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 kins who had died in the forest fighting for the lands would finally get them back, 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 suppressed to come out and they took the fertile lands, and some were left to the mzungus who turned them to conservancies. Those who fort in the jungles and made it possible for the tumbo crats to go to London and demand independence were shot changed, given small parcels, and even driven out to places like Nakuru, Laikipia, Rift Valley and Trans-Nzoia. 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 injustice, but most of them were met with assassinations and being kicked of the government, but some were able to be successful.

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 to politicians as they could sale hope, as everyone who wanted the opportunity had to move to the nearby cities and towns to try there luck. Places like the northern, coastal, some parts of western part of the country and the eastern part were drastically shortchanged as they never experienced this euphoria called economic growth, and it did go on for a very long time.

When it came for the Harambe 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 unreasonable change 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 Harambe 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. Dispite the progress that was being made by those who had the dream to do good could finish cracks appeared. Politicians, being true to themselves, figured out a new way to continue with there old habits; this time they used the most effective weapon they had, Mtu Wetu. After witnessing the 1992 disaster, they did not heed to the lessons but decided to use tribalism as a defense. Anybody who stole public money would just go back to the village, pay his political mates, and then talk with there vernacular language to rump up sympathy and blame the other community or 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 while 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 at the house in the hill. This led to the demand for a new constitution so as to share the national cake equally, and Majimbo or counties, were formed under a new dispensation called the 2010 constitution.

Just like every time the country needs to take a new step, blood of the common man has to flow this round in 2007. Misschiveousness and greed for power during elections this time around acted as the best catalyst to bring forth the demon called tribalism that has festered its self for more than 10 years. 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 Politicians wanted to have power so much that the lines were blured to the reality of the damage, that was being done to the fabric of the republic. 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 and clinics at every ward, huge secondary schools and hospitals 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 vision 2030 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 officials were complicit to this crime. Things were launched left, right and center, but this round a new mechanism to cheat the system came in the name of tenders for corrupt business people and politicians. The government figured out that they could borrow more for development and they went for it full throttle. The developments of infrastructure showcased the growth of the economy, which gave the government of the day a chance to continue to borrow more than we could handle and pay back, saying it would pay for itself. As for the body who were supposed to stop this or regulate this which is the parliament failed to do so as they valued there stomachs.

The corrupt government officials inflated prices of the projects and even demanded kickbacks from the developers who were supposed to build the projects; 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 debt structure. 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 the 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 and campaign purpoes.

The new mini gods called govenours who were supposed to bring development near to the people have turned county 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 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 in justice and tame this people and be a beacon of hope has also failed, as they themselves are being accused of the same same accusations as the rest for 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 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 to them is there personal interests and not the people.

The Kenyan system of governance has failed to work despite the beautifully constructed 2010 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 an optimistic person that if we bund together we can get ourselves out of these problems.