Why Kenya must welcome unity with open arms

The recent speculation about potential political unions and partnerships ahead of the 2022 elections have received mixed reviews.

In particular, the rumours about ODM leader Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta working on a joint campaign have provoked much discussion.

While many of our fellow citizens have supported the cooperation between the two leading politicians, others have strongly opposed it.

While the details and makeup of such partnerships are certainly up for debate, the values that they embody, of unity and stability, are ones that we can all get behind.

The inculcation of these concepts into our own political system would undoubtedly be a positive development that could bring long-term benefits to our political and economic progress.

The lack of unity that the competitive democratic process represents is arguably one of the most challenging aspects of democratic politics.

Such competition often stands in the way of a country’s success. The argument here is, of course, not at all against democracy itself. Rather, it opposes a climate in which political groupings with radically different visions take turns at the wheels of government and use the democratic process to undermine one another.

It is not uncommon in the United States for example, that an incoming president’s first actions include undoing his predecessor’s legacy. This has been the case since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and, more recently, with George Bush Sr. and Clinton, or Obama and Trump, with regard to policy programmes in economics, human rights and healthcare.

In many cases in the US or in European democracies, breaking the continuity of policy might not even be intentional.

The mere lack of insight into the previous government’s implicit intentions directly bring about situations in which new policies inadvertently clash with the nuances and fine-tuning of existing ones.

In other cases, the fact that long-term policy plans introduced under one government do not bring about the desired results with immediate effect might convince voters of a need for change.

This, of course, brings such plans to a halt and restarts the process from the beginning.

 A true challenge for us living in a democratic country is wholeheartedly granting politicians our vote of confidence, even when we do not yet see the immediate implementation of commitments made to the people previously.

But what is progress if not the result of carefully crafted long-term plans, followed through on its main objectives and adjusted in its details in light of developing circumstances.

Take President Kenyatta’s long-term Big 4 agenda, comprising food security, affordable housing, universal healthcare and enhanced manufacturing.

We all see how despite the best intentions, the unexpected circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic has brought progress to a halt.

The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) launched by Uhuru and which aims to transform the very fabric of political society is another example of such a long-term plan.

Systemic change and, more importantly, effective positive change, often exceeds the term limits of incumbent leaders.

And while an alternation of leadership is crucial for the rule of law, a continuity in end goals is just as important.

While politicians often disagree on the methods of governing, they should share the vision for a developed, peaceful and prosperous Kenya.

Today, we have a unique convergence of vision between different political factions in our government. As evidenced by their fervent disagreements before the famous handshake, factions in Kenya had long disagreed on the way in which we should be governed.

They did, nonetheless, share beliefs on what the destination of our country should be in terms of both its economic progress and the transformation of its politics.

Throughout the growing cooperation as part of the BBI, our leaders have evidenced that divisions of opinion does not need to mean the end of progress.

The continued prosperity of the BBI project, strengthened by commitments to unity, will undoubtedly see one of the rarest occurrences in our own history; a convergence of efforts by opposing factions aimed at supporting the future of Kenya. The government has focused on addressing the issues troubling Kenyans.

We have a rare opportunity in our political history to ensure that long-term plans are carried on all the way to fruition by supporting unity and advocating for stability.