Three sins we must purge from our national psyche to prosper

The good Lord, while emphasising the significance of heeding his word to his disciples, likened the heeders and doers of his word to a house built on a rock; the solid ground that wasn't at risk of being overrun by floods. In modern civil engineering, seismic dampers have come to take the place of rocks. As we are all smarting from the gravity of human collateral from the recent demonstrations, we have to establish if Kenya is a house built on a rock, fortified with seismic dampers or if it a house built on sand that someday could be washed away. Repeal of Section 2A of the Constitution in 1992 was the first far-reaching elite settlement in Kenya. After the long reign of single party dictatorship, it opened a floodgate of hope that light and progress ultimately overcomes repression and fear. But it's significant to note that we have gone ahead to have other bitter and nasty political fall outs followed by elite pacts that have looked like the final cure only to prove to be mere analgesic. The new Constitution appeared like the final beam of light that would finally permanently obliterate the long darkness of a thousand nights. But if there is one lesson that we can grasp from the 10 years of Jubilee, it is that a constitution, however progressive, is never self-executing. Constitutions can be undermined especially when they threaten the interest of the powerful. The politically powerful can weaken the infrastructure of the rule of law. They can mock the media in execution of their roles. They can ignore court orders and brazenly have judges arrested in the chambers. They can turn the monopoly of violence donated to the state by the people against the same people. Don't get me wrong. I am not imagining that the exercise of governance is presided over by angels. No, I am alive to the fact that it is always mortal men with flaws. But we must hasten to add that we have for so long let them run this country like their little fiefdoms. We have always been reminded that we are among the most developed countries this side of the tropics. But while our development is being measured through the yardstick of brick and mortar, we are forgetting another very important threshold as described by Amartya Sen' "Development is the process of expanding human freedom". It is "the enhancement of freedoms that allow people to lead lives that they have reason to live". Hence, "development requires the removal of major sources of lack of freedom: Poverty as well as tyranny, poor economic opportunities as well as systemic social deprivation, neglect of public facilities as well as intolerance or overactivity of repressive states". So we are certainly not a developed society if summary execution of citizens can be explained away as a response to some broken flower pots. We have for so long sought to legislate ourselves out of sticky situations. But a time of reckoning has come. We must confront all the sins we have either committed or tolerated in the course of our nation building. I will briefly mention three and attempt to illustrate their effects. Tribalism should have been the first enemy that our founding furthers isolated at independence. It has pervaded both the civil service and other critical agencies at a great price. It has bred the misleading notion of ethnic exceptionalism that was best amplified by The National Alliance campaign mantra of 2013 "Thamaki ni ciao, Uthamaki ni witu" meaning fish is theirs, but kingship is ours. This was a slur directed against the community that was then perceived to be most opposed to Uhuru's candidature. But Uhuru as president didn't help matters when in an unguarded moment, reminded those not in his fold politically to continue to "Meza mate sisi tukikula nyama'' (salivate while we eat the meat). The second one is the misguided religious zealotry that would make one think Kenya has become a theocracy. The last sin is the pervasive corruption together its siamese sister, wastage in government. As we build a better country and stronger democracy, we must root out these abominations. Mr Kidi is a policy and governance analyst. kidimwaga@gmail.com

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Three sins we must purge from our national psyche to prosper

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