Kaparo looks on as hate breeds division

I always imagine that the Francis ole Kaparo-led National Cohesion and Integration Commission is a toothless dog, whose bark is as rare and its bite inconsequential. I have further imagined that all they do is sit around waiting for translators to translate hate speech to the language they understand because in my view they don’t speak what we ordinary Kenyans speak. I also have thought to myself that NCIC was a good way to keep the elder Mr Kaparo busy in his sunset years.

But the events of this last weekend have forced me to relook and reimagine the commission and indeed the role or Mr Kaparo in that commission. This weekend we lost lives, we threw stones and we vandalised. I say we, because I like to take responsibility there is no them just us; guilty as the actor is the passive onlooker. As they say evil only prevails when good people do nothing. In this statement stood my re-imagination of the commission.

When silence is not golden

Many of us watched on TV and online the violence and chaos that was unleashed on our city. Chaos which politicians finger pointed at, the police absolved themselves of and to which Mr Kaparo was silent. We on the other hand took to our keyboards to either call for calm, or blame the participants or the politicians, at the end of the day a lot of nothing was done about the whole scenario.

The helplessness of the good citizen is the story of Kenya. We are always helpless. Helpless against corruption, helpless against hate speech, helpless against inter-ethnic violence, helpless upon helpless and helpless that begets helpless. We, like Kaparo, seem shackled in the lack of creativity to deal with the situation or to express what we inherently know: This isn’t the Kenya we want.

The opportunity, therefore, is not in how many Mr Kaparo can arrest and bring to the book. Though arrests would be good; they aren’t the solution. Arresting the situation is much more intricate that arresting people. That is the reason why we need to reimagine cohesion. The opportunity is in the mundane and normal. It is normal people taking little steps that make a big difference.

Mr Kaparo should, for example, organise for the Luhya business community to donate unga to Kibera. He should organise for the youth in Kibera, Mathare and Kawangware to voluntarily show up to help the businesses that were burnt to rebuild. He should have the Langata residents visit Kibera and console with the bereaved.

Mr Kaparo should organise delegations of Kikuyu elders, Luhya elders, Mijikenda elders, Maa elders, Luo elders and others meet each other and talk. He should be organizing for speaking forums for professionals from either side of the divide to sit and write recommendations of the republic they want. Mr Kaparo should be organising for Mr and Miss peace contests where he picks ambassadors of peace who will visit different counties educating them about their home counties.

What he needs to do

Mr Kaparo should be very busy organising classes and dramas in the various counties where different cultures are showcased. Can you imagine Garissa county having a show of their art, culture and cuisine in Vihiga county? This is the creativity we need. The people of Coast should be learning how to make mukimo as the people from Eldoret show them the wonders of mursik. Mr Kaparo this is your actual job. Make it your task that everyone can say good morning in at least five different languages, they can tell the story and the history of another community other than their own. Because you see, Mr Kaparo, that whereas we fear that which we don’t understand we equally can’t hate that which we understand.

If we make an effort to actually wear the other person’s shoes and walk a mile in them it is unlikely we will hate them. And if we don’t hate them we can’t fight them, and politicians can’t use our ignorance as a tool.

More potently Mr Kaparo you will have finally gotten the bourgeoise to get off their laptops and go to a slam to sit with those who hustle for a meal. You may also cure the entitlement middle class children feel if they see what is on the other side of the tracks. Mr Kaparo wake up and smell the coffee. Kenya needs you to champion a cause we all believe in.

Let there be love

Teach us to love each other, to understand each other to empathise with each other for it is the only way we can cohere. Cohesion is not sitting in your office waiting for people to post hate speech on social media or for a certain Moses to insult a certain Joshua, certainly not. Your task is to ensure there is so much light, darkness has no space. So, consider my words and I pray that in the next week you will ask me and my ilk, to get off our laptops buy a packet of unga and join you on a tour of Mathare, Kibera and Kawangware to say pole and we care, for real.

Mr Bichachi is a Communication Consultant ([email protected])