Just Because We Can! – Impunity Reloaded

When Obama ran for the presidency of the US, he had a campaign slogan – Yes We Can! It took the world by storm and the layman in me tells me this was because it was so simple and one everybody could relate to. I don’t know how much of the slogan helped him clinch the seat but it sure felt good to say, “Yes we can!”

Coming back to Kenya, there is a culture I have observed of people doing unnecessary, and sometimes out rightly stupid things just because they can. Drivers overlap and block each other on the road just because they can. People jump queues in banks and other public places just because they can. Others bribe Government officials to fast track processes, not because they are in any particular hurry, but just because they can. The list of things people do just because they can is endless and it is slowly but surely bringing about our collective retrogression as a country.

My dictionary tells me that impunity is exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action. In layman’s terms, it means getting away with wrong doing. Kenya has always had laws even before independence. There has however been a class of people who have often felt like they are above the law. They do this either because they have money, power, or belong to the “right” tribe or family. They may also develop impunity because they know the “right” person. The expression “You’ve got to know people” may often be used on a light note but in this country, it may mean the difference between affluence and abject poverty.

I was keenly following the fiasco last week with the Langata road primary school and the then “unknown” developer. The fact that land belonging to a public school can so easily be grabbed even when everybody in authority can attest to the fact that it belongs to the school, shows the extent to which impunity has sunk us. I was wondering in my insignificant layman’s mind why it took a group of activists and school children to inhale some tear gas for the wheels of justice to slowly grind into action. I hate to imagine what would have happened to that land if the children had not created a media sensation when they did.

When I saw the video of honourable members of parliament flexing their legislative muscles at Gilgil, I thought it reeked of impunity of the highest order. Honourable Keter was invoking some big names in the hope that the officer could be intimidated to do whatever it was that he wanted him to do. He further trashed the law threatening to reverse it because, as he put it, he was government. Three things came to mind;    

1. Parliament is not the full Government; it is only a third of Government. It can only make the law; it cannot interpret or implement it. Keter talked as if he was in the Executive, the arm of Government that implements the law. 
2.   There is such a thing as Conflict of Interest. Keter had gone there to get the truck of his fellow MP released. Even as a layman, I know he should not have tried to use parliamentary privilege outside parliament, to secure its release. He was there as a client of the weighbridge, not the boss. 
3.     If the truck had been detained due to lack of compliance to requirements, then the MP had no moral authority to claim he was trying to expose corruption. Trying to use the names of senior members of the executive to secure its release was corruption in itself.

I have been looking and listening to various leaders and politicians and it is apparent that many of them would want impunity to be legalised. The way they try to discredit law and order shows that they would rather have a free for all where only the strong survive. This is one country where impunity is admired and even rewarded. I don’t know which side you will follow, but as for me and my fellow laymen, we will fight impunity even if we might lose – Just because we can!

P.S. Before we passed the new constitution, the Government did not have three arms, it had one arm and three fingers.

Similarities between Political Parties and Birthday Parties in Kenya

When I was growing up, there were no political parties in Kenya; there was only KANU. There was also no Government, only KANU. In those years, KANU was fondly referred to as Baba na Mama (Father and Mother). I remember my father who was then a civil servant keeping his KANU membership book very safely, and ensuring that the periodical membership stamp was duly affixed. I used to think he was in KANU by choice. I later came to learn that civil servants who were not fully paid up members of the ruling party had a very difficult working life.

In the 1990s, I was teenager and there was the agitation for multi-partism. I was just starting to become interested in politics since I was fast approaching voting age and wanted to be able to make an informed decision. I however had one problem. I didn’t know what political parties were. The only parties I had known until then were Birthday parties; during which my father would give the birthday boy or girl a 20 shilling note to buy sodas, biscuits, and sweets to share with the rest of the family. (Yes! You could buy all that with 20 shillings in the 1980’s).

