Let your choices help to build, not to destroy our motherland

The future of our country is in our hands. We must jealously guard that future with all we have got. I reject as false, the narrative that government has all the solutions. What that does is to make us all more susceptible to buck-passing rather than take responsibility. The third decade of the 21st century, must not look like the last two.

At the beginning of this century, internet was a preserve of the very select, privileged few. As we are debating today whether the so-called dialogue will see light of day or it will be extinguished by petty bickering, the internet has become the wonder that is availing commerce, education and government services to some of the most forgotten corners of our country.

As the fourth industrial revolution is gaining momentum at breathtaking speed in the Global North, we as a country must ask ourselves if we are making the necessary investments to fit in the resultant global order as equal partners? Or are we still held hostage by small politics that is still premised on ethnic solidarity or contemptuous politics that is clothed in pretext of tribal exceptionalism?

The president has demonstrated willingness to make bold decisions that are going to make a difference. His commitment to education so far if sustained will ensure that we equip our young people with the mental drive to fit and compete in any job market in the globe.

The production-led subsidies while not popular now are already making a real difference in the lives of rural communities where we are already witnessing a bumper harvest.

We must remind all Kenyans that even Rome, that majestic City where Catholicism was birthed, was certainly not built in a day. It Is therefore incumbent upon as that as the president steers the ship called Kenya in the high seas of a biting global inflation and persistent political pressures, we must embrace our own responsibilities as citizens.

We must reject violence in or neighbourhoods against fellow citizens in the name of political expression.

We must encourage our leaders to respect and honour institutions as legitimate avenues of expression.

We must always open our hearts and minds to hear out those who hold a different view from us and if we find their arguments bland and perspectives wrong, lets beat them in the field of ideas.

That way, we diminish the darn of narrow interest and magnify the voice of the people. As times change, our government and the people who have the privilege to serve in it must also change. Utterances of those in high office must certainly reflect the honour that comes with such offices.

Post-2010 constitutional era, any government officials who still think that civil servants are punching bags to be tossed at whim in complete disregard of the law and institutions must be reminded that to be in government is to be a servant, not a feudal lord.

As the government grapples with fiscal challenges, we must insist on prudent use of public finances so that in the course of life of this administration, we may ultimately see the glory of a balanced budget.

As a matter of urgency, we must embrace a brotherhood that is steeped in unity, not sectarianism. This must then inspire us to look out not only for ourselves but also for our country.

In the dying embers of the post-2022 election fall out, let us not linger unnecessarily in this quagmire of a shouting match. Let us instead march decisively into the future of our visions and splendour of our dreams. May our actions and choices now, help forge a more prosperous, cohesive nation for the future generations. May it someday matter that in times such as these, we lived in this country and our actions moved it towards justice.

Mr Kidi is a policy and governance analyst. [email protected]