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| Photo Credit: Internet Sources |
From the look of things and the public discourse on social media, one would be excused to conclude that the Kenyan society has been wired to believe that all solutions - no matter what - must originate from the political class.
There is a growing feeling that the more powers a politician wields, the better he delivers on his duties.
This partly explains why we - government and citizens alike - are quick to push for legal changes ostensibly to cure an existential problem that (maybe) stems from our own mistakes, omissions or outright mediocrity.
Whether this assertion is right is yet to be proved. But one thing I know is that powers devoid of solid human effort will take us nowhere. It's completely out of touch to believe that princely looking officials will bring heavens to our door steps.
No, no, no it doesn't work that way. Only hopeless populations will entertain such thoughts - and practices.
Which brings us to another level: What makes a population hopeless? Does this hopelessness offer a lifeline to one-sided politics? What is the way out of this?
Many theories have been propounded on the subject of hopelessness of peoples and how this state impacts both on peoples' lives, the environment in which they live and the general body-politic governing them.
One such thinker is Paulo Freire who until his death in 1997 was a Brazilian educator and philosopher whose advocacy of critical pedagogy gave rise to his book "The Pedagogy Of The Oppressed".
In this title, he examines the genesis of oppression, its manifestations and growth. Besides, he tries to figure out the connection between the mind of the oppressed and the oppressive conditions in which s/he is subjected to.
Not all oppression, he observes, must be blamed on external oppressors. Other forms of oppression are nurtured and promoted by the oppressed themselves.
A society promotes its own destruction the moment it fully renders itself susceptible to manipulation. It must not – at all times - assume the role of a bystander.
Can the Kenyan society - based on Freire's analysis - be said to be hopeless as a result of external forces (read selfish politicos)?
Recent terror attacks coupled with many other challenges bedeviling us have clearly shown our fissures.
Our sense of national outrage needs a big boost. We shamelessly believe that any trouble in one part of the country (like the terrorist killings at Garissa University) is not our trouble as long as our (personal) interests remain intact.
This absence of a solid national outrage is the fodder that keeps mediocre politics growing. Mark you; the specificity of politics is unique to every society. Ours is built on indifference and short-term-ism.
It's obviously clear that a society that practices politics of indifference breeds politicians whose DNA is indifference.
So, why are we surprised when our leaders seem not to connect to our sufferance? Why are we complaining of their thieving nature when we solidly stand behind them with the full knowledge of their shortcomings?
Who is the enemy? Who deserves condemnation? Isn't it time for us Kenyans to step aside and soul-search?
Bloodbath, hunger, corruption, subversion of the rule of law, marginalization, and disregard of people’s standing as the primary builders of the nation and many other ills stalking us need more than our two-minute mumblings and online brouhaha.
We must move beyond this for real impact to flow.
For those of us whose heads are heavy for fear of testing new grounds, it’s time we admitted that it's preposterous to bank our hopes on a selfish political class we collectively created. We have the tools to deconstruct it.
The greatness of Kenya is in how we act - individually and collectively.
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