Kenya’s Catch - 22

When the country is tense, about to burn and prophets of doom - smell genocide, violence: - the country is 'ours' - us all Kenyans. And we must exercise restraint, and we must let reason prevail, and we must respect institutions, and we must remember that we have nowhere else to go after it all burns down. There are things that cannot be said (no matter how truthful - they are inflammatory; they are ethnocentric; they are war-centric). We must soberly find solutions to our problems - Together as one nation. All that matter is PEACE and Kenya. So we gag ourselves and crucify those who attempt to speak. We are all Kenyans - we must be one.  

When the country is calm and we have our institutions, and our laws and our policies and our resources. When it is time for resource allocation. When it is time for reflection on our inequities and poverty. When it is contracts time; when it is public appointments time; when it is development decision time. Wither REASON. Wither NATIONHOOD. There is no such thing as nation/country/Kenya. Everyone for himself - God for us all. Let lazy people feed on their laziness. Let those outside political power wait for their turn in government, wait for 2017; 2022 whatever. It is every Kenyan and his/her pocket; it is every Kenyan and his/her family; it is every Kenyan and his/her business. This is what disturbs PEACE; threatens NATIONHOOD.

The hypocrisy in Kenya is chronic. You see people of influence (based on their business acumen, or their intellectual standing, or their political capital) administer half truths. You see intellectuals interpret events in this country like we began yesterday – like our problems have no cradles. It is a pity. 

I have watched a talk show considered ‘sober’ re #Sabasaba. The problem with talk shows is the correctness, the fence sitting and clever posturing that they demand from panellists. They make people look good even as they give naive, 'agreeable' impractical solutions. They make people say things they don’t believe in – speaking for debate-sake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD1cPElagbc&feature=share

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHZHKVOzZWY#t=97

Until we fix the poverty and inequality (economic, social and political); ours is a non-nation and will remain on the brink of the precipice; always unstable, squandering our wealth and opportunity and mortgaging our future generations. If we truly care about Kenya, and genuinely want solutions to our problems – we must be HONEST and OPEN with one another.  

Does saying GOD bless Kenya help? If it does, then Amen!