TRIBALISM: A FAMILIAR CRY IN OUR LIPS

Tribalism is a familiar cry in our lips, a song that has been and will be sung for many years, and it has become the proverbial broken record. Is there a solution to this “problem” that we face? Tribalism or ethnicity has been blamed for many of our country’s woes and rightfully so. From conflicts that have arisen with startling frequency, the economic performance of our organizations where inept and incapable employees are hired or appointed on the basis of tribe, to the distribution of resources, the sharing of the so called national cake.

Yet here I stand and state that tribalism is not and never has been a problem, especially in our great country Kenya. Why do I say this?  This is because tribalism is a guise, a mask worn by great and many others (REAL) problems that plague us. Because tribalism is a weapon for the conqueror to use in managing his oppressed; from the Colonialists divide and rule policy to the modern day politicizing of tribalism to obtain votes. The aforementioned problems include ignorance, our lack or too little national spirit, economic hardships uneven development across the country and many, many more.

Economic issues are the main problem of our country. Many Kenyans live below the poverty line, the cost of living seems to be increasing in geometric progression and many other numerous problems requiring money keep arising. A man would be less inclined to entertain vehement tribalism in his mind if he is economically secure. When you find a large group of the youth being unemployed and nothing worthwhile to do their minds end up being the proverbial devils workshop and these are the people you find in the conflicts believing that some tribe is responsible for their situation or on the other hand protecting “their” tribes wealth.

While who to blame (for the economic situation) is an open question, most people’s favorite answer and mine would be our politicians whose antics can only be said to be unbelievable. Now as most of these politicians would rather not have us demanding for their heads on a platter, they have devised various ways of distracting us from themselves. The most common way is the tribe issue, which they have perfected as a weapon of misdirection, as they rob the nation’s coffers.

We even find violent conflicts arising over some tribe’s watering holes in the arid and semiarid areas of Kenya. Read that again…Yes, watering holes. In this age and time a person may lose his life over a watering hole. Why can’t the so called entertainment budgets we all read about be used to dig more holes? Or even have the tribes in question join hands and dig more holes. Instead, politicians are busy stroking the fire of tribalism instead of solving their peoples’ problems.

Ignorance is one of the greatest perpetrators of tribalism in Kenya. If all I know about tribe X comes from local myths, stories and general view of my society, if all I know comes from my politicians, if I have never gotten to meet a flesh and blood person from tribe X; then how do you expect me to believe or know otherwise? It is not until you meet and interact with people from other tribes that you realize how generally alike we all are. For those who have interacted with people from other tribes, it is painfully obvious that most of our preconceived ideas are dead wrong, not all members of tribe Z are witches and wizards, not all members of tribe Y are thieves and this can go on to ad infinitum. No tribe is composed of a single individual so no tribe stands to be judged by the conduct of a few of its members.

We need to realize that everybody in Kenya is fighting their own battles regardless of the tribe. All tribes in Kenya have poor people, all tribes in Kenya face the same economic hardships like everyone else and all of us are Kenyans.

An Article by Wanyoike Muiruri

University of Nairobi

Law Student