I’ll trade you one Odinga, and Anne Waiguru for my peace of mind

They call it cognitive dissonance. That mental discomfort experienced by a person who’s struggling to reconcile her values, beliefs and ideals with reality. It is internal conflict that arises when one’s own behaviour - or the behaviour of those held in high esteem - contradicts with what one knows to be true.

This inner conflict and mental discomfort, will usually lead to a change in attitude as a means to ease the angst, and to restore the internal balance where one’s behaviour and beliefs are in harmony. The psychological term for harmony – or peace – is cognitive consistency.

Because of the adversarial nature of our politics, and the fact that voters are often forced to take hard line positions, cognitive consistency has been relatively easy to achieve. Supporters of the ruling party, and of the recognised opposition, have been able to align their personal beliefs with the values of their leadership without much ado. And that remained the case until March 9, 2018, the day when Raila rediscovered his love for Uhuru. Or vice versa.

Musical chairs

At about the same time one of East Africa’s leading magazine’s found ‘true love’ for Anne Waiguru, deciding to exalt her on its front cover for her grit, shrewd survival skills, and struggle for success. This two events, ridiculous though the second may seem, have resulted in my own personal dissonance, and I suspect, one that has resonated across the country.

When Raila and Uhuru were done with their ‘we are patriots’ song and dance, my brain short-circuited. My progressive ideals clashed with the impending reality of a slick, political deal, the kind that glosses over the aspirations of ordinary people for the expedience of realpolitik. When I added the possibility of an American hand in the forging of this united Kenya, my stomach turned.

The predictability of the scene was nauseating. It’s a marvel that so many intelligent people were so blinded to the possibility of a high-profile game of musical chairs, or indeed the probability of a second ‘accept and move on’ scenario, this time from so-called reformists.

Nonetheless, now that Brother Uhuru and Brother Raila have made peace, those who the Constitution refers to in Chapter One must quickly gather their dissonant wits to figure out the motivation behind this new ‘national patriotic front’, and then re-strategise, reorganise and mobilise. And no, this is not a call for a revolution, unless you consider reclaiming your power to be a revolutionary act.

I listened to Brother Raila speak, and had he not been speaking at the foot of a cross that bore the bodies of dozens who were killed in his name, I would have found it to be very inspirational. He spoke about the pursuit of justice, unity, peace, liberty and prosperity for all. The fact that leaders must reflect on the achievements of a nation’s collective aspirations. About how a nation must nurture the ties that bind to avoid turning diversity into a curse.

Real reform

All very noble ideals. Ideals which the people can carry forward on their own terms, without the bitter taste of old wine in new skins. Brother Raila was right to conclude that institutional reforms have borne little fruit. He was correct in surmising that it’s the software – i.e. those in positions of influence – that is faulty, and not the institutional hardware. But in reaching these conclusions, he has admitted failure in the liberation struggle, and that admission should be permission enough for fresher minds within opposition circles to take on the mantle of leadership.

For Raila, and his brother Uhuru, the dissent stopped on March 9. For any other Kenyan who still believes that there is room for real reform, any Kenyan who still believes that Kenya can do better than a deal between two dynasties, the struggle continues. But enough about Their Excellencies.

Let me wrap this up with another struggle, and that is Anne Waiguru on the cover of one of Kenya’s leading women’s magazines. I know that successful and accomplished women are severely underrepresented in political circles but surely. As a woman who believes strongly that women should support other women, all I want to know from Ms Waiguru is who took the NYS money? Everything else I consider none of my business, not to mention inappropriate reading for millions of young girls who are looking for positive role models. Just sayin’.

Ms Masiga is Peace and Security Editor at The Conversation Africa