it be possible that we agree that we cannot
live under constant threat of violence and
then equally agree that we cannot live in
peace?
Kenyan politicians have been crisscrossing
the country trying to popularize the
building bridges initiative and one
has to wonder since when was peace a
commodity to be popularized? One would
think that we all want peace to get on with
our business as usual.
Whoever quipped that peace is not the
absence of war can come to Kenya to
witness the veracity of his words since the
palpable animosity generated by the peace
process may very soon require arbitration.
How interesting to have an arbitration on
the process of a peace process.
Interestingly the building bridges
initiative report was made public and a
raft of recommendations were proposed
that were supposed to correct some glaring
mistakes in our constitution which we
should not have been persuaded to pass
half-baked.
Now opposing stakeholders are in the
process of hijacking the peace process
to try and force changes that will not
necessarily ensure a stable Kenya but
changes that will only obtain short
term benefits to a small group that have
an interest in controlling the country
resources for selfish ends.
But here we are more concerned about the
fabled public participation which is very
As in the story two
thousand years ago
let us hope that
someone does not
need to be crucified
in the name of peace
and especially if the
martyr, gods forbid,
ends up being Wan-
jiku in whose name
the whole process
was purportedly ini-
tiated.
loud by its absence. Politicians holding
of political rallies around the country to
tell Kenyans what they think and what we
should do as a country is putting the cart
before the horse.
Let us try to remember that we pretend
to have democratic ideals and among
the fundamentals of the system are that
politicians are elected representatives
of the people and the people’s decision
is paramount and they repeat only the
people’s desire.
We would have expected our members of
parliament to repair to their constituents
and hold frank discussions with them as
to the implications of the stand they take
in the report recommendations and let
our parliamentarians report the will of the
people.
Last time we called for a referendum it
became a political tussle between the Yes
and Nays and the result was the disastrous
constitution that we are now trying to
rectify through the back door and we can
tell you for free the result will be equally
disastrous.
The dictum is that there is no right way
to do the wrong thing and it is wrong to
hoodwink Kenyans that what they are
apparently fighting about is for the good
of Wanjiku. She is so far from the mix of
the debate as to make the process a malign
joke.
As in the story two thousand years ago
let us hope that someone does not need
to be crucified in the name of peace and
especially if the martyr, gods forbid, ends
up being Wanjiku in whose name the
whole process was purportedly initiated.
There is profit to be made in times of chaos
and there are cynical forces fanning chaos
with an eye to personal profit. Kenyans
need to be vigilant and remember the
country does not belong to the politicians
but to us and we have a voice.
Kenyans need to actively participate in
the building bridges initiative to avoid the
yawning abyss of chaos that we shall find
ourselves in if we allow the process to be
hijacked by political forces trying to settle
the 2022 election scores. Beware!