By Raphael Obonyo
The political intolerance and culture of violence witnessed on two occasions in the recent past is highly unfortunate and very worrying at the same time.
First, it was in Murang’a last year when the deputy president Mr William Ruto meeting was disrupted by what later emerged to be hired goons. It came again when Raila Odinga convoy was pelted with stones by youth, also believed to have been hired, when he addressed a rally to drum up support for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). Moreover, the just concluded by-elections were marred by clashes and chaos.
From what has been going on for some time now, the stakes of the 2022 General Election appear higher than any other time since 1991 when Kenya ushered in pluralism. There are also signs that the elections will be very divisive if we do not change tact on how we mobilize Kenyans into politics.
As the BBI campaign takes shape, which is also inextricably linked to 2022 elections, politicians must desist from misusing youth to cause violence, and making inflammatory remarks that can incite young people to violence.
Youth in Kenya are vulnerable on two fronts. They are very attractive to the politicians due to their sheer numbers, energies and willingness to take risks. They are also highly exposed to manipulation due to the prevailing high rate of unemployment and dwindling economic fortunes.
The fact that 78 percent of the Kenyan population is below 35 years old, young people have the ability to alter Kenya’s rough political terrain. If Kenya’s politics will ever shift from the current ethnicized, hate and violent pattern devoid of issues, it will be because the youth will have decided so.
It is very unfortunate that politicians have largely ignored young people in the country’s political discourse, participation and decision-making. The rapture of Kenya as a country out of the youth crisis has been real for years now. Out of 10 jobless Kenyans, seven are youth.
Politicians manipulate destitute situation of young people, promising to create jobs before leaving that constituency in the cold after winning elections.
We have a recent history when in 2007, after divisive elections, Kenyans descended on each. This was a culmination of bad politics that followed the loss of the constitutional referendum during Kibaki’s first term in office. Politicians heightened beating drums of war immediately and by 2008, the country was torn in the middle.
It is lamentable that politicians are going back to the same old tactics and dirty politics. Politicians make Kenyans believe that there is no other way people can be mobilized into politics rather than through divisive approaches like the ethnic alliances, which are themselves not inclusive.
None in their political manifesto appreciates diversity of the Kenyan communities and the need to reconcile this and promote a common identity especially among the Kenyan youth.
Apathy among the youth is also worrying. With their creativity, young people must not only refuse to be used by politicians as vehicles of violence but must also expand their space in meaningfully participating in leadership.
We must stop the politics of hate and violence. We can love our choices, without hating what other people like. Youth must lead the society to explore peaceful paths to democracy. Young people must reject violence and acts that harm, and turn to acts that heal.
Youth must demonstrate love for peace regardless of our political orientation and ethnic identity. Violence has absolutely no place in the electoral process. We must refuse to accept hooliganism and violence as the norm. We lose ourselves when we continue walking down the undesired path of violence.
The open and charged nature of campaigns that political parties continue to display must be encouraged. But politicians must not forget that politics is a battle of ideas – politicians must market their agenda, and at the same time preach and work for peace.
We are all sons and daughters of this beautiful country, and that no Kenyan is more special. We come from different parties, belong to different tribes and confess different faiths, but we must agree that we are all Kenyans, and we only have one country that we must strive to build.
All Kenyans must understand, as never before, that we all have a right to support political parties and candidates of our choice, and that each one of us is fully worthy of respect and dignity. We can love our choices, without hating what other people like. Youth must lead the society to explore peaceful paths to democracy.
As the country enters the electioneering period, albeit prematurely, the youth have an important role in ensuring peaceful elections because violence destroys the future of young people.
Mr Obonyo is a Policy Analyst. Email: raphojuma@hotmail.com
