KAIKAI’S KICKER: Like colonialism and racism, tribalism is futile

On my Kicker tonight, I invite you to a little discussion about tribalism in Kenya. Yes, I know we prefer to talk about that subject in hushed tones but let us for a moment drop that hypocritical cowardice and talk about that little tree in the middle of our collective garden of Eden. After all, we not only eat the fruits of that tree of tribalism; some have audaciously turned up with electric blenders to turn the forbidden fruit into some really tasty juice! And Yes, how about sipping it away right under its shade.

So, fellow Kenyans, tuache kujifanya for a moment...let’s talk tribe. OK then, let me go first – I am a Maasai, pure and proud, born and bred. Now, in the context of our discussion on tribalism in Kenya, I offer that there will be very little to accuse the Maasai of. In Kenya’s politics of tribal numbers, the Maasai are few and quite frankly, often don’t even give a strand of an oxtail on how the heck the contests of political numbers go. For a Maasai, if it is ‘noit inkera’ that is women and children, or ‘inkishu’ that is cows or ‘enkai’ that is god the giver of rains, then it doesn’t really matter. And they have not quite cared for a while; our forefathers straddled the land back in the era of greatness, leaving behind beautiful names that include Enkare Nairobi, the place of cold waters that became our capital. Then they even signed two really bad, non-reciprocal agreements with the British colonialists, in 1904 and 1911 – and that is how I ended up being born in Transmara, Narok County, and not Uasin Gishu County, where my Uasin Gishu clan and family originated. End of my story… what is yours? And what is your tribe?

Now, early this week, a judgment from the High Court spoke in plain terms about tribes. It spoke about the Kikuyu tribe and spoke about the Kalenjin tribe. The context being the recruitment of some 1,406 Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) assistants. The judge William Musyoka found that out of the 1,406 KRA recruits, a whopping 785 came from two communities – the Kalenjin and the Kikuyu. The judge observed that in a country of over 40 tribes, this constituted a 56 percent lion share for only two communities. The judge broke it down further, detailing that in terms of specific areas, the majority of recruits came from the home area of the KRA Chairman Anthony Mwaura. The judge observed that the KRA is dominated by the two communities ostensibly because of their closeness to power.

Justice Musyoka declared the appointments as unconstitutional, citing various articles that the skewed recruitment had violated. Now, the judge’s hands are tied, and he stated as much. He could not nullify the recruitment. His was to assess the process, and he found it flawed and so stands indicted.

We are now left with a judgment that must be issued to KRA and the government as a certificate of bad manners. Tribalism should not be that blatant and shameless. For a national revenue to recruit as if for a collection of ethnic marbles should be found plain below the standards of nationhood.

Yet fellow Kenyans, as we agreed earlier, tusijifanye. Let us not pretend. This is how we have always conducted ourselves. It was just that KRA forgot to draw the curtains. What are the chances that that is the trend right across government departments, especially in a situation top leadership has invoked shareholding rights? How about simple questions of conscience like – if two communities take 56 percent, what happens to 41 other communities? And all the while how do the rest of the so called fellow countrymen feel in the face of such blatant bad manners?

Justice Musyoka’s judgment may not interfere with the dining table but it has held the mirror for Kenyans to look at their collective ugly tribal face.

Yet a few facts of life must hold; tribalism, just like colonialism and racism, is not sustainable in the long run. It is a realization that Kenya’s big tribes must come to terms with sooner rather than later. As Kenyans divide themselves into ethnic voting blocks, let them be aware that governments formed out of tribal majorities have no sustainable way of dolling out tribe specific favours. You just need to take a look at the agonizing consumption of the fine print of the Finance Act, 2023 – did you see that awkward discussion about farmers from Central Kenya versus those of Rift Valley and Western Kenya? Talk of a cul de sac.

So what happens to taxpaying camel herders of Loyiangalani, fishermen of Tana River or cattle keepers of Loita? Should they just be content with chanting ancient prayers at national holidays? Even though they mostly don’t care, I don’t think it is OK or sustainable long term. And to paraphrase Guinea Bissau freedom struggle hero Amicar Cabral, nationhood can only be born out of the death of tribalism.

That is my Kicker!