Silver Spring, MD
VIA EMAIL
H.E. Emilio Mwai Kibaki, C.G.H, M.P,
President of the Republic of Kenya
State House
Nairobi, Kenya
Re: Open Letter About Ending Tribalism In Kenya
Dear Mr. President:
You have served and continue to serve our country well, despite what
happened during and after the disputed elections of 2007.
Indeed, in a previous communication to Your Excellency, I in behalf of
other Kenyans acknowledged that you have done good, in redeeming your
legacy and that the only thing left to seal it, is for you to ensure
peaceful handover of the presidency to your successor, preceded by a
period of peaceful campaigning and elections.
Your Excellency, the legacy you will leave behind from your
illustrious career as an academician, cabinet minister, politician,
father and now president of our country is beyond what I can describe
within the scope of this letter.
Suffice to say, Your Excellency, that your name and that of the Right
Hon. Prime Minister Raila Odinga, will be forever associated with
leading the fight for, and ultimately ensuring passage of the new
constitution, which we are already witnessing its impact and are
enjoying some of its benefits that have eluded us, as a nation for
decades, with an expectation for more.
With the appointment of the new Chief Justice and the rest of the
justices of the Supreme Court having been accomplished under the new
constitution—and to the satisfaction of all Kenyans, we are confident
that further and necessary judicial reforms are also underway.
We are also equally confident that efforts to undermine implementation
of the rest of the constitution shall not prevail and that therefore
it's only a matter of time for Kenyans to enjoy all the benefits of
the new constitution.
It is accordingly our expectation, Your Excellency that, with the full
implementation of the new constitution and execution of the
concomitant judicial and political reforms, we as a nation shall
finally be able to deal a serious, if not fetal, blow to poor
governance, corruption, and impunity.
That'll be all good but will not everything.
We have a much more urgent and equally significant malady that we must
cure ahead of the next general elections, and that is, tribalism.
This, Your Excellency, is the reason I am writing to you.
When we say Your Excellency needs to ensure peaceful handover of power
to your successor, as well as ensure a preceding period of peaceful
campaigning and elections, we are also implicitly asking Your
Excellency, and now openly urge you to use your power and influence to
make sure that we not only have free and fair elections in 2012 but,
equally importantly, you must ensure that tribalism is crushed as the
determinative factor in electing our leaders, especially at the
presidential level.
If you accomplish this, Your Excellency, namely, if you play a key
role in ending tribalism as a major determinative factor in
presidential elections, Your Excellency would not only have presided
over the changing of Kenya from the old to the new, with passage of
the new constitution, you would have also planted a seed that would
germinate to an even more beautiful Kenya where our affairs are
governed not by tribe and negative ethnicity, but by who we are as
Kenyans.
As Kenyans, we have for years and decades had a reputation throughout
much of the world as a peace loving people.
Few, if any, would disagree, even in spite of 2008 that we are not
incapable of living in peace and harmony with one another, divided
only by the artificial boundaries necessary for administrative
functions of the government.
We are quite capable of doing this, Your Excellency, and its my belief
an opportunity presents itself for Your Excellency to set the stage in
moving our country in that direction and create an atmosphere of
improved ethnic relations upon which your successor can build and take
to an even higher level, starting with the elimination of tribalism as
a determinative factor in presidential elections.
This, namely, ending tribalism, Your Excellency, ought to be and must
be your most significant and everlasting gift you can give our
country, which in turn will result in leaving a legacy for you beyond
any other, grand as each shall be.
Your Excellency, the question should not be whether you ought to play
a key role in ending tribalism in Kenya, rather, the question should
be, what role should you play in ending this debilitating disease of
tribalism?
Your Excellency, let me suggest that merely urging Kenyans to end
tribalism will not do because this has been tried and urged by every
known leader since we can remember, but all to no avail.
Part of that is because the very leaders who call for an end to
tribalism in the day, are often busy practicing or scheming to
practice it at night.