I remember my father laughing at me when I asked him why politicians were thinking of throwing parties when the country was having so many problems. He had a hard time explaining to me that these were a different kind of party. The first election I voted in was also the first multiparty one. I recall that in those days I could vaguely tell what each party stood for. Over the years however, I came to realise that there is no much difference between political parties and birthday parties. I guess I was right after all when I was just a child. I have observed the following similarities;

Tribute to the Owner

Whenever I had a Birthday, I would call the shots. I would decide which sodas and biscuits to buy, and who got what among my brothers and sisters. They would be there to acknowledge that this was my day and pay tribute to me. The same happens in political parties. Even as a Layman, I have observed that political parties have owners. Anybody joining a party has to pay tribute to this owner, or find himself party-less.

Eating, Drinking, and Making Merry

As you can tell from the list of goodies above, people attend parties to fill their stomachs and have fun. Whenever I hear of political parties having conferences, workshops, and conventions (whatever the difference is!), I can already visualise the unprecedented death of many animals and birds to feed those fat bellies in attendance. These parties don’t hold their parties (pun intended) in the ordinary places where you and I go. These are held in those resorts that are not serviced by matatus, tuk tuks, or boda bodas (public means of transportations). This is ostensibly to protect the reputations of those in attendance.

Periodical

Birthday parties are held once a year. Most political parties are only active once every five years. Both are quite regular and periodical in activity.

Graduation to the Next Stage

Birthday parties signify the advancement of a person to the next stage in life. A twelve year old celebrates becoming a teenager at their birthday while a seventeen year old becomes an adult who can vote or join a political party. A politician will join a political party because they want to advance in the leadership ladder. A political novice will join a party to become an MCA, then another one to become an MP, and yet another to vie for a Senatorial or Gubernatorial seat.

Sharing the Cake

It was never there when I was growing up, but nowadays, a Birthday party is not one without a cake. The cake is the highlight of a birthday party and it is during its cutting that the singing and making of wishes takes place. In the same way, a political party exists for the sole purpose of sharing some cake in some area such as ward, constituency, county, or entire nation.

People Outgrow Parties

My Sixteen year old daughter is no longer interested in parties. She would rather you give her the money you would have spent on a party. Add to that a few bundles for updating her Facebook status, and she is fine. My Eleven year old on the other hand wants two cakes; one for taking to school, and the other for the elaborate party at home where all her friends will be invited. I on the other hand, do not want to remember or be reminded that I have a birthday. People generally outgrow Birthday parties in the same way they outgrow Political parties.

 I am reminded of the many defunct political parties in Kenya that people outgrew. Can you remember FORD Kenya, FORD Asili, DP, NDP, Old KANU, New KANU, ODM Kenya, PNU, and many others? The Layman in me tells me this is just the beginning in Kenya’s quest to becoming a mature democracy. But then you know me and my limited knowledge in these complex political matters. After all – am only but a Layman!

P.S. The Layman’s gauge of knowing how democratic a party is, is based on how easily one can visualise a different leader of the party apart from the current one. This is further enhanced by members of the party talking about those alternatives in leadership. Based on that, which do you think is the most democratic party in Kenya?

Politicians for Export

I recently came across an episode of The Scoop on YouTube. Salim Amin was interviewing Chris Kirubi. They discussed many things about business, investments, and Kirubi’s experiences as a media owner and DJ. There was however one thing he said that caught my ear. He was talking about Kenya as a country and how it is like heaven on earth. The only thing that stops Kenya from being great, he said, is its politicians. It is at this point that he made a clarion call, “If there is a country that has a deficit of politicians, we can just give them a shipload our politicians, then this country could be the greatest country on earth”.

Kirubi stated the reasons for exporting our politicians as the things they highlight in their politicking. They highlight religion, tribalism, and marginalisation. They do this for their own personal benefit. At this point I didn’t feel like a layman at all. This is what I would have thought as well.

Enough of my ‘laymanism’ for now. I have to say what the business mogul suggested. He thought politicians should manage an educated society. He also suggested that they should be busy finding ways of turning young people into job creators. He noted that the only way this country can progress at the best rate would be send the most intelligent people to politics. In the current situation, a lot of those in politics are the rejects who have failed in other areas of life.

