By Samuel Mwangi Ngari.
As we approach our 62nd celebrations for Kenya attaining independence tribalism still poses a critical issue in this country. To some a tribal less Kenya might sound like a treacherous hallucination but it is very much possible if we stopped allowing tribal politics to continue dividing us.
As a Gen-Z I don’t understand why one’s tribe is carried with so much weight in this country but maybe a small dive in our politics one gets why. Over the years we have seen what tribal politics do and their harms. Many purport to help their tribesmen but that’s a lie that greedy individuals have used to dupe Kenyans. Many Kenyans are tired of divisive politics and aspirants in the 2027 general elections need to come up with better convincing manifestos besides one tribe.
Kenyan youtuber, activist and journalist Lynn Ngugi, was a victim of tribalism earlier this week for calling out the head of state for his earlier comments on Kenyans protesting the Adani deals. President William Ruto claimed Kenyans are poccessed by evil spirits for rejecting many of his projects. Ruto went ahead and disrespected Kenyans by adding that many have never been in the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), hence they should not have been against the Adani airport deals.
X user (formerly known as Twitter), who goes by the username Dr. Dennis Adison Ouma, went ahead and started a campaign calling on Ruto supporters to unfollow Lynn Ngugi and other Kikuyu content creators who are particularly vocal on calling out the government. Mr. Ouma alleged that Ruto has already won the 2027 elections and he is waiting to be sworn in. He also said that all other tribes should unite against Kikuyus and this is not only shocking but equally treasonous. This country has been a victim of tribal wars and post-election violence, we should take tribal crimes and jokes more seriously and serve people jail terms.
Today the freedom of press has been greatly undermined and this should worry every Kenyan and if we do not watch out, history might repeat itself. Today everyone is a citizen journalist thanks to social media and technology, we have a better reach to information. We are progressing backwards if in this time and age we are going to silence people for criticizing the government. We the people are the opposition and this is really great moment in Kenyan history. Its time we stopped tolerating voices who call out the government. This is ironical since Ruto in his manifestos promised to lead a tribal free country and also promised there will be no extrajudicial killings.
As a third-year student pursuing journalism and mass communication I am saddened with the States efforts to silence journalists. The freedom of expression is a right under the 2010 Constitution and until we change our constitution nobody rights to expression should be silenced. Kenyans are talking about the state of their beloved country, which is being led astray and they are entitled to voice out their opinions. All Kenyans are expected by law to pay taxes hence they have every right to call out corruption.
It’s time we rid ourselves the burden of having politicians who are tribal and who use their positions to politically divide Kenyans. As Kenyans we should be concerned about the future of this country and how we are going to totally eradicate the issue of tribalism. Having many tribes in our country should be a reason to be joyous and something to be elated about rather than turning it into a political divisive plot. Kenyan patriotism is in our blood and we should stop allowing people spewing tribal comments to have a platform in Kenya, last time I checked all Kenyans are taxpayers and all Kenyans are voters.
Let’s change or perish, as Africans we are already divided enough to allow tribal politics and stereotypes divide us further.
Great news 🗞️
Good read ngari, perhaps it's time we start identifying ourselves as Kenyans rather than labeling us based on tribe