On BBI findings, our leaders' fights must be constructive

Whereas many have been shocked by the altercations that characterised the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report, there is a sense in which this was not surprising. Whereas the famous handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga set us on a much appreciated path to national peace at the height of serious discord, they considered that the highway to lasting peace required building bridges. In road construction, building bridges has been shown to be the most demanding and most expensive aspect of any road project. Depending on the nature of the bridge being built; the geological studies, the engineering works, and the actual construction can combine to sap energy and greatly escalate costs. In a sense, this is the entelechy that we are staring at as a nation in this BBI process. From the very onset, it did not sit well with sections of the political fraternity, and they have consistently said so.

If there is one thing that has come to characterise our public and private engagement, it is fights and disagreements, especially among our leaders. We seem to have perfected the art of conjuring contrary opinion over almost everything. The net effect is that many of our leaders seem to be in a permanent search for how to outdo one another in brewing conflict. The good news, however, is that contrary to our common perception, conflict is perhaps one of the greatest assets in human relationships. If well managed, it can result in very strong social bonds. As such, when it comes our way, it must never be squandered.