Mind Boggling
By Njeri Mucheru-Oyatta
Chapter 75
The first unimaginable thing I decided to do was to vote for the Luo presidential candidate instead of the Kikuyu one in this year’s general elections. The reason such an action is unimaginable can only be understood by a Kikuyu. Among the Kikuyu there is a saying that ‘you stick with your own’. According to the Kikuyu, your own means a Kikuyu. Other tribes are not your own unless you are fighting against another country. Even then, I think that if the Kikuyus were not under any threat, they would easily join the enemy in the hope that the other tribes would be obliterated and they could be left as the only tribe in Kenya.
Throughout Kenya, all Kikuyus were determined to vote and prevent the tragic occurrence of an uncircumcised jaluo, otherwise referred to by the derogatory term ‘kihee’ becoming their president. If as a Kikuyu you dared to support the Luo candidate, you were regarded a traitor. Through my interaction with my fellow Kikuyus, I came to realize that the Kikuyus believe themselves to be a superior tribe to other tribes in Kenya. They believe that they are an intelligent, enterprising, peace loving and civilized people while the other tribes, especially the Luos are a bunch of empty headed trouble makers who just happen to excel in academics on account of consuming too much fish.
The tribal slurs and superior talk when discussing politics in a gathering of Kikuyus left me in dismay. I am married to a Luo but as I understand it, my husband is an exception to the rule. Generally speaking, Luos cannot compare to Kikuyus in quality . Kikuyus are the majority tribe in Kenya and that in itself places them a notch above the rest. If you visit Kenya, you will realize that Central Province, a predominantly Kikuyu area, is a far much more developed area than the rest of Kenya. The reason for this was told to us on a television interview when a Luhya man representing the Kikuyu president’s interest in Western Province stated that while the Kikuyus were busy working hard, the rest of the tribes were busy idling around and making trouble. I could not believe that the person from whose mouth those words came was actually referring to himself as a busybody. The unequal development of parts of the country apparently has nothing to do with unequal distribution of government resources. It is the ability of the Kikuyus that has put them ahead of the rest.
Surprisingly, Kikuyus do not agree with the theory that white people are superior to black people and anyone advocating such a theory is a racist whose ideas are completely unacceptable in this day and age. The reason why countries ruled by white people are exceedingly more developed than those ruled by black people is definitely not that the white people are a more intelligent, enterprising, peace loving and civilized people than the blacks.
What do racists, tribalists and chauvinists have in common? It is a fear of becoming irrelevant. When a person decides to attack another based on his/her race, tribe or sex, it must be presumed that the attacker is superior to the attacked therefore the attacker has a God given right to dominate the attacked. The Kikuyu are superior to all other tribes in Kenya and therefore they have a God given right to dominate the other tribes and retain leadership exclusively within their community. Never again will power be allowed to leave the hands of the Kikuyu.
Kenya has no policy of segregation. Kikuyus live in close proximity with all other tribes. They share the same roads, the same supermarkets, the same fuel stations, the same restaurants, the same schools; there are no special privileges derived from the fact that our president is a Kikuyu. However, only a Kikuyu can associate himself or herself with the president. The fact that our president is a Kikuyu is an achievement for any Kikuyu comparing himself/herself with someone from a different tribe. For instance, if a Kikuyu meets a person from another tribe who has done reasonably well, bought a house, drives a nice car, is happily married with beautiful children and the Kikuyu feels envious of that person, the fact that the president is a Kikuyu will serve to diminish all the personal achievements of that person and relegate him to an inferior position to the Kikuyu. The reason for this is that the ability to lead a country is not something anyone from any other tribe can claim to possess. As it is, the Kalenjin president proved this point without a shadow of a doubt. If there have been any failures by the Kikuyu presidents, those failures are inevitable as can be seen all over the world and it is not the president who should be blamed for them. It is the people around him and those who he has employed in his cabinet.
The fear of becoming irrelevant feeds on an inability to deal with personal insecurities. If the personal insecurities were themselves addressed, the need to dominate and thus gain relevance would not arise. The inability to deal with personal insecurities does not allow a reasoned assessment of the respective positions of individuals. A male chauvinist believes that he is superior to a woman regardless of the woman’s achievements. A racist believes that s/he is superior to a person of another race regardless of that person’s achievements. A tribalist believes that s/he is superior to a person of another tribe regardless of that person’s achievements.