Some, especially a number of those interested in succeeding you, Your
Excellency, have made it known their ticket to State House is
perfecting tribalism and they are openly pursuing this as their sole
strategy, even to this day and, unless something is done to stop them,
it shall be their sole strategy to the end.
Your Excellency, you must stop them in their tracks with this heinous
scheme for success of their strategy, shall be further perpetuation of
tribalism.
Tumechoka na mambo ya ukabila, Mzee.
We must end tribalism, and this is the ideal time to do so, Your Excellency.
The way I see it, Your Excellency, there are a number of things you
can do to lead in this effort to defeat tribalism based schemes to
succeed you and therefore cleanse our nation of this debilitating
disease of tribalism in Kenya and these are:
First, and I say this with all due respect, Your Excellency, it is
incumbent upon you, as the president of our nation, to inform our
brothers and sisters from Central that, with 42 tribes in Kenya, and
having had Your Excellency and our first President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
elected from Central to lead our country, let our brothers and sisters
from the area show love and unity with other Kenyans and vote for
someone other than their own this time around.
Doing so, Your Excellency, will not be the end of Central as some
might seriously believe; rather, it would be the beginning of a new
and fresh relations between our brothers and sisters from Central and
the rest of the country, the past notwithstanding.
I fully realize this is a tall order, Your Excellency, and that most
will advise against Your Excellency undertaking such earthshaking
action but this is what greatness in leadership demands and more so,
unless and until our brothers and sisters from Central are made to
understand and accept the altruism that all Kenyans are equal and that
no one tribe or ethnic group should be deemed the preferred one over
the others, we shall continue to struggle with the issue of tribalism
in Kenya until such a time as this altruism is significantly accepted
by our brothers and sisters from Central, which shall be a matter of
time, as it is.
I say this, Your Excellency, because there are clear indications many
from Central have already shaken themselves free of this debilitating
disease of tribalism and view issues not from its prism, but
progressively as to how best to move our country forward regardless of
tribe or ethnicity, which is commendable.
This is a development, Your Excellency must fully and without delay
take advantage of and lead in stepping up efforts to maximize its
potential.
It's our belief Your Excellency is in a unique position to so deliver,
given where we are as a nation, your history and background.
Second, Your Excellency should reconsider your position reported the
other day in the media that you will remain neutral and let those
vying to succeed you, battle it out on their own and let Kenyans
choose in the end, one among them to succeed you.
Under ordinary circumstances, this would be a very commendable and,
indeed, the only position to take as our president.
As things stand relative to the upcoming elections, Your Excellency,
these are no ordinary circumstances for both practical and historical
reasons that Your Excellency is fully aware, thus the need for Your
Excellency to play your hand, if not directly, certainly indirectly to
make sure a successor is elected who is not only qualified to take
over from you in every respect, but also one who can unite, not divide
the country.
Third, if Your Excellency is reluctant or unwilling to actively
influence or offer hints as to who your preferred successor should
be—and there is really only one candidate who fits the bill, Your
Excellency, if one were to assess all the declared candidates
objectively, but be as it may be, the least you can do in playing a
key role in ending tribalism as a determinative factor in presidential
elections, Your Excellency, is to make sure those who wish to exploit
tribalism as a means of reaching the State House, do not succeed at
all in doing so.
This is something Your Excellency must do not just as our nation's
leader but in your personal capacity as well for I believe Your
Excellency would agree, it's time Kenya moved beyond tribalism and
elected our president regardless of what tribe or ethnic group they
hail from, as long as they are qualified and are otherwise fit to hold
that office.
Abraham Lincoln, the great American president, freed slaves in America in 1863.
Your Excellency should lead in finally freeing Kenya from tribalism in 2012.
This is our prayer and may the grace of God be with you as you ponder
these and other heavy issues you must deal with as our president.
Sincerely,
/s
____________________
Samuel N. Omwenga, Esq.
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