When history repeats itself: Talk of Kenyan dream now in the air and constitution changes

In this times of Covid-19, gone are the days when national holidays looked and felt like holidays. From the national flag flying all over the streets, draped on street lighting poles to shops closed for the day.

But on Monday, Kenya celebrated 57th Madaraka day, since it became a self- governing country. And this year, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech gave a lot of historical context on the journey that brought us here.

In his speech, he spoke of something I thought seemed so simple yet, complicated: What is the actual Kenyan dream?

Our founding fathers may have recited constantly that disease, ignorance and poverty were our ills and they wanted nothing else but to fight these vices—but to date, we are still buried deep in these vices.

We have slogans of peace, love and unity yet every election year we forget those three important words temporarily. We have some sort of amnesia then reset and continue after polls.

See, President Kenyatta mentioned that an angry nation cannot prosper and that is very true. But why are Kenyans so angry and spreading negative energy as the president calls it? Are Kenyans just angry for nothing?

Following the coronavirus pandemic, things are bound to be even more difficult. Public wastage of resources will definitely ignite an inferno in the Kenyan public. What is happening now is that people are demanding much more from the administration, more for their taxes and more from leadership. Is that bad?

Colonialists kept being mentioned in the president’s speech, but in reality, the enemy changed from being colonisers long time ago. The enemy without is always easier to identify as they stick out like a sore thumb. It is the enemy within that we should be concerned about.

They talk like us, look like us, and frankly are us.

They do not have horns, speak another language or have a different skin tone. That is why it is easier to condemn police brutality thousands of kilometres away, but we cannot speak the same about brutality that is a stone’s throw away. 

We are not as angered when someone is killed for not wearing a face mask or being late for curfew.

The last time I heard this colonial rule talk was before the last elections and the International Criminal Court case. Where all of a sudden we had to identify with our Kenyaness and disown colonial masters who had no right meddling in our political affairs. It was to protect “our kind”.

It is that same language that is propping up and appears always convenient for political elite, to whip it out whenever it is needed.

President Kenyatta also touched on the constitution and the need for it to be responsive and good for the people—perhaps changes made to improve it. Is this why the colonial talk is back up again?

Nerima Wako-Ojiwa, executive director, Siasa Place @NerimaW