Back to my ‘laymanism’. I think we should have politicians who are more of leaders and less of inciters. They should more of ‘other people’ and less of ‘themselves’ at heart. They should look at all things in the correct perspective and avoid politicising everything.

If you ask me, our politicians in their current form are unsuitable for export. What we need is some value addition. How about changing the way we choose them (read elections). If they were products, we would not care where they come from (read tribe). Instead, we would be more concerned about specifications (read integrity and core values).

Am thinking, if they were good enough to export, then they would even be better to keep. We would then end up with commodities with high demand and low supply. If we have to export our politicians, let’s fix them up. Let us improve the stock from which they are produced (read Us). If we do this, we would not have politicians to export; we would have a country to be proud of. We would be able to attract investors and tourists in staggering numbers. We would have many products to export instead of our (then) beloved politicians.

Quote me at your own risk – Am only a layman.

Could Corruption and Tribalism Have Biblical Foundations?

 King Solomon, who was the wisest man who ever lived, wrote in Proverbs 21:14 that, “A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath”. Whoever popularised corruption must have read this verse. Perhaps the only way to confirm if any of the corruption we practice today is biblical would be to check if it pacifies great wrath. Another way would be probably to look at the size of the bribe and see if it is small enough to be given in secret or concealed in the cloak (please ignore cheques and bank transfers).

Looking at the Kenyan situation, corruption has evolved into a business. Recent statistics showed that many businesses have at one time or other given bribes to clinch lucrative tenders. I have also heard of Government officers getting bribed to “Passover” chan’gaa (illicit brew) dens. I have seen vehicles which should be in the scrap yard moving on the roads with valid inspection stickers. Nepotism, which most Kenyans don’t consider corruption, is rife. The examples of blatant and grand corruption are endless. The question is, is it all justifiable in the good book?

I have always wondered how life in Kenya would be without corruption. People have often told me that corruption in Kenya is eternal; it will never end. I beg to differ although am not sure if my view is based on actual knowledge or on unachievable wishes. I guess it is because my layman’s life is made much more unbearable by the effects of corruption and I wish it could end.

In Genesis chapter 11, the story is told of how all people in the world spoke one language and had a common speech. You have all heard of how they decided to build a tower at Babel going to the heavens in order to make a name for themselves and avoid getting scattered all over the earth. You also know of how God came down with his angels and confused their language and scattered them over the face of the whole earth. They rest as they say, is history. Tribes had been born.

You may not quote me because you know am just a layman. I however do not think that tribalism has anything to do with language. I believe tribalism is a form of hatred. I have seen children of my daughters’ age who do not know a word of their mother tongue and yet they hate members of other tribes passionately. They could be in school together or belong to the same play groups. They could be friends but they are strongly prejudiced against each other based on their respective tribes. In the bible story, the people only disagreed on language. It is not reported that they fought because of their differences. They just lived together with those whose language they could understand.

Coming back to Kenya, tribe has taken a whole new meaning. People openly display their hatred for those who are not from their own tribes. This hatred is not based on anything somebody who is not their tribesman did to them. It is based on long running prejudices passed on from one generation to another.

I have to confess that I also used to have negative views of certain tribes. Having been born and brought up in a small village in central Kenya, I had not had any reasonable interaction with people from other tribes. It is only after I got the opportunity to move away from my village and meet people from diverse origins that I started to learn about the similarities in all Kenyans. I wish all Kenyans could get to interact with those who in their minds are the dirtiest, most arrogant, worst thieves, most warlike, most stupid, and most unfriendly of all tribes. They would probably change their opinions of them.

It is unfortunate that all national and regional leaders in Kenya are where they are due (in large part) to unquestioning support from members of their tribes. Thanks to tribalism, nobody remembers that political parties and coalitions had manifestos against which we should be holding them accountable. Being a layman, I don’t have all the answers, but I know we are not moving in the right direction. Only God can help us on this one.

P.S. I have always doubted the intelligence of the guys in Babel. Since they were the only people in the world, to whom did they expect to make a name for themselves? Just wondering!