Uhuru and Raila owe us an urgent solution to the current impasse

That this week’s election was a flop is beyond question. What is important is what we do next as a country.

Our collective tragic reality is that Kenya is quickly losing the levels of elite consensus that kept us united as country. Yes, we have always had deep regional and ethnic political differences. But for much of our history, our elites (of all political and ideological stripes) felt hopeful about the future, and about the sustainability of our political system. All that seems to have dissolved.

We now live in a brave new world that is both scary and a call to rethink what it is that keeps us united. Let us not mince words, President Uhuru Kenyatta and NASA leader Raila Odinga are holding Kenya hostage in their battle for power. It is odd that Uhuru and his allies chose to go ahead with the election, despite obvious signs that a significant proportion of Kenyans would stay home as Raila requested. It is also disheartening that the State has no qualms unleashing unimaginable levels of police brutality on ordinary Kenyans.

Raila, too, has a hand in our current predicament. It is true that he was wronged in 2007. That said, we cannot keep re-litigating 2007 in perpetuity. At some point Kenya has to move on.

And so while it is understandable that Raila is playing hardball politics this time round (in memory of 2007), it is also important to realise that the ghosts of 2007 should not be allowed to haunt us forever. Instead of shooting for State House at all costs, Raila (and his throngs of adoring supporters) would be well-served to consider alternatives that would be incentive-compatible with the interests of Uhuru and his allies.

One possible way forward would be to think of how to further entrench devolution. It is a fact that the race for State House is a competition for resources. Under ideal conditions, this would make the differences between Raila and Uhuru tractable. They could simply divide the spoils.

But for some odd reason, the two gentlemen and their allies seem convinced that we live in a zero sum world. That instead of sharing, either of them should shoot for the whole prize. This is poor strategy, and reflects a singular lack of a long-term view among our economic and political elites.

As I argued last week, the spoils of governance are easily divisible. There is no reason for Kenya to continue reeling under extreme political precarity. Raila and Uhuru ought to be able to solve this problem once and for all. If Uhuru and his allies are not willing to hold a credible, free, and fair election, they should consider sending a bigger share of our revenues to the counties. At the same time, Raila should be willing to give up the quest for State House in exchange for substantial fiscal transfers to the counties.

In other words, our leaders have a duty to have an end-game to their politicking. Politics and grandstanding should not be ends in themselves. We should engage in politics with specified goals in mind. Ideally, these goals ought to reflect an understanding of the need to cater to the needs of the common wananchi. And absent that, the goals should reflect a clear vision of what the elite class wants for the country. Enough is enough.

- The writer is an assistant professor at Georgetown University. @kopalo