Yes, devolution can redeem us from our blind loyalty to tribe

With the presidential and gubernatorial candidates along with the national and county legislature hopefuls having been given the preliminary nod by the electoral commission, we are on the fast track to the all-important August 8 elections.
In exactly 64 days Kenyans will be required to define the leadership that will guide them in the next five years. While the presidential elections will follow predictable patterns, elections in the counties will undoubtedly tell the story of a more sophisticated voter than many of us are willing to accept.

At the national level, ethnic affinity will still determine the bulk of the vote. I am, however, one of those Kenyans who don’t believe this voting trend is an expression of Kenyans’ blind loyalty to ethnicity. In all other spheres of life, social media excluded, Kenyans are amazingly accommodating of each other. When I travel to places like Nyanza, I honestly feel more accommodated and appreciated, even by strangers, than when I visit some parts of Central.