Why it is hard to release the grip of tribe, me, myself and I from our politics

When I was younger, we made fun of the dark skin of the Luo, the shrub of the kikuyu and the accent of the Meru, the craftiness of the Akamba, the agility of the Kalenjin and the ravenous appetite of the Luhya. As little as we were, we proudly learned and endeavored to practice daily what it meant to be from a tribe. We built stereotypes and emphasized them with repetition till it became fact.

In fact, since I happen to be particularly dark, I was often branded Luo and as such the butt of many luo-centric mchongoano. I would then argue and say the jokes didn’t stick to me because I was Luhya. In my young mind being Luhya was better…how naïve.