No Action, Talk Only.

It is simply not enough to express outrage at the outrageous suggestion that The Hague Six should not be on the first plane to The Hague as soon as the ICC decides to permit their prosecution. It is simply not enough to sit idly by as the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of co-conspirators continue to live lives of comfort while hundreds of thousands languish in squalid camps. It is simply not good enough to watch in despair as millions starve to death while we enjoy our fries and chicken at the local Kenchick fry-up. Kenyans must stop talking and start acting.

Three years ago, Kenyans were murdered in their homes, taken from their beds and set upon by mobs instigated by politicians. The 'spontaneous' rejection of the ECK results of the 2007 elections were anything but spontaneous. Reports documented the meetings that were convened to plan and execute a plan to kill thousands in the name of political score-settling. A year ago, the Kenya Meteorological Department predicted that the La Nina Phenomenon would cause drought in several parts of the country, hitting hardest the arid and semi-arid lands, leading to food and water shortages. These challenges were forecast and the government promised that this time, no one would die. That promise has not been kept and Kenyans are dying of starvation, schools have been closed and millions, perhaps billions, in shillings have been lost due to crop failure and livestock deaths. And still, President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga and their entire Cabinet continue to operate as if the only thing in our minds and in the nation's calendar are the 2012 general elections.

In 2008, the Government of Kenya and the Orange Democratic Movement Party signed an accord to end the stalemate the threatened to stall every single government initiative unless a political compromise could be reached. As a result, Kenya was treated to the rare sight of political opponents smiling for the cameras and shaking hands, promising to put the past behind them. The coalition government decided to whitewash the crimes that were committed in 2007 and 2008, allowing thousands of suspects in the violence to go free. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans were herded into refugee camps as the government promised a quick resolution of their plight. Thousands found their way to the homes of well-wishers and family members, leaving their properties and livelihoods behind in the hope of a better tomorrow. Tomorrow is here and they are yet to rebuild their lives. Meanwhile, the same coalition that promised them some measure of justice is doing everything in its power to wriggle out of its commitment, refusing to set aside monies for their compensation and refusing to reform the administration of justice system to try those who committed horrific crimes against them.

In 2006 and 2007, hundreds of Kenyans starved to death on the back of a debilitating drought. The government then and the coalition government 2 years later promised that such a situation would not come to pass. This tie round the government was forewarned. It assured the citizenry that it had put in place measures to ensure that Kenyans would be offered succour. As in 2008, it seems that there are individuals, in and out of government, determined to make a killing, literally, from the misfortune wrought by the current drought. When a few of them in 2008 made billions from the supply of relief food, none was ever brought to book. They stalk the land today like Colossi, knowing that their billions will save them from the attentions of the State, or an angry populace. The same fiasco that led to hundreds of deaths in 2007 and 2008 is being replayed anew. They say that history repeats itself - first as farce and then as tragedy. This time round, it is not funny.

In all this, the people of Kenya have been persuaded that politics is a shameful exercise, to be engaged in only by the 'political elite' of this country. This is a lie that must be laid to rest if the people of this country are to live in peace and with dignity. It s a terrible thing for a man to beg for his life, yet that is what we are asking the thousands that live in refugee camps and the millions facing death by starvation to do. In the meantime, we are spending tens of millions flying off to distant capitals to lobby the governments of the world to defer the trial of a measly six men for the alleged crimes they committed in the name of the State or the interests of a politician. We are held in thrall by calls to our sovereignty and independence, when we are incapable of moving bags of maize and tankers of water from one location to another. 'We the people' are standing idly by as the government acts in 'our national interest'.

But we have a way out of this morass of moral decrepitude that has been visited upon this nation. It is called The Vote. We must exercise it judiciously and zealously. However,it is not enough to just vote; we must participate fully in the process or else it will be like whistling in the wind. In Kenya, as in the rest of the world, politics is the process by which we negotiate among ourselves regarding matters that affect us all. Politics, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. Politicians on the other hand, are either good or bad and Kenya seems to have picked its politicians from the bottom of deep, dark, smelly and fecund barrel. Our politicians make the armed robberies constantly being executed by forces of law and order look like choir-boys. To send them packing, and to prevent others like them from ascending to the seats of power, it is time we jettisoned our apathy and joined political parties in droves. 

The political party is the only vehicle with which we can choose who our next crop of leaders will be. It is our only salvation. Our politicians are like what the colonialists described our late founding president: leaders unto death and darkness! To get rid of them, we must join political parties and choose only those men and women who will listen to our cries of despair and offer us an opportunity to better ourselves and improve the nation. No longer shall the political party be a closed shop, open only to the well-connected and well-heeled. It is our only forum for expressing the anguish and shame. If we ignore it due to some misconceived notion of the shame that is associated with it, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. The future will be filled with even more horrific crimes and the spectre of millions more starving to death.