On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln, then the newly nominated senatorial candidate for the State of Illinois, delivered his House Divided speech to the state’s Republican Convention in Springfield. He warned that the United States of America faced an existential crisis that could destroy the union. The issue that posed the greatest threat to the nation was slavery and its place in the future of America.
Our nation today is in as deep a dark hole as was America in 1858. Tension among communities is now real and palpable. Far too many lives have been lost on the pretext of maintaining law and order. The nation has been Balkanised and compartmentalised into tribal fiefdoms.
The preoccupation of the political class is not on governance, social justice, the future of Kenya and the good of Kenyans, but how to acquire power and entrench impunity. Policy, philosophy or vision are never on their mind. Discontent, disaffection and dissent among Kenyans are at an all- time high.
Alien concepts such as secession, economic sabotage and election boycotts are now commonplace. Civil society, international community and constitutional institutions are now bystanders in our overdrive to the abyss. They seem helpless, clueless and all over the place like a headless chicken.
In this state of affairs we risk losing the nation of Kenya. It’s in such times of crisis that we need courageous and responsible leaders to emerge. Leaders who will turn the current crisis into an opportunity to provide long-term solutions to our interminable problems.
Leaders who will sacrifice their ambition and personal interest for the sake of the nation. Leaders who would abandon their political baggage and focus on how to preserve the Union of Kenya.
Leaders who appreciate that, whilst we are in tumultuous times, it’s not enough reason to dismember our dear nation. Leaders who will reflect on the sacrifices made by our forefathers in uniting communities that shared little more than geographical boundaries into a nation. Leaders who will reflect on the words and the spirit of the preamble of our Constitution.
These leaders need to focus on the key and recurring issues that seem to drive this nation to the brink of the abyss every five years. Key among them could be the institutional independence and integrity of constitutional commissions, equity in distribution of resources and the integrity of our elections. They should devise a mechanism that will provide long-term solutions to these issues.
But answering this call will not be easy. In our quest for a more perfect nation, we will come across insurmountable odds. Doubts and cynicism will cloud our faith and vision. Frustration and disillusionment will replace hope and vigour.
We will see setback and defeat look us straight in the eye and urge us to give up. But we must have unyielding faith, courage, perseverance and conviction, that in the face of impossible odds, the power of God and the will of the people can change the course of history.
To paraphrase Martin Luther King in his famous I’ve Been to the Mountaintop speech, it’s only in the darkest moments that we can see the stars. The odds against us should, therefore, motivate us to go for the mountaintop.
We owe it to the freedom fighters, the Second Liberation heroes, the architects of the new Constitution and the heroes and heroines who sacrificed life and limb for this great nation to preserve our nationhood.
Let’s commit to refrain from scoring cheap political points, but rather focus on building consensus to tackle big problems. Our nation awaits our decision on these issues with utmost pertinence. Let’s not fail the trust of the generations before us and the hope that we would have bequeathed to our future generations.
Jubilee and NASA should give us an Abraham Lincoln who will slay the dragon of election impunity and preserve the union of Kenya.
Abdille works with the county government of Wajir