We’re craving an inclusive political economy

One of the silver linings of the disastrous 2017 election cycle is its elevation and individualisation of economic matters. Previously, our discussions of “historical injustices” were often couched in terms of ethnicity and the deserved compensation of whole communities. But in this cycle, underneath all the talk of ethnicity and marginalisation, there was the tacit acceptance that individual economic empowerment is at the heart of our politics.

NASA’s boycott campaign is a nod to the power of individuals to engage in political action through their economic choices. To paraphrase Moi, siasa mbaya uchumi mbaya. The increasing salience of the economy in our politics means that in order to fix the mess that was the 2017 election cycle, we cannot keep playing the same old games. For example, it will not be enough for President Uhuru Kenyatta to include representatives of ethnic groups affiliated to NASA in his Cabinet and Administration.