Let’s build on the ‘handshake’ to create a united country

A milestone in our history, today we celebrate Madaraka Day. And in so doing, let us reflect on what has transpired, particularly, in days after the August  2017 General Election. It has been a trying moment in which political differences threatened to tear the country apart. Indeed, immediately after the contested outcome of the election, quite a number of Kenyans lost their lives in the agitation that followed.

Clearly, this has not been in synch with the desire of Kenyans at independence, which was the acquisition of power to determine our destiny for the good of all Kenyans. Self-rule meant going beyond the mere change of guard. It was about decency and a better life, yet, on balance, that is yet to be realized decades later. In light of what has been happening since, many Kenyans, and rightly so, feel that despite self-governance, they are yet to get what they bargained for.