We need Democracy; not Band Peace!

James Shikwati, Kenya

I have watched with utter shock some of the prescriptions the middle class residing in leafy suburbs have opted to give to Kenya. It is very clear that Kibaki presidency is a result of pure robbery of the will of voters. How on earth can one then prescribe celebrity bands to sing for peace, and religious groups to pray for peace when its public knowledge what the cause of discord threatening to burn Kenya to ashes is?

Prayer and music will not restore our republic if it does not isolate the issues and urge the people to act on them. For peace to prevail, all must push towards a speedy dismantling of a leadership system whose mandate is questionable. All prayers and songs ought to be encouraging those who are acting within the law and civility to see to it that this happens. Prayer and music ought to be educating all those who are keen on breaking the law by destroying other people’s property to desist and instead refocus their energies on the public enemy of the time.

Kenyans do not need music reminding them of patriotism, they need music to urge on the fight against tyranny of the few against the majority. We do not need to pray for peace, we need to pray for those who are genuinely fighting the dictatorship of a few elites against the will of the Kenyan people. Engaging in musical bands for peace is to seek cheap publicity at the expense of the lives and property of innocent civilians who are bearing the brunt of electoral fraud.

What we need now are liberation songs. Songs such as Bob Marley’s “Stand up for your rights.” We need songs to make those who might have misplaced anger to direct it against the actual public enemy…theft of people’s will. That is not similar to suing for peace while camouflaging and sugar coating tyranny. The Kenyan song ought to be “don’t seat back and hope for the best, get rid of the individual tyrants… don’t allow them to hide behind tribal masks.”

Will prayer restore the Kenyan republic? Not at the tenor it has assumed! If Kenyans simply pray for peace and attain artificial normalcy, chances are that they will be giving more time for enemies of the republic to simply restock their powder keg reserves. Kenyans prayed in 1988, 1990 – 92, and in 1997. The year 2002 offered an opportunity for Kibaki and his team to help actualize the 14 year prayer wishes. It became clear that we were on a rollercoaster to strife after 6 months of his leadership. A leading anti corruption czar, Mr. John Githongo fled the country; this was simply wished away. Kenyans held a government sanctioned prayer for peace after the referendum and buried under the carpet what the will of the people had stated by voting against a state sponsored constitution.

As middle class, we might retreat to our restaurants and sip cold drinks. We might even have passports to flee if the red ambers of public anger catch up with us. Yes, we might even choose to simply engage in intellectual talk about the situation and position ourselves for jobs in either of the two warring factions. But we must remember that our drivers, watchmen, cooks, house helps, are watching keenly the developments. For religious leaders, we must remember that the displaced people and those whose property is being destroyed are our members. As it was in the ancient times when faith was used to rally people to a just cause, so it should be today in Kenya if we are to succeed in our quest for peace. Kenyans should not burry their heads in the sand.
 

James Shikwati is the Director Inter Region Economic Network email: james@irenkenya.org

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