To avoid the abyss we need to talk about our collective folly

On December 10, 2007 – International Human Rights Day – I predicted at a public lecture at the Stanley Hotel in Nairobi that Kenya would be engulfed in civil war. My crystal ball had told me that neither ODM’s Raila Odinga, nor PNU’s Mwai Kibaki, would accept the outcome of the presidential election. I argued that PNU would rig it, and insist on a stolen victory, while ODM would blow the whistle on the fraud. I said the ensuing standoff would turn into civil conflict. The media gave me a blackout. Several weeks later, Kenya was eviscerated by genocidal spasms. Ten years later, I have that same sinking feeling. We are about to go off the cliff – again.

The only question that matters now is how we can avoid the abyss. Let me tell you how. We need to stop being polite, or politically correct when we talk about our collective madness. Our leaders must stop lying in broad daylight. They must stop saying one thing, and then doing another. No more grinning. This includes the political class, the clergy, and civil society. We must all call a spade by its name, and not a big spoon. The media must stop being complicit with a nod-and-wink to divisive forces. We need to be intellectually honest and candid. Let’s lance the boil, or sit and wait for it to consume us. Let’s not be sitting ducks bound for the slaughterhouse.