Struggle for freedom is far from over

By Kethi D Kilonzo
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“We want our cattle to get fat on our land so that our children grow up in prosperity; we do not want that fat removed to feed others.  It has never been known in history that a country prospers without equality.” H.E., the late First President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, 1952

Everything we value is worth fighting for; and there is everything to gain from it.  The most freedoms we cherish have been fought for and earned.  Very few have been handed over.

The President of the most powerful country in the world has his roots in Kenya.  He is what he is because those who came before him fought to abolish slavery, to gain independence, for the union of the states, and for civil rights, including the right of blacks and women to vote and be voted for. His presidency was paid for long before he ascended to it by the shedding of innocent blood, loss of freedom, life and property. 

And the struggle in the United States is far from over. Its government was brought to a standstill and near shut down by a raging fight over the Affordable Health Care law.  The right to bear firearms is constantly under assault and passionately defended. Even in the country that enjoys the most freedoms globally, the fight for other freedoms continues to be waged. 

Before Kenya gained independence in 1963 we were not free.  Free to make decisions on who should govern us.  Free to determine how to utilise our resources. Free to move, to own and to be.  Our independence was hard earned through the loss of freedom, shedding of innocent blood, and the loss of life, and property. 

Were the Mau Mau fighting for land or to free Kenya from the colonialists?  Pray what is the difference?  At the time the Mau Mau waged war, their kin and kith had no political freedom. They had no economic wherewithal.

Their land had been taken; and poll and hut taxes introduced to force them to labour for the colonialists to earn cash to meet the tax burden. Whether or not the fight was over land, the Mau Mau fought to be free from the shackles of imposed rulers.

The right to form and join a political party in 1963 was guaranteed by the Constitution.  That changed in 1982.  This period also saw the rise and rise of torture house chambers. For a long time Kenya was a police state except by name. Lip service was paid to freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. To earn those freedoms back, Kenyans paid a king’s ransom. They are those who bear the scars of that struggle to date. 

The independence Constitution was not home grown. It was dictated and imposed; a negotiated settlement for purposes of gaining an independent state. And then it was changed time and again beyond recognition through self-serving amendments. The 2010 Constitution was hard earned. It took 47 years to find a Constitution that a majority of us agreed upon. And there are many unspoken heroes who paid the price in the struggle for that beautiful Constitution.

Ours is an ambitious Constitution. With lofty ideals. It promises a carefree land full of milk and honey. Healthcare, education, equality, equity, devolved services, education, happy childhood, carefree retirement, an accountable government and responsive leadership. It should be a constant reminder that the fight for freedom is far from over.  The promised land is decades to come. 

As we celebrate 50 years of independence, the struggle for freedom is far from over.  Our leadership may be home-grown, but its people still suffer the malaise that then ailed them. Landlessness, unemployment, poverty, disease, inequality, tax burdens and insecurity.