While We Fiddle, Will Kenya Burn Again?

My heart is unsettled and I know I’m not alone in my concern that we
all don’t seem to understand that Kenya cannot be saved by a mythical
messiah who we will cheer for on TV from the comfort of our living
rooms. The 18 and 19-year-olds behind 'I Am Kenyan' campaign get it, yet
they were 14 when we went through the pain and madness of 2008. They
get it, but I worry that IEBC doesn’t nor do the rest of us who should
be yelling at Issack Hassan and his team to get their house in order.
IEBC don’t seem to have a timeline or a sense of urgency or even
priority as the clock ticks towards March 4, 2013. We are quick to argue
that we didn’t see 2007/08 coming. Can we truly argue the same about
2013?

Mashada, April 9, 2009: Ladies and
gentlemen, from the tone of the politicians - if something is not done -
Kenya will start burning again and this time nothing will stop it coz
no side will be ready to negotiate with each other.

Mashada, April 10, 2009: Try
to avoid tribal connotations; that is an invisible fuel, you may ignite
Kenya by your tongues of flames. People should be sensible enough to
know who our politicians are and their innermost objectives. Let's save
the country from vices; hooliganism should stop at all cost. We
cannot put all our efforts into cleaning up after this power hungry lot
fulfill their ambitions at our expense. For how long will we be watching
this fools play Russian roulette with our country. The sad thing is
there are always a group of people who are so easily fooled as to go to
the street to demonstrate in the name of our leader.

Charles Onyango Obbo, May 18, 2011:
... In both cases, my interrogators were particularly concerned about
what they all saw as the destructive role of the media in fanning the
post-election violence. My take was that the risks of violence are
still high. Ethnic political entrepreneurs, after all, are still very
active in Kenyan politics. However, specifically on the media, my line
was that quite a few editors and reporters learnt from the mistakes of
2007/2008. Though there are still bad apples among us, I sense
that many more media managers and editors are aware that we have one
last shot at this.

Capital FM, January 18, 2012, 'Kenya
not ready for poll, Annan team told' –  A consultancy firm that
monitors Kenya’s reconciliation progress following the deadly 2008 post
election violence now says the country is not ready for general
elections. In a report to the Kofi Annan-led mediation panel of
Eminent African Personalities, South Consulting notes that new electoral
boundaries are yet to be demarcated as the clock ticks towards another
poll in Kenya.

The report further questions the possibility of
rolling out civic education in time to ensure Kenyans understand the new
electoral process. (This is aimed straight at the heart of the IEBC). “Uncertainty
remained on key constitutional issues, including provisions on gender
balance and the delimitation of constituency boundaries, the absence of
comprehensive civic and voter education and the lack of
institutionalisation of political parties to date,” it indicated.

It
was however noted that the constitution implementation process was on
track but pointed at delays in production of legislations which was
likely to lead to rushed enactment of laws without giving the public an
opportunity to scrutinise them. The report also showed there was
need for fast tracking and financing critical Bills on devolution to
ensure county governments are set up as stipulated in the Constitution.

Kinyanjui Kamau, May 17, 2012:
Kenya is preparing for the next general election scheduled to take
place on March 4, 2013. The question in the mind of ordinary citizens
is: Will Kenya burn again? Never again! Some Kenyans declare in absolute
terms. However, some red flags require attention – urgently. First,
there are grave concerns among Kenyans that the wounds inflicted on them
by the post election violence have not healed. Communities are not
reconciled. At the grassroots, the level of mistrust is fairly high and
worrying.

Fifthly, political power is sought after on a zero sum
basis. Elections are viewed as tribal marathons. The fast-past-the-post
electoral system inherently predisposes Kenya deep divisions and
contests. Thus, in the pursuit of power, politicians have often resorted
to crude means to mobilise popular support – especially amongst their
respective ethnic groupings.

If violence erupts in Kenya again, it
might be of a higher scale than previously experienced. The naivety of
communities in hotspots has been replaced by a high level of
“preparedness”.  To some of these communities living in the
“frontlines”, the question is not “If” but “when” violence will erupt. In
light of the threat posed by the competitive politics associated with
elections, the attendant risk of instability in Kenya and the region and
to avoid the great human loss and suffering that was experienced in
2007/8, it is imperative that a suitable measures be instituted to
transform this pervasive zero-sum, winner take all mentality to a more
co-operative form of politics.

Caroline Mutoko, July 30, 2012:
We can claim (sort of) that we were caught flat footed in 2007 and had
really no way of knowing that the country could and would erupt into
violence. Seven months away from the proposed election date of March 4,
2013, can we all truly say the writing is not on the wall? Issack
Hassan, where is the timeline to ensure the free and fair elections you
are mandated to give Kenyans. How are we voting and for whom? How long
will it take and how fast will results be known? Are you ready for March
2013? Is there going to be an election in 2013 and how? The brouhaha
over the tendering of the Biometric Voter Registration system not
withstanding, when do we get on the road to free and fair elections? The
clock is ticking – loudly! Samuel Kivuitu and his team can claim to have been sort of clueless. Can you?