THE REPUBLIC THAT NEVER CAME

I will start my piece by stating that, while my opinion might not align with yours, the reader, these are my own personal based opinion thoughts through my observation and understanding.

From the word go, our independence heroes from the political class had already messed up everything that those who fought for independence had dreamed of, be it freedom to ownership of there ancestral lands to the right to dream big. These liberties were only accessible to the few friends and the old Mzungus guard who had camouflaged to settlers, rather their true definition they carried before as oppressors.

Let’s start with the land distribution program under the land reforms. If there is any larger sin that was done, it was through this program. Those who were driven from there lands by the colonialist had every right to be happy that the lands that there kin had died in the forest fighting for would finally come back to them, but that never happened. The heads of the communities, the chiefs who had political muscle, bulldozed their interests and showed their greed that they had suppresed to come out, and they took fertile lands, and some were left to the mzungus. Those who fort in the jungles and made it possible for the tumbo crats to go to demand independence were shot changed, given small parcels, and even driven out to places like Nakuru, Laikipia, Rift Valley, and Trans-Zoia. placing them in places that they never knew instead of where they had ones called home.

As it is within our culture, there are those who refused this type of procedure, but most of them were greated with assassinations and being throughn to the cold, but some were able to protect there tribes.

The second scam was economic growth. Although a large number of places were lucky enough to see schools being built, some were not this lucky, as the main economic growth was situated in places where power resided in the capital. This worked like magic, as everyone who wanted the opportunity had to move to the nearby city to try there luck, but as it was promised growth for all, what a hand in deed. Places like the north part of the country and the eastern part were drastically shortchanged as they never experienced this euphoria called economic growth, and it did for a very long time. Even the one they experienced now still cannot be regurded as growth.

When it came for the hrambee moment, the moment of change, they said, Let’s pull together and build our country and communities. Things went from bad to worse. Little was done during this period of 24 years. Some may argue that, but schools and hospitals were built, a new education system was started, but I would interject and ask, were the schools enough for the people? Were the hospitals enough for the people? Was the quality good enough for everyone? The answer to all this is NO. What was more successful were more extrajudicial killings of government critics, rampart corruption, clear disregard of the people and the bochering of the constitution, which was used as a tool to protect the powerful, but the poor were left to themselves and only remembered during the next cycle of elections.

The end of harambee just as the win for independence also had casualties as the people fought for a new system for governance to be able to have more parties so that people of different views could be represented and the government of the day could be kept in check by the new system. The pain of it was that the oppressor this time was not a foreign government but our own government; our own people turned wolves in the sheepsden.

The 2000 brought with it hope for a new way of doing things out with the corrupt we thought, but who are our politicians? the old guard just changed tune and inserted themselves in the new outfit, choosing to act as martyrs that they were not It took some time. Dispite the progress that those who had the dream to do good were trying to make before the cracks appeared, politicians, being true to themselves, figured out a new way to continue with there old habits, and this time they used the most effective arsenol mtu wetu. After testing the 1992 disaster, they did not hide the lesson but decided to use tribalism as a defense. Anybody who stole public money would just go back to the village, pay his mates, and then talk with there vernacular language to rump up sympathy and blame the other community of anybody who opposed them. Those from the same tribe who had a different view had to toe the line or lose your seat come the next election as you were seen as a betrayer to the people.

With politicians finding a way around to cheat the new system, it led to the rise of unequal sharing of the national cake, whereby some regions that had there tribesmen in the government could get development, the rest had to wait, or the politicians would go and trade their people's votes for them to get a little something for themselves. This led to the demand for a new constitution so as to share the national cake equally, and Majimbo was formed.

Just like every time the country needs to take a new step, blood of the common man has to flow. Misschiveousness and greed for power during elections this time around acted as the best catalyst to bring forth the demon called tribalism. This time around it was not a foreign government doing the killing nor the government, but the citizens turned on each other because two greedy people wanted power to much. Although it ended with the formation of a new type of government where both became government, it brought forth a new system, a system that everyone had trust in and belief, hope that it was the golden rays of change, and the 2010 constitution was birthed in glory. Let me tell you, those who crafted it did it amaizingly, creating opportunities for regions to have development at there doorsteps because people had tested how good development is through free primary education as thousands were able to take their kids to school, something that they were not able to do; they saw the building of the thika super highway. People believed now we will also have roads at our doorstep, public schools at every ward, huge secondary schools in the constituencies and even quality education that cuts through the board and does not discriminate. The country even went one step away to have a 30 year plan that the following governments had to follow as a master plan for development.

The new constitution ashered in a new government, a government that people had hope would be guided by the new rule book, but that was not going to be the case. The political class and corrupt businesspeople figured out that they could gain from the people’s demand for infrastructure and development and the government obliged. Things were launched left right and center, but this round a new mechanism to cheat the system came in the name of tenders for business people and politicians. The government figured out something called borrowing for development and they went rumpant. The developments of infrastructure showcased the growth of the economy, which gave the government of the day to borrowed more than we could handle and pay back, saying it would pay for itself.

The corrupt in the government officials inflated prices of the projects and even demanded kickbacks from those supposed to build the projects down the line; just a handle full were able to be built and those that had been built had huge inflated prices that even the projects themselves became a burden to the countries growth. The representation of members of parliament increased with the creation of unwanted seats that even up to date do not make sense. MPs were given a new toy called CDF Kitty ment for development, but they turned it into personal cash that they can share however they want and punish those that did not vote for them. Though some have proved that the kitty could work magic. A large number of them have used the kitty as there personal war chest for corruption.

The new mini gods called govenours who were supposed to bring development near to the people have turned those offices into money deposit offices where money comes in and never goes out.

The hope that was once there is lost. The amount of damage that has been done by the politicians for there own benefit has led to tough times that has never been seen, creating a new powder cake of the haves and the have nots, or, we can say, dynasties vs hustlers. Its a powder cake that is bubbling, and it might explode anytime as taxes are being raised to pay for debts that have benefited a few and continue to do so. The institution that people had hope in to bring justice to the people and be a beacon of hope has failed, as they themselves are being accused of the same same accusations as the rest as they sell justice to the highest bidder, leaving the powerless to languish in courtrooms, rumands, prisons just due to corrupt jugdes people who were ment to be unbribeable.

The demonstration by the youth in 2024 was a forewarning of what is to come and was meant to act as a catalyst for the government and politicians to change, but all this has fallen to deaf ears now that they have deployed a new tactic of divide and conquer, for we know that there are no permanent enemies in Kenyan politics, but what matters are there personal interests and not the people.

The Kenyan system has failed to work despite the beautifully constructed constitution that should have worked as a guide to govern. It is being disregarded by those who vowed to protect it; they are the ones who are violating it.

On our next piece, we will look at how we can repair the already broken system. I can’t claim that I have answers for our system failures, but I am a optimistic person that if we bund together we can get ourselves out of these problems.