Blurb: Advocate for Better Governance and Democracy in Africa
KISUMU, Kenya July 21 –At independence, Kenya was a tapestry of hope, woven tightly with threads of unity, patriotism, and shared destiny. We were one nation — borderless in our hearts, tribal only in culture but not in politics.
Kenyans stood together, bound by the collective dream of self-governance, prosperity, and dignity.
The late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, in a moment of profound wisdom, declared that: ” There could be no independence without Jomo Kenyatta.”
That was not just political courtesy; it was a nationalistic conviction that Kenya’s freedom had to reflect unity and inclusivity. We were different, yes — but we were one.
After colonial rule was overthrown, Kenya remained united for a time. The formation of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) under Mzee Jomo Kenyatta cemented this unity. Citizens loved one another. Inter-ethnic marriages flourished. Nationhood triumphed over ethnicity.
But over the decades, this unity began to fray. With the reintroduction of multiparty democracy, Kenya gained political pluralism but lost something deeply vital — our sense of oneness.
Today, our political rhetoric is increasingly ethnicized. The balkanization of leadership, tribal voting patterns, and identity-based alliances threaten our national fabric.
To understand where we went wrong — and how to recover — we must turn to the towering African intellectual, Professor Ali Mazrui.
Mazrui, one of Kenya’s greatest scholars, developed the influential concept of The Triple Heritage — a framework for understanding African identity through the interplay of three cultural influences.
Indigenous African traditions, Islamic values (in regions where Islam shaped societies) and Western colonial legacies.
In Mazrui’s view, Africa’s challenge was not the presence of these heritages, but our failure to harmonise them.
Instead of integrating the values, ethics, and strengths of these cultural strands, many African states allowed them to collide — creating fragmentation rather than cohesion.
Kenya, too, is a product of a triple heritage — though shaped more distinctly by ethnic traditions, Christian missionary education, and British colonial rule.
These layers have enriched our identity but also created points of tension. Rather than embrace this complexity as a unifying force, we have often retreated into tribal silos, using cultural differences as political ammunition.
Mazrui argued that unity in Africa would remain elusive unless we acknowledged, respected, and balanced these heritages.
In Kenya’s context, that means recognising that being a Luo, Kikuyu, Luhya, Kalenjin, or Kamba does not contradict being Kenyan. Ethnicity is part of our cultural identity, not our political destiny.
When political leaders announce presidential bids only from their ethnic strongholds, they undermine this philosophy. When voters align purely along tribal lines, they betray the ideal of national citizenship.
When public discourse is shaped more by tribal arithmetic than constitutional principle, we erode the very foundations of our democracy.
To course-correct, we must return to Article 10 of the Constitution of Kenya, which enshrines our national values: “Patriotism, national unity, sharing and devolution of power, the rule of law, democracy and participation of the people… inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination, and protection of the marginalised.”
These principles are not aspirational — they are binding. They reflect the very spirit of Mazrui’s call for cultural synthesis, not separation.
I therefore support the proposed National Conclave advocated by former Prime Minister and ODM leader Mr. Raila Odinga. But more than a dialogue among elites, it should be a people’s conversation — drawing voices from across ethnic, regional, and generational lines.
Let us speak, not as tribal spokespeople, but as citizens of one republic.
Kenya is too beautiful, too rich in diversity, and too full of promise to be divided by narrow identities. Let us embrace Ali Mazrui’s wisdom and forge a national identity rooted in the strength of our combined heritage — not weakened by its misuse.
Let us remember: we are different, but not divided. And in that difference lies our power.
The author is a senior writer with the People Daily and an advocate for better governance and democracy in Africa.
Kepherpeace@gmail.com
