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We must fight tribalism in Kenya

  

Date Posted: 4/29/2012 7:56:28 AM

Posted By: Bony maurice  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 214


Tribalism has been a disease that has really eaten into Kenyans for long now. We have made mistakes that we came to regret ourselves. We have hated our neighbors just because they cannot speak the same in the tongues as us.

We have been divided at places of work, schools and many other places of interaction. Our leaders have divided us through their hate speeches. They have taught us to hate those from a different communal lineage. It came to 2008 and we fought. We killed one another, displaced those leaving in our neighborhood and looted property. Those who were work mates, school mates, friends, church mates became different when they learnt of their tribal differences.

Now, the question becomes, why the differences? When one is your work mate, business partner, teacher, doctor, pastor, friend or any other acquaintance to you, why should you turn against him/her. Why the unnecessary animosity? If this person has been of great importance to you before, why should you forget all this and make a boundary between the two of you.

Why has tribalism become a contagious issue in Kenya? We have extended this disease to our places of work, institutions, politics and defiled the quality of work at these places and let to deterioration of work. The productivity of this nation has gone down due to this vice. We have filled work positions by people who lack necessary qualifications but just because they are our tribesmen. Schools, colleges and universities have admitted students with weak qualifications just because of what surname they have. The political arena has been polluted; we vote along tribal lines and with a lot of favoritism.

Why did we fail to understand that we were defiling our future? What went wrong that every Kenyan thinks Kenya is of his/her

tribe. When Kenya is full of intellectuals who can work better, we disregard them. Kenya's economic growth has gone into stagnation due to our foolish mistakes. It is a high time that we embrace brotherhood and forge forward. We must come out of the cocoon of tribalism and learn to work together and develop this nation. We should appreciate and learn to give credit where it deserves. Lets go for the best and deploy and recruit only personnel who will be productive irrespective of their tribe, race, gender nor age.

Rwanda has taught us a lesson when they put behind their differences and decided to rebuild the nation. Their efforts can be seen as we see the nation's economy rise quickly. Rwanda will soon surpass Kenya in development due to their unity. We could also be very far if we could have embraced togetherness. If at all we inter-marry, work together, study together then what should place us asunder again. We depend on each other on very many spheres. We know that some communities are good at producing livestock, maize, sugar, tea, fish etc. So we have to benefit each other mutually. We must allow our young daughters and sons to associate freely without making them realize what differences lie between them.

It is very possible to put an end to tribalism in Kenya. Everyone should participate. It starts with me, you and him/her.



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