Referendum debate steadily degenerates into intolerance

We move frightfully towards crude reductionism and intolerance. Virtually everywhere in the global community, we see things in black and white today. There are no grey areas, no room for conversation. We imagine that our challenges have only a single cause and one answer. We isolate individuals and communities and see them variously as the cause, or the answer, to our situation.

In the West and in South Africa, the problem can be summed up in one word – migrants. In Britain the problem is the European Union and in Africa it is increasingly China. Where it is not China, it is some tribe in our country – whichever country. Sort out this tribe and all will be fine! In Kenya we were ahead when we said in 2002, “Everything is possible without Moi.”