The inability to respond sensibly to a leadership challenge by a person from another tribe is plaguing the leadership of our country. From the campaign strategy adopted to the exposure to allegations of vote rigging, it is clear that no reasoned assessment of the challenge made against our leadership has ever been made. The assessment has been driven by and based solely on the belief that the Kikuyu are superior to the Luo and a Luo cannot be possessed of the ability to unseat a Kikuyu president. The irony of all this is that going back 5 years ago to the time the Kikuyu president came to power, it is clear that were it not for the Luo challenger, the Kikuyu president would never have been able to defeat the incumbent’s choice.
Today is the third day since we voted. Results of the elections have been trickling in through official channels but have been unofficially released by the press and media. As far as civic and parliamentary elections are concerned, the two sources of information are at par. However, the presidential votes are differing seriously and civil unrest is beginning to show its ugly head in many parts of the country. Resentment against the Kikuyu has been aroused among other tribes and there is no telling what will happen once the Kikuyu president is declared winner of the elections.
If you ask me, I would say that it is IMPOSSIBLE to convince the Kikuyu that a Luo can rule Kenya and bring desirable change which will benefit even the Kikuyu. The tribalism of the Kikuyu is a Goliath of unimaginable proportions.
I voted in Kiambu. A Kikuyu area. While standing in line to vote, I experienced a feeling of deep sadness as I listened to the tribal remarks being made against my candidate. Daring to say anything in his defence would have been a fatal action. I associated the feeling I got to what my dad must have felt when he got onto a golf course to play at a time when golf was exclusively a white man’s game during colonial times. The effect of racism and tribalism on an individual is the same.
Can the Goliath be slayed? Is anything really possible with God? I am praying that God will show me that even this is possible.
By Njeri Mucheru-Oyatta
Chapter 75
The first unimaginable thing I decided to do was to vote for the Luo presidential candidate instead of the Kikuyu one in this year’s general elections. The reason such an action is unimaginable can only be understood by a Kikuyu. Among the Kikuyu there is a saying that ‘you stick with your own’. According to the Kikuyu, your own means a Kikuyu. Other tribes are not your own unless you are fighting against another country. Even then, I think that if the Kikuyus were not under any threat, they would easily join the enemy in the hope that the other tribes would be obliterated and they could be left as the only tribe in Kenya.
Throughout Kenya, all Kikuyus were determined to vote and prevent the tragic occurrence of an uncircumcised jaluo, otherwise referred to by the derogatory term ‘kihee’ becoming their president. If as a Kikuyu you dared to support the Luo candidate, you were regarded a traitor. Through my interaction with my fellow Kikuyus, I came to realize that the Kikuyus believe themselves to be a superior tribe to other tribes in Kenya. They believe that they are an intelligent, enterprising, peace loving and civilized people while the other tribes, especially the Luos are a bunch of empty headed trouble makers who just happen to excel in academics on account of consuming too much fish.
The tribal slurs and superior talk when discussing politics in a gathering of Kikuyus left me in dismay. I am married to a Luo but as I understand it, my husband is an exception to the rule. Generally speaking, Luos cannot compare to Kikuyus in quality . Kikuyus are the majority tribe in Kenya and that in itself places them a notch above the rest. If you visit Kenya, you will realize that Central Province, a predominantly Kikuyu area, is a far much more developed area than the rest of Kenya. The reason for this was told to us on a television interview when a Luhya man representing the Kikuyu president’s interest in Western Province stated that while the Kikuyus were busy working hard, the rest of the tribes were busy idling around and making trouble. I could not believe that the person from whose mouth those words came was actually referring to himself as a busybody. The unequal development of parts of the country apparently has nothing to do with unequal distribution of government resources. It is the ability of the Kikuyus that has put them ahead of the rest.
Surprisingly, Kikuyus do not agree with the theory that white people are superior to black people and anyone advocating such a theory is a racist whose ideas are completely unacceptable in this day and age. The reason why countries ruled by white people are exceedingly more developed than those ruled by black people is definitely not that the white people are a more intelligent, enterprising, peace loving and civilized people than the blacks.
What do racists, tribalists and chauvinists have in common? It is a fear of becoming irrelevant. When a person decides to attack another based on his/her race, tribe or sex, it must be presumed that the attacker is superior to the attacked therefore the attacker has a God given right to dominate the attacked. The Kikuyu are superior to all other tribes in Kenya and therefore they have a God given right to dominate the other tribes and retain leadership exclusively within their community. Never again will power be allowed to leave the hands of the Kikuyu.
