After being walloped at the ballot box - twice in as many months - and after the much-hyped revolution has fizzled into a three-and-a-half county affair, a new whining refrain is in town; 'WE ARE A DEEPLY DIVIDED NATION AND PRESIDENT UHURU AND PRIME MINISTER (sic!) ODINGA NEED TO MEET AND UNITE THE NATION.
Well, well, well. Let me ask, exactly how are the two men expected to unite ‘Kenyans’? What magic wards will they wave to make Chebet suddenly love Anyango? Or Wanjiku love Atieno? Or Kamau love Omari?
And pray, which countries in the world that have democratic elections that are ‘united’? Spain where Catalonia is seceding? The US, where the president was elected by less than 40% of the registered vote and which today is the most polarised country on earth? Belgium which is splitting into Flemish and French speaking regions? Britain which is still smarting from Brexit and the secession referendum by Scotland? Cameroon where the English-speaking north is asking to go its way? India? France? Ukraine? Nigeria? Somalia?
Anywhere?
Look, democracy is a bitch; the majority have their way and the minority have their say, kwisha maneno. It is a bad form of government, only consolation is, all the others are worse. President Trump, being legitimately elected, can fill the White House with his sons, daughters and mistresses because he can; until the next election.
So, back to Kenya. We are a divided nation, yes. BUT MOST NATIONS ARE, SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?
Two, Kenya is a democracy - the winner has the mandate to govern. Nowhere in the much-cited Constitution does it say that the winner has to somehow accommodate the loser to - AHEM - ‘help unite the nation’. If we want to go that way, let’s abolish the current Katiba and make the country a monarchy of sorts where tribal kings sit around a table like nobles and give us a ‘king’.
I personally think the country is in a good place now. Following the almost total collapse of the Raila rebellion - only 3,000 out of 41,000 polling stations did not make returns, meaning that 92% of the country voted! - we will move on with the knowledge that a minority cannot impose its will on the majority under the guise of endless reforms and the ‘need to unite the country’.
Unite how? Kama watu wanataka kujitengenga kutoka kwa Wakenya wenzao basi si wajitenge?