Lately, I have become obsessed with the oncoming elections, which could happen between August and December next year.(2012)
It could be because during the last elections we were stuck at my mothers house in Kitale as i had traveled with one of my closest friends called Wairimu, and there was no way we could go towards Eldoret as her Kikuyu community was beng targeted. My daughter is also called Wambui. That complicated things, and nearing the next elections takes me back to 2007.
I'm I worried? Yes.
Because I fear that we may, as a voting population not learned the lesson. We still have displaced people living in camps, and some living across the border in Uganda, in search for the peace that our country failed to provide them.
There are those that have nothing to loose, they may have lost it all anyway in 2007. There are those that really do not care, they may fly them and their children to another country for the duration of the elections. Then there are those ordinary Kenyans who have everything to loose and are just hoping that the elections are free, fair, and mostly peaceful.
Whatever happens, who is more powerful? The person casting the vote, or the one counting the votes?
It is this question that I hope our government can honestly answer.
Hey Terryanne! You have reason to fear. What happened in 2007/2008 is not anything to forget quickly. But lessons were learnt. Politicians are not people to die for. With the new constitution in place, I have been writing in the local media to encourage all of us to adopt our Counties as our tribes! Let's all work towards healing and national unity. Let's each campaign for peaceful elections...teach our people that any leader who advocates for violence is not worthy our votes. I would be happy to come to Citizen TV and share my views on the Leaders We Want in 2012 and beyond. Let's not give into the temptation to ever fight again. Never!
ReplyDeleteI think what we have to fear is gullibility of Kenyans - if we aren't lied to along tribal lines, it will party lines, religious lines, (favorite TV host lines) you name it.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to tribe I think we just have to put out there as many positive stories as there are negative ones - so let me give a few of my own.
Story 1 - This year in Jan we had my grandma's funeral - and her big family of children and grandchildren has about six of Kenya's tribes in it...so my cousins are Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Kisii, Wa-cosst, Meru...myself I am a hybrid (have a Meru name, can't speak the language LOL - and my mum is a Kalenjin who speaks fluent Kimeru and totally forgot her mother tongue) - and all the credit is to this old woman who has passed on...who in 1940s married a man not of her tribe = so if my grand disregarded tribe - when confronted with love ...why can't we do the same.
Story 2 - I have two beautiful nieces their mum my cuz (a m-coast) picked very unique names for them the 1st one is Chebet and the 2nd is Wairimu. I think our names are a beautiful preservation of our culture - so when these kids grow up (I bet they won't know any native language)...but they will have their African names - just think of all Black American brothers and sisters so wishing to get African names...and all the sorts of funny names they create ...Tanishya and the like. At least our tribe=less generation can still pass on a nice heritage of African names to our kids (real genuine wonderful names)
Story 3 - A while back I used to sing in the St. John Bosco Choir in Don Bosco Upper Hill...(I still sing in the early mass). So this choir has to be the most unique choir in Nairobi...they do the main mass which is nine o'clock. They will sing songs in so many Kenyan languages (and once in a while throw in Zulu and Lingala) that the variety and color in the mass is just amazing ...so you will have Gimi golo for procession, Ngai tumuthembe offertory, Kiptayat kisomin for peace, Matsai Ka yesu exit...all in one mass - sung by one choir. So what tribe are they? The tribe of music - and they have discovered how rich our Kenyan tribal heritage is in music.