We have come too far to not be considered equals

Racism is for colour and race, but discrimination is treating a person unfairly because they possess certain characteristics.

If I am asked to randomly define the two, this is how I would describe them.

I know a couple of you would have a similar response.

Before I continue, I am not in any way trying to be discriminating or racist.

If you are Kenyan and have experienced discrimination from your own because of someone else who is not of your, let’s say, colour or race, then you know how that feels.

During an engagement with close associates, one of them who was black, hailing from Africa but raised in the UK, I was surprised at how Kenyans treat non-Africans.

Basically, individuals who are not black.

“My experience in Kenya has been shocking. I am surprised at how Kenyans treat their own,” he said.

Further into the conversation, another fellow spoke of how his wife had an incident on the road with a white woman.

The wife was driving and the white woman appeared from a turn but seemed to notice that she was heading in the wrong direction.

The white woman made a turn and ended up hitting the wife’s car.

“It was a messy accident because when my wife called me, she told me the front bumper was all out, wires were hanging out,” he said.

When the wife stepped out of the car to talk with the white woman, the latter was very much apologetic and was even ready to pay for the damages caused.

Of course, the cops came in and they ended up releasing the white woman and they were left with the wife.

They now turned the story and blamed the wife for the accident.

“I know they just wanted to extort money from her,” the guy said.

The situation was really frustrating to the guy and his wife.

I had my own recent experience with discrimination when I went shopping at a mall in Nairobi.

The standard security protocol in many buildings dictates that you walk through the body scanners and get checked by security guards.

We all know that.

That day as I was walking into this shopping, there was a line of people at the security checkpoint.

It was a small queue.

Ahead of me were two non-Africans and a 5’1" Kenyan woman.

The Kenyan walked through the scanner and opened her bag, which was lightly searched.

The two non-Africans then passed through the body scanner, bags were patted on the side and then they walked ahead.

Mind you they had really heavy bags.

It is now my turn and I place my bag on the table that was on the side.

I walk over and I try to get hold of the bag so I can open it for the security guard so she can check it, but she is holding onto my backpack.

Prior to that, I had exchanged greetings with guards but the woman didn’t respond.

The design of the backpack was difficult for her to open, and I even offered to help her.

She tries for like four minutes to open the bag but is unsuccessful.

We are now holding a line of people who need to go through the checkpoint.

The guy guard hen tells her to just give me the bag so that I can open it.

She hands me the bag, I open it and she thoroughly frisks the bag.

She then hands me back the bag and tells me I can go.

I stop in my step and turn back to a non-African gentleman passing through the scanner, and his bag is not searched at all.

I was tempted to talk to the lady guard but had other plans I needed to attend to.

Why can’t we all be treated equally in our own nation?

In the wake of neocolonialism, we are letting a lot of things slide in the name of ‘respect’ and ‘making foreigners feel comfortable’.

I know the woman loves her job because maybe she needs the money to pay her bills or something, but what stopped her from treating everyone at the checkpoint equally?

We are living in a bubble of inferiority complex.

I am sure if we go out there, we won’t get the special treatment we are giving here.

I am not saying that all non-Africans get the ‘special’ treatment, but most of them do just because of who they are.

As a whole people, we need each other to co-exist in every way; I am not disputing that.

Why are we discriminating against our own?

Why do we feel intimidated in our own space?

Is it fear? And if it is, of what exactly?

What are we afraid of?

I can count instances where we have been gaslit and in turn, we are projecting it on our very own.

Just by day-to-day interaction, I can.

We are too far from accepting that we are backsliding and stagnating all at the same time.

I don’t know about you, but something needs to be done to address this.

If you have gone through something like this before, I am sorry.