FIRST WORD
On Bridging Chaos
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NAIROBI - KENYA
Marketing Africa Team
William Kalombo, Mutua Mutua,
Riapius Magoma, Allan Muraya, Fred
Ombati, Sebastian Mungei, Lucy
Nyukuri
Editorial Contributors
Mutua Mutua
Herman Githinji
Janet Sudi-Maina
Pauline Warui
Eugene Wanekeya
Nerima Wanyama
Irene Mbonge
Joan Kabugu
Joe Nyutu
Richard Wanjohi
Dr. Wale Akinyemi
Senorine Wasike
Carolyne Gathuru
Marion Wakahe
Kepha Nyanumba
Wasilwa Miriongi
Dr. Maureen Owiti
Charles Makau
Valerie Ambetsa
Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia
Boniface Ngahu
Nicholas Gachara
Dr. Catherine Ngahu
Walter Nyabundi
Dr. Mary Mugo
Perminus Wainaina
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Marketing Africa
02 MAL34/20 ISSUE
T
wo thousand years ago a man rose in the middle east and
proclaimed that there was a better way of living where you
did unto another the way you would like it done unto you
and that the supreme allegiance was to God and God alone.
That simple and innocuous message created havoc and for three
years the region was in turmoil as established stakeholders debated
among themselves and tried to interpret what that simple message
meant and whether it contradicted existing law.
What was even more galling to the established system was that
a mere carpenter’s son with no known family connections and
education was not only talking without getting official approval
but amazingly he was starting to command a following of frenzied
supporters.
As this tumult rose to a crescendo, whispers began to be heard that
this might be the messiah, the king of kings, who had come to free
his people and from there it was all downhill. The story did not
end well as they found a way to incriminate him and finally he was
crucified in his prime.
Awhile back two gentlemen realized that our country Kenya was
getting nowhere given the perpetual agitation and protests that had
become the order of the day as people were goaded to resist what
was claimed to be stolen elections.
The state of unease and insecurity was so heightened that it was
virtually impossible to get the international community to invest in
such a politically tense and unstable country let alone Wanjiku who
could not run her daily errands in peace.
The situation was obviously untenable and the country could not
continue on this trajectory where everybody was being impoverished
due to inability to work as a result of a political standoff that had
now become tribal and threatening an escalation of civil unrest.
So the two protagonists in the Kenyan drama decided to call off
their attack dogs and proclaimed that no individual was more
important than Kenya in totality and that it was time that selfish
self-interests were shelved and we adopt a national mien.
They shook hands on what was hoped would be the pacific handshake
era in Kenya, although there are those that feel that Kenya missed
a great opportunity for the truth and reconciliation commission to
put some of our past ghosts to rest before the handshake.
It was a step in the right direction though and the hand-shakers
were cognizant that a cordial agreement between the two did not
amount to communities suddenly finding their long lost love for
each other and instituted a building bridges initiative that was to
highlight pending issues.
As we write the building bridges initiative might as well be called
the burning bridges initiative given the amount of acrimony and
bad blood that the initiative has elicited among Kenyans. The touted
solution to all our troubles has become our bane.
Anybody watching from the outside must think Kenyans mad since
we are at eat others’ throats because of a peace initiative. How can