What Uhuru should do to earn forgiveness

This week, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked Kenyans for forgiveness for any harm done last year. This admission elicited mixed reactions among Kenyans. Some saw it as part of the national healing that began with his rapprochement with Raila Odinga in March. Others saw it as yet another empty statement meant to evade responsibility for all the deaths and assaults on our institutions that occurred last year. Those in the latter camp pointed to Kenyatta’s commendation of the Kenya Police Service in the same speech, a force that was responsible for the deaths of more than 100 Kenyans, many of whom were Opposition supporters.

For the sake of argument, and in the spirit of the “handshake” let us take the President for his word. But as we do that, let us also ask what we expect of him, if indeed he is interested in earning the forgiveness of Kenyans that were harmed by his actions or inaction.

Of course, the first step to forgiveness is an acknowledgement of the harm done. Here is a summary of the injury that was done to Kenyans and the Jamuhuri: Over 160 people were killed in a blatant partisan use of the police; the Judiciary saw brazen attempts to limit its independence; the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was irredeemably damaged as an institution capable of conducting credible elections; Parliament was used as a mere appendage of the Executive to pass illegal election laws; the media was made subordinate to the Executive through illegal campaign advertisements, influence on specific personnel decisions, and threats of closure; and civil society organisations faced censure.

Let the history record show that these are the things for which Kenyans need an apology from their government, and those that led it last year. Now with regard to forgiveness, Kenyans must demand for more than just words. If Kenyatta is serious about national healing, he needs to remedy the harm done.

First, while we cannot bring back to life those that were killed by police, we can compensate their families through taxpayer money. In addition, we can recommit to security sector reforms by making the Police Service truly independent and decentralised. It is time for each of our counties to have own police service. Lastly, we should prosecute those responsible for the killing of innocent Kenyans. Second, we need to reaffirm our commitment to institutionalised politics and the rule of law. To this end, we must redouble our efforts to cement the independence of the Judiciary. We must invest in the independence and institutional capacity of Parliament. We must respect the independence of the media and the need to have a vibrant civil society as the lifeblood of democracy. And finally, we must restructure the IEBC into a competent and independent institution.

Talk is cheap. And words without action, are just words. If President Kenyatta is interested in forgiveness, he must demonstrate to Kenyans that he understands the harm done; and that he is willing to mitigate the harm by deliberately investing in the independence and resilience of our core institutions.