Quest for nationhood: Raila book maps out Kenya future

It is often assumed that Kenyans know their society and their country. But when it comes to political and economic knowledge of our society, we are often very badly off.

In many cases, we are told by friends and the media what they feel we ought to know and think, and we accept this as the gospel truth.

Not everything we hear is wrong, but never was there a time when it was more important for us to keep an open mind, to ask critical questions and to seek objective answers, without bias from preconceived notions. This book by Raila Odinga, a leading Kenyan politician and reformer, is written with an open mind to seek answers to and shed light on what has been happening in Kenya, politically, socially and economically, since independence, and to suggest a better way forward.

The national anthem we sang as the Union Jack was lowered by the Duke of Edinburgh and our National Flag was raised by Jomo Kenyatta at midnight on December 12, 1963, was an anthem of faith in ourselves and commitment to our collective future in a society that desired justice, peace, unity, liberty and prosperity, everywhere within our borders.

What happened to that dream? The dream is not lost. It is only deferred — thanks, as Raila points out, to those who have consistently struggled to recapture that old hope and optimism, and to build a democratic, just, fair and prosperous society.

He and others have worked for many years to liberate the people of Kenya from the yoke of political oppression, economic exploitation and social marginalisation. In farms, work-places, professional offices and even prisons, seeds of hope have always been sown and re-sown by patriotic Kenyans who believe that a better Kenya is possible: the Kenya we deserve.

But this book is not about Raila per se or about any individual. It is about lost opportunities, and about the solutions Raila suggests will steady us as we regain our footing and reset ourselves on the path to prosperity.

CONSTITUTION ADDRESSED THESE ISSUES

The 2010 Constitution finally addressed these issues and laid down broad principles for law-making that would ensure equitable development, social justice, respect for human and people’s rights, the rule of law and devolved government. Yet even with our new Constitution, things are not going well. Raila goes deeper to analyse what historically has been ailing our society, and where intervention is needed even under the new Constitution for universal life-enhancement.

He presents persuasive examples of other countries that have developed much faster than we have, and why this has been so. Even some of our peers in Africa are overtaking us, despite the fact that we had a good head start.

Raila points out that, besides making the right economic choices in terms of trade and investments (which Kenya has not always done), these choices must be made on the solid bedrock of a society that is politically more equitable, just and inclusive, and these attributes can come only from good governance. The point is effectively made and well-illustrated. Amilcar Cabral, the revolutionary who sacrificed his life for the liberation of Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, once said: “Revolutionaries don’t fight to liberate their societies because of the good and noble ideas they have in their heads. They do so to change the lives of the ordinary people for the better.”

I remember the dark days of the Moi regime, when we used to meet clandestinely for hours, analysing the situation in Kenya and what we could do about it. This book offers some answers to those still pertinent questions, analysing why we are where we are today, where we ought to be, and the road we need to travel to build the Kenya we deserve.

One point Raila makes is that the new Constitution is not the alpha and omega for solving all our political, social and economic problems. No Constitution can do that, because any Constitution is only as good as its implementation.

Our colonial-inspired independence Constitution was basically a document of convenience for the hand-over of power from the colonials to Kenyans. It was never approved by the Kenyan people — only by some of our leaders in London, who knew that they would alter it as soon as they could. And so it happened.

Based on the colonial system of control and repression, that early Constitution was radically changed many times over the ensuing years — not to improve it but to increase the power of the presidency and authoritarian rule. And it is this that has been at the centre of our political and economic woes.

As I have said, any Constitution is only as good as its implementation. And unfortunately, we have seen this limitation in action since 2013, as the President has sought to sign into law Bills passed by the National Assembly but not debated in the Senate — in total contravention of the Constitution but typical of previous imperial presidents, who cared little about Constitutions and law and order when they were defending their own interests.

At talks during the making of the new Constitution, Kenyans unanimously declared this ‘imperial presidency’ the “enemy of the people”.

Raila makes a strong case, with carefully thought-out and clearly presented reasoning, for a parliamentary, rather than a presidential, system of government. He outlines why this would be a far better choice in upholding, implementing and securing the principles of good governance under our progressive Constitution.

His argument is compelling in persuading that this is a very serious consideration if we are ever to change the despair-ridden repetition of our country’s history.

Once again, his argument is not made dogmatically. He illustrates it with diverse historical examples, all of which shed greater light on the issue and put it into clear perspective.

This book is published just before the August 2017 general election in Kenya, in which Raila is the presidential candidate for the National Super Alliance (Nasa) coalition of several political parties.

The book’s content clearly demonstrates that the candidate is focused not merely on achieving State power but more importantly on what he and his administration can do with that power to turn Kenya’s fortunes round.