Let 'fixing' debate bring closure

While the wheels of justice must always go round to assuage the wronged and deter potential wrong-doers, we must as a country, be cognizant of the future. The generations coming after us should not be held captive by our past political mistakes.

Justice should not only settle the past, but also assure us of future stability. The current argument on who 'fixed' who at the International Criminal Court (ICC) should spark off genuine healing and reconciliation.

We should not be held hostage by the happenstance of the 2007/8 Post Election Violence. Although it is important to remember that darkest period of our nation, so as to guard against a recurrence, we should now move on and forge a more united and stable body politic.

We have made several missteps in our politics, including the 1992, 1997 and 2007/8 tribal clashes where hundreds of Kenyans were rudely dispossessed of their land and property. Thousands have also been killed due to political contests gone awry. We must now forge a more united country that plays mature politics and avoids fatal contests. No Kenyan deserves to die or lose property due to an election.

Currently, Kenya is gripped by the confessions of Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria that he coached witnesses to the Kriegler and Waki commissions that were set up in the aftermath of the PEV in 2007/8.

At the time, Kuria was in PNU and Deputy President William Ruto was in ODM, whose leader was former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Today, Mr Kuria and the DP are in the same coalition, Jubilee. Mr Odinga, who is leading the Opposition, has said he is ready to testify in defence of the DP.

The accusations and counter-accusations have jolted our politics to the core as the 2017 General Election draws nearer. Even as we confront the past, we must not allow this 'fixing' debate open healing wounds and fuel fresh tribal animosity.

Seeking truth and reconciliation should not trigger distrust and ultimately violence. We should perhaps borrow a leaf from the Rwanda and South African models to find real closure.

The 2007/8 ethnic violence took the country to a near collapse. Thousands were killed and even more displaced. It should never happen again. Kenyans should never raise weapons against each after an electoral process. But how do we ensure this?

Now, there are many concerns we must address as a country like implement the 2010 Constitution, eradicate extreme poverty, step up our education standards, grow the economy and enhance the infrastructure. When elections come, Kenyans should judge their leaders by the development initiatives they have started not by the decibels of their political rhetoric.

Politics of hatred and putting communities against each other should be history. I therefore urge my colleagues in Parliament and all Kenyans to take the current 'fixing' debate with a pinch of salt and ignore those out to divide us. We should compete politically, but based on concrete ideas and a vision of a better Kenya. We owe it to ourselves, our children and the future generations.