Governments all over the world lose some popularity once they ascend to power, especially if they have to take drastic measures to address deep-rooted situations. Kenyan Kwanza is no different. They have come in with a different approach to dealing with lots of issues including our debt crisis and either their approach is not resonating with the people, or they are failing to address themselves to the people.
Indeed, the mass protest of the last two weeks unpacks a lot about the current political dispensation. Article 37 and Article 1 of the Constitution aside, we cannot claim any sort of success in actions guaranteed in the Constitution if we lose lives, we experience looting and police brutality, and different political leadership sides trying to outdo each other on which side is saintly as Kenyans lose their lives.
Article 37 does not give the sovereign people the right to destroy properties and neither does the article envision deaths of the common citizenry. On the one hand there are Kenyans who took to the streets in the name of expression of dissent only to engage in illegal activities. These are not demonstrators, and neither are they civil citizens expressing dissent. These are criminal elements who ride on the noble provisions of the Constitution to loot and destroy properties. They should be dealt with and both the organisers of the demos and the police should be alive to such criminal elements on both sides of mass protest. Unfortunately, what we have seen is a lack of effort to deal with such characters, and instead, faceless individuals masquerading as police who could be anything, but police have been seen brutalizing Kenyans.
This is not to say that the police have not distinguished themselves by avoiding what is increasingly becoming a riotous act by some criminal elements. While we have instances of brutalisation of demonstrators and close-range shooting by a few who are tarnishing the image of the service, we have also seen police officers who have distinguished themselves in serving both the demonstrators and the public.
In all these, we are degenerating and the war of words between the top and respected leaders of this country is pushing it too far. Can’t the regime seize this mass demonstration opportunity to redeem itself and its image by addressing the people and their plight? First, the assumption that this is about Raila Odinga or President William Ruto is as misplaced as a pork merchant in Oman. Kenyans voted for this regime simply because of an ideology that resonated with the masses. You see, ideology has been contested in African politics, but mainly by folks who look at ideology as a received concept. Simply put Kenya Kwanza had a clear ideology – the hustler economic emancipation ideology. Whether it was verbalized or articulated as such is a story for another day, but what is certain is that they succeeded in selling the picture of a rosy life for the common mwananchi.
Naturally, once in power, a political regime turns ideology into policy and if the policy cannot be actioned or enforced as is, then the legislative arm of the regime kicks in to legislate to give their ideology formulated into policy/policies an enforceable framework. That is exactly what the Kenya Kwanza regime has done. They have used their numbers in Parliament to pass the Finance Act which is poised to address the plight of the very hustlers who gave them power.
Unfortunately, it appears the hustlers do not see how the policies and more specifically the Finance Act will give them what the regime promised. It is not difficult to see that herein lies the reason for the mass demonstrations and how easy it would be if the regime listened and provided a space and time to address the demonstrators. That would be game-changing, especially if they follow the listening with concrete actions. Dissent by the people can only be addressed by those in power and dragging Raila Odinga who happens to be the go-to leader when the people are frustrated by the regime only makes it difficult for the regime.
Our leaders need to realize that these demos have little to do with political personalities; that these demos are about a government that needs to address the plight of the people. The top leadership of this regime can rise beyond the politics of who is right and who is wrong by being responsive to the demonstrators.
Police these demonstrators to a peaceful assembly, listen to them, and act. It will be the noblest thing a responsive government can do. The brutalisation of demonstrators is narrowing the window of any amicable pathway to a solution. Soon, the citizenry will usurp the powers to shape national discourse and the political class will be relegated to spectator ions.
