We have a chance to de-tribalise Kenya

I had an interesting discussion with a taxi driver recently about the prevailing political situation. As it is, these people are a good barometer of the political sentiment on the ground.

The man, a stranger, started off gingerly by discussing mundane things like the la nina phenomenon we had been promised by the weatherman (and which, by the way, has yet to make landfall) and such; that is until I asked him about the political situation on the ground. It was as if he was waiting for such a prompt. He shot off immediately with what appeared like an argument that he had prepared quite well.

“You kikuyus,” he told me in an accusatory tone – he had already judged me, found me guilty and ready to hang me. “You Kikuyus hold the presidency in your hands. You are the ones who put William Ruto in power with that ridiculous song of yours about waking up early in the morning to go vote for him,” – here, he broke off to attempt the chorus of that absurd song – “and now see where we are.”

I was not good at debating in school, and have since not improved. I therefore chose to give the man my ear.

“Now, you people from the mountain have the votes to remove him next year and install someone else. Whomever you people (that phrase again) choose to support will be the next president, as long as it is not one of yours.”

I asked him why he thought so, given that being a democracy, anybody from any community had a right to vie for any seat in government. “You already had your turn,” he told me.

The man even had the winning combination: the Kikuyus are this many, Luhyas and Luos, that many, Kambas etc. If this and that community stood before their man – and the Kikuyus gave them their support – the man would be a shoo-in.