WHAT EXACTLY AILS KENYA

Much has been said about Kenya, and rightly so. From the comparison of Kenya with rising economic giants vis-a-vis Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore, to the political instability that surrounds her, it becomes an interesting read. In deed, Kenya has gone on and on and on, sending mixed signals, of a nation on the right path, and a nation on the wrong track.

It is enviable that since independence, Kenya has been a beacon of peace in Africa - that is, if the short-lived 2008 tribal clashes need be ignored. The irony is, 48 years since independence, there is almost nothing for everyone to be proud. Get it right, everyone. It is open secret that some few Kenyans have everything to be proud about with regard to Kenya. They took over after the whites and became the new whites in black skins. They go to the best schools, eat the best foods, their wives give births in the best hospitals, they bank their money in the best banks, they drive the finest vehicles, the dress the smartest, they live the best life. These, as the majority of Kenyans eke out a living struggling and juggling life between poverty and below poverty lines. And what is more painful than this: the economy of a whole counntry is controlled by less than 20% of its population.

The dragging problem that continues to ail Kenya is the tribalism. Time and again, the lords of the country have pulled the tribal card if anything to keep their positions intact. This is the reason that much as everyone talks ill of tribalism, much as everyone hates tribalism, it is here to say. Tribalism is us, it defines us, our position, our all. Time and again, the only things that the poor bequeath their poor sons and daughters is coated with a tribal Midas touch. It can only be because it is found in the tribal holdings. We pretend we don't want tribalism but we identify with our own. We clap loudest for those from our tribes, from the sports arena, to the political stage, to the social and economic circles. We cheer our Kenyan athletes, but we scream in support of those from our tribes. We criticize with utter contempt the corrupt leaders, but we sympathize with those from our fold. We wish they were not caught. We even defend them if they are faced with extinction. We buy from the shops, but we become loyal customers to the enterprises run by our own. Whether by design or default, we have become tribal apologists.

Tribalism becomes the real and the most potent danger that faces Kenya. Which is why the idea of devolved governance is God-send. We can only be in our own cocoons and that's when we will realize we need the others in our lives. Until then, we can only walk the path, of tribal clowns!