The other day as we were chilling while sipping our different favorites, I on my customary sugarless milk tea. I’m slowly turning to an addict of drinking tea, sugarless tea. You ask why sugarless? I’ve no idea, just tried it once the way most of you tried the famous herb or licked the bottle and I’ve never looked back since. It’s been 2 months since. I’m not diabetic(thank God) or in a cult that doesn’t do sugar, just made a stupid trial and here I am.
So there we were outside, chatting away the week’s happenings, trying to convince one of us his girlfriend is too control on his life. He never makes a decision, it’s always the girlfriend who has the last word. It’s not wrong, but… Story for another day. I was made fun of over one of my exes, it’s ever a subject of discussion. One way or another, one of the discussions always ends up to guys making fun of my love-life. I know, I should look for new friends. We got arguing about who has a better chance to go on and become Kenya’s CJ after Justice Mutunga.
Not a surprise when the discussions ended up to we delving into the country’s politics. Everything in Kenya is connected somehow or somewhat to the country’s political structure. The thing is, we never discuss politics during our chatterbox sessions. It’s an unwritten rule, just like never start a religious argument. Those never end well. Maybe it’s because we are too young to understand politics totally, or because we’ve had a few of our parents on those elective posts and so it would hurt one of us talking ill of politicians…we just steer away the best we can.
However, this day was different. Does the Supreme court have to have a regional balance? Or should the best candidates be selected irrespective of their home areas? And should the president & CJ be from different areas? That was one hell of an argument. As of any political argument, we didn’t get to agree but it got me thinking about something else, the metamorphosis of a Kenyan voter.
All of us have voted less than thrice, most of us having just received our IDs when the Constitutional referendum came around. We didn’t know much about politics and probably did as our parents told us. We however, made our own decisions during the 2012 General Elections. We were old enough, had experienced the world and now felt like adults.
As young voters(probably first timers), you haven’t been exposed to the toxic world of politics. You are still innocent and hoping the best for Kenya(not that the older generation don’t hope the best for Kenya, but not as much as the youth). You vote depending on how you were raised, either you follow your parents choices or go for the new guy that has the best manifesto and looks to have the capacity to lead Kenya from corruption, tribalism and other ailments. You are optimistic, almost sure everybody is seeing what you see in your choice. The old faces have been there since you started watching the 7 o’clock news, and it’s getting worse… everyone has obviously noticed the best choice. The results makes you die a little inside, your choice had only 5% of the votes. Why? How? You don’t understand.
Come the next election, the hope you had has been reduced to a light at the end of the tunnel. That end doesn’t seem near, but at least the hope is there. Others give up and join the crowd and vote as the crowd they belong to, whether based in tribal alienation or factors that will favor you. Some still hope for the best and go for he who has the best leadership skills, manifesto or will unite the country. People ought to have realized the old fellas haven’t done a thing for the 20 years, they reason out. Disappointment! Some faces get back, albeit on new vessels.
The few remaining souls that hoped for the best give up! Come the next election, only a handful are still standing by their word during their youthful life that they will always vote for issues rather than tribesmen. Experience in the outside world, away from the care of your parents & guardians has shown you a lot. Most end up in the crowd. And well, Kenyan politics goes on being the same.
I may be wrong about this, but I believe that’s what happens. We all hope for the best, aspire to one day live in a great Kenya, be a citizen of a developed country and be proud of the achievements we are gaining but how many of us want to take a chance to realize that? Don’t get me wrong, the old fellas may be better than the young fellas, but as long as the above cycle is going on, we have a long long way to go. Hopefully, I’ll be there when it the a generation does it differently. Maybe my generation!
Back to my sugarless tea will do me good. No, I’m not as old as you’ve started imagining. The rhumba and lingala I listen to are just good music, and sugarless tea is good for my health. You do it for a weak and come back tell me if you do not feel ‘livelier’ in the mornings. Better than those herbal concoctions.
WatuWaMalooks 