There will be no winners if Kenya turns into a failed state

While developing countries are often marked by economic slowdown during election periods, Kenya’s 2017 election, especially the presidential election re-run, is turning out to be in a class of its own in terms of the damage it is doing to the economy. Already, we have seen GDP growth slow down markedly to 5 per cent in the immediate pre-election period, a trend that is expected to worsen when updated numbers taking in the election period come out.

Our super-heated political rhetoric and hard-line positioning by politicians, accompanied by threats of chaos and implied violence, are now a serious threat to the continued economic wellbeing of this country and, by extension, to our hopes of lifting our people out of poverty. Because of the negative impact of our current political situation on investment and spending decisions, we have already entered economic slowdown: factory shutdowns are likely to be witnessed, mounting corporate and personal debts, international conference cancellations with their direct effect on tourism and related labour intensive activities, corporate distress and increased unemployment - all these are undeniable and all-too-predictable effects of our dysfunctional politics. We cannot discount a descent into a complete economic growth standstill, or even a recession. It is not for the business community to stop Kenyans from engaging in healthy democratic political competition; too much was sacrificed by too many for anyone to wish Kenya back to those politically repressive days, which also saw gloomy and increasingly anaemic economic growth rates.

Civic duty

But, as major stakeholders in the economy responsible for generating, alongside ordinary hardworking Kenyans, the resources used for conducting elections the business community has a duty and an obligation to point out to politicians the harm their utterances and actions are doing to the economy during this Presidential re-run, and the wider damage they risk inflicting on Kenya's bid to shape, own and control its economic destiny. KEPSA must and we will speak out; we will not be found to have remained silent during a momentous time for our country, terrified of speaking truth to political power. There are three things that the competing politicians should have in mind: First, be civil to each other, and towards Kenyans. Robust political language and debate are one thing. But Kenyans have been subjected to vile abuse, shameful, crass utterances, hate speech directed at whole groups, be they tribal, ethnic, gender, religious or any other, wild and unsubstantiated attacks on individuals, institutions, companies and others, accompanied by threats of violent ejections and boycotts. Such behaviour risks inflaming ordinary Kenyans to contemplating and perpetrating barbaric acts towards each other.

Lee-way

Second; Let the Presidential election re-run take place. Elections are the bedrock of our political infrastructure; to use a term much in current vogue, they are our one national "irreducible minimum". Without elections, we risk the lack of legitimacy among our political leaderships, which is not good for the body politic, nor for the economy and wellbeing of Kenyans. We are aware of the disquiet among some about the willingness and ability of the IEBC to conduct a free and fair presidential election re-run. And while concerns as identified by the Supreme Court ruling should be taken seriously, boycotts, abstaining or forcing Kenyans not to participate are not the answer or solution to this mistrust. Remember that one day those calling for boycotts could find themselves on the other side, desperately seeking legitimacy through an election.

Third: Respect our independent institutions; such institutions, able to dispense their mandates without fear or favour, are fundamental to our future, and we toy with them at our peril. If we can change rules at a flash using unconstitutional means, for momentary political advantage, if we destroy these institutions every time we feel they have not acted in our favour, then who will ever have faith in the sanctity of contracts, in the impartiality of all our independent institutions, in the conduct of elections? There will be no winners if Kenya turns into a failed state for those seeing this as an opportunity.

Mr Obath, is a trustee at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance