By Joseph Lister Nyaringo
Majority of Kenyans at home and abroad are frustrated by the current government. They display anger and disdain openly by posts and saluting victory signs in their social media pages. The majority like the self-declared NRM General- Dr. Miguna Miguna talks about a Kenyan revolution almost daily in his tweeter platform.
The question, therefore, is this: Is Kenya ripe for a popular uprising just like what is happening in Algeria and Sudan? Will Kenyans wake up one morning and demand for the resignation of the current government led by President Uhuru Kenyatta?
Expressing frustration about bad governance without action is useless. In the Bible, the book of James 2:26 says these: As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. It's therefore imperative for citizens to become action-oriented if indeed they believe that their mission is clear-intentioned and purposeful.
Even though we are frustrated with current evils in government, we still suffer from selective amnesia. We are a nation living in self-pity, or a people who cry during afflictions but forget immediately after our tears have tried off!
The ultimate goal of any successful revolution in a country is to replace a failed leadership. Kenyans may participate in a revolution but due to political leanings and tribal loyalties, they develop fatigue especially when they think about the repercussions of a replacement from the sanctum of power.
The Kalenjins and Kikuyus see deputy President William Ruto, and President Kenyatta, as their own and may not want to hurt their rulership no matter how stinky it is. The way they rallied behind them during the ICC fiasco attests to this argument.
It’s encouraging that revolutionized minds like Dr. David Ndii, John Githongo, Maina Kiai, from My Kenya and lawyer Donald Kipkorir and the farmers' advocate Kipkorir Menjo from Rift Valley can take an unpopular stand against their communities by supporting a revolution.
Lack of consistency and the ethos of nationhood amongst the citizenry remain Kenya's the biggest impediment in the pursuit of the country's collective good. In fact, it’s the ethos of nationhood that catapulted Tunisia's successful revolution coupled with a united and focused civil society, currently rare in Kenya.
In the late 20th Century, Romania and The Philippines under the people power clarion successfully dislodged their despotic rulers from power.
Although the Philippines faces almost similar democratic challenges like the time of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, one wonders if the Philippines will decide to rise up against President Rodrigo Duterte's dictatorial regime.
Majority of people from Mt. Kenya and Rift Valley may think a revolution will be aggression towards President Uhuru and his deputy. They know that if it succeeds, it may usher a new leader from another community; there predicaments notwithstanding!
We lack a viable movement which can galvanize the nation. The Romanians had the National Salvation Front which took over immediately after the former dictator Ceausescu was executed. Our civil society which was vibrant during the struggle for political pluralism in the late 1980s and early 1990s is dead.
It will be a tall order for Kenyans to camp in the Nairobi’s CBD and Uhuru park in overnight vigils for a whole year until the government gives in. Secondly, it will be extremely difficult for Kenyans especially the poor majority; remembering that revolutions are fueled by them, to defy material enticements (money) from anti-reformers or the ruling elite to continue with their cause.
For a political revolution to succeed, the citizens must be brave, angry, passionate and focused. They must be ready to sacrifice their time, energy and even resources for the cause.
Ideally, it’s the responsibility of Kenyans to change their Country by fighting for her future. Nobody will liberate us. Nobody will cure our disease or reduce our pain. Even self-rule from British domination came through bitterness and great sacrifice.
Freedom fighters like Dedan Kimathi, Ochieng Oneko, Fred Kubai, and Oginga Odinga, etc played their part well.
It's discouraging that some of the revolutionaries in modern times may not inspire people towards a cause. For instance, Dr. Miguna Miguna whose social media posts are revolutionary, bold and factual, the barrister deported to Canada by the Kenyan government is boastful and narcissistic.
Miguna, lacks a cohesive approach which is the glue that binds people to fight for a cause. He insults even those who genuinely question his way of thinking. These are not the qualities of a revolutionary!
Key revolutionary figures from Mt. Kenya are great men- Dr. David Ndii, Maina Kiai and John Githongo. It’s sad that they lack a solid home-based citadel. If they try to pursue a popular movement, they will be branded as traitors by their community because of being President Kenyatta’s kinsmen.
It's noteworthy that the above three revolutionaries who are all Kikuyus, do have a constellation of admirers outside their home area who respect their values and patriotism and will go an extra mile to follow them.
Diaspora intellectuals like Prof. Makau Mutua augur a rich resume coated with ethical values, human rights and the quest for social justice. However, blending this with Kenya's ethnic and polarized political culture is a tall order. Mutua may speak Kikamba but moving his community towards a popular uprising be a tall order.
Can Kenyans borrow the Algerian or Sudanese examples or even the 20th Century revolution in Romania and the Philippines when Ferdinand Marcos and Nicolae ceseascou were deposed through a popular uprising?
The resiliency of common Sudanese and Algerians on the streets should act as a wake-up call for Kenyans to think big and act with bravery and boldness. Trying the corrupt in courts has failed. Looting is going on unabated. Scandals keep spiraling. What can be done to redeem Kenya?
Demanding the resignation of the political elite who have wrecked the country even if they were elected democratically is healthy.
Nyaringo is the President of Kenya Patriotic Movement, a lobby group based in the US
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