A key take away from President Uhuru Kenyatta Madaraka day speech was avoidance of disruptive electoral violence which routinely occurs every five years. While politicians love elections, businesses and indeed the wider public generally dread them because of associated social-economic interruptions.
Specifically, electoral violence witnessed in 1992, 1997, and 2007 was not only very painful and primitive, but unimaginable in a country that prides itself as modern and religious. The world was in disbelief at what was happening in Kenya. The 2017 electoral violence and anger threatened to irretrievably tear apart Kenya nationhood. In all these cases , in addition to unwarranted loss of lives, economic development always suffered.
If curing the electoral violence syndrome is not a national priority, then I am not sure what else is a higher priority. Opinions will of course differ on how exactly to achieve the cure, but I am sure none doubts the need to do it.
I will recount my 1963 observations, of how Jomo Kenyatta went about uniting politically polarised Kenyan communities into a cohesive nation. He had on June 1, 1963 been installed as the Prime Minister to lead an Internal Self Government to Independence later that year. Fractious and violent elections a few days earlier had seen KANU gain majority control in both the National Assembly and the Senate.
But the same elections had also delivered to KADU full control of Rift Valley, Western and Coast regional governments under regional presidents, Daniel Moi, Wafula Wabuge and Ronald Ngala respectively. KANU had taken Central and Nyanza regions while Eastern Region was divided between KANU and Paul Ngei’s APP. North Eastern region had entirely boycotted the elections, preferring to secede to Somalia. This was the divided Kenya that Jomo was to lead.
He clearly understood that his immediate priority was to bridge the political and ethnic divides before he could launch a prosperous nation. He started by launching his rallying call of Harambee (let us pull together). He also engaged in a symbolic tokenism of including the “white” in KADU flag into KANU flag colours to form a new national flag ahead of independence day (12th December 1963).
Immediately after Independence, Kenyatta surprised many by inviting KADU and APP to dissolve and join a KANU government of national unity. This enabled him to undertake constitutional revisions to abolish regional governments and the Senate, and to prepare Kenya to become a republic on Jamhuri day (12th Dec 1964). A new united Kenya was indeed given hope, and the country genuinely pulled together to drive a successful social-economic development programme.
Over the past few decades, the Kenyan political chemistry has remained polarised, to an extent that Kenyans have learned to routinely expect electoral violence every five years.
About two years towards elections, loud volumes of divisive political talk and threats set the stage. Company boardrooms take note and start interrogating Kenya political risks, as they dither in investment decisions and actions. The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) foreign investors start dumping their shares followed by massive foreign exchange outflows.
A few weeks to elections, cautious businessmen and CEOs take their families for overseas vacations. In the meantime, government services slow down as political and career uncertainties set in.
By the time the elections are over, and bodies of electoral violence victims are counted, the country is already exhausted and angry. The first two years are for healing wounds with little tangible economic development. Yes, it is a start-stop cycle that essentially wastes about three years out of five, leaving the country with little time to implement economic development.
What President Uhuru Kenyatta seems to be thinking and doing is similar to what the founding President did in 1963. Reach out, reduce political divide by inclusion, and where necessary amend the constitution to ensure all Kenyans are on board in political and economic participation. This has the potential to reduce electoral temperature, pressure and violence.
I voted in 1969 elections and have done so in all subsequent elections, except the 1988 queue voting elections.
Going forward there is need to make elections a joyful duty to participate in. Elections that add value to social-economic development while maintaining peace and unity.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
