I am an angry Kenyan; I am angry at myself and my countrymen for putting too much faith in good people. We all watch, listen and read in disbelief when our media channels parade government officials who talk about “things are back to normal!” The business sector suffers as religious leaders and middle class angle themselves for recognition from their tribal kings. What lessons does the Kenyan political situation give to Africa?

First Lesson; the essence of law and constitution ought to be to tame the insatiable, brutish human actions and instincts. It is very clear that our constitution and legal system failed to recognize this basic fact and put too much trust on “good people”…I even remember that during the 2005 constitutional debate, some writers argued that President Kibaki was good and different from Moi hence there was no need to change the constitution. It is now clear that humans person are just that - human. Our constitution and legal system ought to treat each Kenyan with great suspicion such that all our laws ought to be written with an express objective to turn devils into angels.  

Second Lesson; many commentaries are criticizing tribalism as the main cause of the present crisis in Kenya. Tribalism is innocent, why should it be a big issue when Kenyan consumers do not seek to find out which tribe manufactured what type of product? With political elites having strangled the democratic process and religious leaders having joined the company of political elites, common Kenyans have no other choice but to transform tribalism into a cultic movement. The evil committed in the name of tribe is executed at a level where tribalism has assumed a cultic nature. Modern Kenyan tribes do not cherish the killing and destruction of property; after all they have intermarried, engage in business and are basically interdependent economically. Kenya’s tribal cults  result from a corrupt constitution and legal system that trusts the good nature of man to such an extent that one person is given too much discretionary power, devoid of effective checks and balances.

Third Lesson; it’s the national cake - stupid! Our constitution is designed in a manner that makes the winner to take it all! The current bitterness exhibited in Kenya is partly informed by the fact that whereas 36 million Kenyans bake the national cake either directly or indirectly; a community that produces a president hogs the lion’s share of the cake. The key lesson here is; we must creatively come up with a system to make individual Kenyans bake their own cakes instead of relying on central cake handouts such as jobs, and business contracts. Alternatively, the constitution should be revised to enable all Kenyans to partake of the cake by restricting a single group from using the law to monopolize the national cake.  

Fourth Lesson; late last year, I asked readers to help me understand whether one ceases to be African when he converts to Christianity or Islam. I sought to know whose interests faith based leaders represent when they talk against profit in international trade forums! The Kenyan crisis has helped bring out the evil in the ‘toga’ clad individuals. It is now clear that religious leaders have taken sides; they are even more tribal than the politicians. When men of God take sides and become agents of death and disharmony, people seek refuge in alternative means of spirituality. Religious leaders have put God on trial!

Fifth Lesson; Foreign aid! If Kenyans would control the government purse, they would exercise their democratic rights by starving the beast in political elites. Political elites can only listen to Kenyans if the latter successfully take charge of paying politician’s bills. All strategies on governance will come to naught if donors itching to release money keep subsidizing poor governance in the name of development projects at the expense of ensuring that the Kenyan ballot is backed up by Kenyan tax. Developed nations focus on broader regional interests and might find it strategic to disburse aid to a government whose people feel cheated. Africa shall never develop good governance if Africans do not pay for the upkeep of their governments.

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” – Edmund Burke (January 12, 1729 - July 1, 1797)