Say it loud and with no regrets; I’m a Kenyan and proud to be one

Fellow citizens. Our land is Kenya. Whether you’re a freshly minted member of the Asian tribe, a Bantu, Nilote, Cushite, or Kenyan of European descent. Wherever it is that your ancestors migrated from. Whoever the forefathers of your forefathers were. Our land is Kenya. And contrary to all indications, this election is about you and me. And those folks who were criss-crossing the country asking for your vote? They have options that extend far beyond our borders.

This is our country. Our home. Our heritage. The corner of the world which we will bequeath to our children. This is not a game. Forget that ‘high-stakes’, do-or-die’ nonsense. The people of Kenya are not competing. They are participating in a democratic process through which they will elect the leaders of their choosing.

Trail of dung

A polling station is no place for runaway emotions, or unchecked personal feelings. It is the point where decision meets democratic opportunity. The only place where you can exercise your unfettered right to choose who gets to spend your taxes. Do not take it for granted. No matter how pompous and entitled you think your candidates are.

Eight men have put their names on the ballot hoping that the voting public will give them the keys to the kingdom. Two of them are leading the pack. The so-called ‘two horses’ that have left a trail of dung in their wake in the race to the finish line. If you were going by the (mis)conduct of the campaigns alone, you might be tempted to sleep through Election Day with the hope that you would somehow wake up in the Promised Land.

The temptation has been strong to watch the drama unfold from a safe distance. We’ve watched the stars of the campaigns act the fool in episode after episode of ‘Keeping up with the Kandidates’. We’ve been treated to all manner of shenanigans and, unnervingly, the political ‘hunger games’ have turned deadly at times. As this day approached, the contestants swapped common sense for unconcealed ambition. We started off with a semblance of maturity and ended up with a playground filled with little leaders throwing sand in each other’s eyes. Fellow citizens, it is abundantly clear that the mantle of maturity has been thrust upon the electorate, and we must do the sensible thing.

For us, this is not a game. If we insist on viewing elections as a tribal contest, then we must accept that it is our lives that are at stake. And I can state without any fear of contradiction that few Kenyans are willing to die on behalf of a political class who would cannibalise an entire population to feed their hunger for power.

It’s a good thing that death is not a prerequisite for a functioning democracy. Nor is violence. Not any more. We stand on the shoulders of giants who fought hard to create a safe space for Kenyans to choose their leaders in peace. Do not take it for granted that you have eight presidential candidates to choose from. That a secret ballot allows you to vote for your preferred candidate without fear of recrimination. Lest we forget, it wasn’t too long ago that elections were little more than theatrics played out on the national stage to legitimise selected rulers.

Fellow citizens, today is the day that history can be made. It is on this day that the power of the people will be brought to bear. Today, it’s not about Uhuru Kenyatta, nor is it about Raila Odinga. The incumbent and his challenger are mere mortals who have disappointed you in the past and will disappoint you in the future. Yes, we have survived a divisive and tumultuous campaign and our sense of nationhood has been stretched to its limits.

Informed decision

But now the time has come to make a decision. We are the people who sustain our working nation. Perhaps the time has come to put ourselves first. To think of ourselves as a tribe of voters who can choose leaders based on their ability to become true agents for change, rather than on the familiarity of their last names.

And so, as we delegate our power to the representatives of our choice, let us also remain cognisant that a free, fair and credible election is the only conduit through which we can legitimately exercise our democratic right to choose.

Ms Masiga is Peace and Security Editor, the Conversation Africa