• We need more vigorous involvement in the search for a peaceful and development-focused nation by academicians, religious leaders, non-state actors.
• Who will reorganise the national conversation and focus the country on our key immediate challenges?
Once again, we have reminded ourselves that it will need more than just the political class to help the country deal with the myriad economic, social and political challenges facing Kenya.
We need leadership from across the country to openly and honestly lead a national conversation that is needed in the country.
The sobriety and disciple that is required of such undertaking is lacking in our political system.
We need more vigorous involvement in the search for a peaceful and development-focused nation by academicians, religious leaders, non-state actors to force a national conversation that has direction and Kenya at heart.
Leadership is needed and it will take more than just a few individuals to save Kenya from Kenyans.
Just as we missed the opportunity to solve a number of manageable national challenges through the agenda four items on national reconciliation, which temporarily held the country together and immediately thereafter following the violent political period that followed the 2007 general election, we are back to our usual best, hatred, insincerity and political deceit that has been characteristic of Kenyans.
The BBI report has given us the missing point, a springboard to the real political realignment and rhetoric that has been missing, and amidst the natural disasters ravaging the country, with loss of lives and destruction of property, political formations seems to be the priority now.
Who will reorganise the national conversation and focus the country on our key immediate challenges?
To imagine that the current elected leaders care about the Kenya of tomorrow is expecting too much- most o them are concerned with today, for history shows nearly 70 per cent of elected leaders make it to Parliament in subsequent elections- so currently to trust that anything good for Kenyans will come from elected leaders is dead on arrival.
Given existing literature on succession politics, succession politics in Kenya as elsewhere globally are tricky, and unless managed and directed well, can be disruptive. As it is now, the succession issue seems to be taking the upper hand in the national debate and are clouding national development.
The Political system and processes in South African and Tanzania, while exhibit limited democracy and deeply curated succession politics show a mature, structured and system-oriented approach than our individual-based party politics.
Look at the political system that produced the Mbeki’s, Zuma’s, Ramaphosa’s Mwinyi’s, Magufuli’s in those countries and compare them with our political party processes.
We are stuck at where we were since 1992, and seems to have stuck to a reporting format in our political progress- chaos, deceit, personalities, ethnic mobilisation, hatred, impunity and make or break competition in our politics that always leaves the country strained.
While in the South Africa and Tanzania models, the individuals selected through their party process might be problematic and questionable, at least they have a structured and documented process.
There are desirable lessons that Kenyans should borrow from.
We need to push our political party process to such a level, otherwise achieving the desired economic and social goals will still remain elusive; they are highly tied to the political processes and the quality of our political leadership is very important.
Our political system remains the main cause of tensions and poverty in Kenya.
The same people who have dominated Kenya’s political and by extension economic system are still in charge of the reform process of the country- and being interested and having been beneficiaries of the old skewed system that has seen them dominate.
As it stands now, politics in Kenya tend to be dictated by those who fund the ruling party to enable it to ascend into leadership.
This has created a situation where those who come into power serve the interests of their funders hence political accountability is to those who finance the parties and not to the citizens. On the other hand, a strong culture of handouts has arisen. This has narrowed the political space.
Existing national institutions that would have helped in ensuring free, honest and focused national conversations seem so weak, unprepared and ethnically entrenched to be of any meaningful value to Kenyans.
By the way what happens to the recommendations from the National Prayer Day event? Leadership that transcends our political orientations is needed to refocus the country to the path of national development and healing.