This vision enabled them go through the over 40-year cruelty of Apartheid to win a peaceful and principled freedom.
History has more examples. The most relevant is the vision Kenya itself forged against colonialism – of a free, equal and non-discriminatory Kenya which would bring education, health and more evenly spread prosperity. That vision brought about freedom with racial peace as well as economic opportunity.
We now have to make a restatement of our vision. We have to do it together, Azimio and Kenya Kwanza, all Kenyans. Even with alms from outside, we have to work hard.
To do this productively, we need a clear plan and therefore a clear vision of what our country has to be. We need to shed having electoral malpractices as the principal method of winning power, continuous breaches of the rule of law as the principal method of retaining power, and corruption and national bankruptcy accompanying us for the rest of our days.
We may look for our vision in our struggle for Independence. We may look for our vision in our Constitution to see what future is set out there. For, our Constitution is the manifesto of the people because it is also a vision of the nation.
-The writer is senior counsel