Kenya has no policy of segregation. Kikuyus live in close proximity with all other tribes. They share the same roads, the same supermarkets, the same fuel stations, the same restaurants, the same schools; there are no special privileges derived from the fact that our president is a Kikuyu. However, only a Kikuyu can associate himself or herself with the president. The fact that our president is a Kikuyu is an achievement for any Kikuyu comparing himself/herself with someone from a different tribe. For instance, if a Kikuyu meets a person from another tribe who has done reasonably well, bought a house, drives a nice car, is happily married with beautiful children and the Kikuyu feels envious of that person, the fact that the president is a Kikuyu will serve to diminish all the personal achievements of that person and relegate him to an inferior position to the Kikuyu. The reason for this is that the ability to lead a country is not something anyone from any other tribe can claim to possess. As it is, the Kalenjin president proved this point without a shadow of a doubt. If there have been any failures by the Kikuyu presidents, those failures are inevitable as can be seen all over the world and it is not the president who should be blamed for them. It is the people around him and those who he has employed in his cabinet.
The fear of becoming irrelevant feeds on an inability to deal with personal insecurities. If the personal insecurities were themselves addressed, the need to dominate and thus gain relevance would not arise. The inability to deal with personal insecurities does not allow a reasoned assessment of the respective positions of individuals. A male chauvinist believes that he is superior to a woman regardless of the woman’s achievements. A racist believes that s/he is superior to a person of another race regardless of that person’s achievements. A tribalist believes that s/he is superior to a person of another tribe regardless of that person’s achievements.
The inability to respond sensibly to a leadership challenge by a person from another tribe is plaguing the leadership of our country. From the campaign strategy adopted to the exposure to allegations of vote rigging, it is clear that no reasoned assessment of the challenge made against our leadership has ever been made. The assessment has been driven by and based solely on the belief that the Kikuyu are superior to the Luo and a Luo cannot be possessed of the ability to unseat a Kikuyu president. The irony of all this is that going back 5 years ago to the time the Kikuyu president came to power, it is clear that were it not for the Luo challenger, the Kikuyu president would never have been able to defeat the incumbent’s choice.
Today is the third day since we voted. Results of the elections have been trickling in through official channels but have been unofficially released by the press and media. As far as civic and parliamentary elections are concerned, the two sources of information are at par. However, the presidential votes are differing seriously and civil unrest is beginning to show its ugly head in many parts of the country. Resentment against the Kikuyu has been aroused among other tribes and there is no telling what will happen once the Kikuyu president is declared winner of the elections.
If you ask me, I would say that it is IMPOSSIBLE to convince the Kikuyu that a Luo can rule Kenya and bring desirable change which will benefit even the Kikuyu. The tribalism of the Kikuyu is a Goliath of unimaginable proportions.
I voted in Kiambu. A Kikuyu area. While standing in line to vote, I experienced a feeling of deep sadness as I listened to the tribal remarks being made against my candidate. Daring to say anything in his defence would have been a fatal action. I associated the feeling I got to what my dad must have felt when he got onto a golf course to play at a time when golf was exclusively a white man’s game during colonial times. The effect of racism and tribalism on an individual is the same.
Can the Goliath be slayed? Is anything really possible with God? I am praying that God will show me that even this is possible.
6 comments:
I feel very sorry for you. Njeri you remind me of the pro hitler jews who thought they were progressive .
There is nothing worse than anti kikuyu Tribalist than people like you and the tony gachokas of this world you make ME sic!
Ben Okri said "We are going to have to transcend our tribes without losing our roots, transcend our religions without losing our faith".
Tribalisms is EVIL and should be condemned by all peace loving Kenyans. Kuddos Njeri for refusing to be tribal am with you!!!
Mogiyusuf, the truth hurts, I know. Am sorry if I have offended you. But let me say that your comments are of no help at all. Every Kenyan knows that tribalism exists. I am a Kikuyu and I know what I have seen within my community. I love my country and if we are to succeed in eradicating tribalism, we must start with ourselves first before accusing others. Examine your heart and find out why your reaction is so vile.
I agree with you Njeri, anyone who truly love Kenya should condemn tribalism.Diversity is a blessing that should hold us together not divides us apart.
why would such a learned person bend her psychology and reason at the lowest ebb?What comes out of your mouth clearly depicts your psychological boundaries and i strongly believe this is something you will take to your grave!Your level of education for sure should enable you play way above such precincts!If that is how you reason then the next question is of what significance is the education you have?
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