A LETTER TO THE KENYAN VOTER.....

Dear Kenyan,

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle…. and so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent…..Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed…’ 

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. The sweltering summer of Kenya's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.

We vote for a new leadership that believes in the freedom and equality of its people.

In violence we forgot who we were and violated the order of nature; fathers buried their sons and mothers buried their daughters. The number of internally displaced people ran into thousands.

The international community intervened. An African delegation from the A.U headed by his Excellency Kofi Annan was sent to mediate between the two camps in the political scene. This gave birth to the Coalition government.

The marriage has been rocky but the government has always found a way of ironing out her issues. In August 2010, Kenyans voted for a new constitution that would see a radical reform of government structures and leadership.

Leaders, who will inspire others to dream more, hope more, learn more, do more and become more. The promulgation of the new constitution arose the loving of the unlovable, the pardoning of the unpardonable and the believing of the unbelievable.

In our sad condition our only consolation was the expectancy of another life. Here below all was incomprehensible.
We voted for change. We voted for an end to impunity. We voted for the adherence to the rule of law. We voted for equality in all levels of government.

The new constitution once implemented will give every Kenyan an opportunity to share in the National Cake. The devolution of funds to the County level, the dual citizenship, the redefinition of the executive, gender equality, regional representation in places of employment, the recovery of grabbed land, the rights and fundamental freedoms are just but a few of the things that Kenyans voted for.

This fight for a new constitution had taken Kenyans decades but we remained hopeful. The civil society, the international community and especially the Kenyan people are to be commended. It is not what we did in the past that defines us but what we choose to do with those experiences. 
The people of Kenya have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. They will fight and condemn corruption and impunity.

The youth in this nation have for long asked for a position in government. The politicians have let us down. It is time we stopped listening to the rich and mighty. It is time we listened to one of our own. One with the same experiences, age, dreams and goals.

The women of Kenya need to fight harder for these positions. I commend them for their hard work in education and business. It is time they fought for one of their own in the political scene. I believe that when women have a voice in national and international affairs, peace and development will prevail forever. They are emotional beings that care for others. They seek the best for their children/nation.

We must nourish our courage. It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. This courage will make us fight for what is right. It will make us vote for the right people in leadership. It will make us live peacefully with our neighbors regardless of their tribe. It will make us judge people based on the content of their character.

I am a Kenyan youth. My dreams are not those of my father but my own. My life is not that of my member of parliament but my own. I believe in the Kenyan people, that in the next general elections, we shall vote peacefully and without malice.

The new Interim Independent Electoral Commission has a difficult task ahead of it. To ensure that each vote counts, they will have to put in place people of integrity to supervise the elections. The politicians on the other hand will need to mind their language and not trigger emotions among Kenyans. I commend the government for putting in place the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to check hate speech among those in influential positions of government and business.

We must remember that beginnings are scary. Endings are usually happy or sad, but it’s what’s in the middle that counts. Kenyans are brighter and stronger. They will hopefully vote wisely. They have learnt from their past mistakes.

Love comes to those who still hope even though they’ve been disappointed, to those who still believe even though they’ve been betrayed, to those who still love even though they’ve been hurt before. So let us love one another and all shall be well.

I see a better Kenya for tomorrow’s generation. God bless us. God bless Kenya.