It isn't personal

It's not personal. Honest!

Public discourse in Kenya is frequently coloured by ad hominem attacks, allegations of fifth-column conflicts of interest, tribal biases and good old fashioned personal vendettas. I have my pet peeves: the thin-skinned overreactions of the Law Society's honchos is prominent among them as is the refusal in certain quarters to accept that I have a identity that is impossible to pigeon-hole. On this blog I am also guilty of all that I accuse others of, perhaps even worse, but I believe that I have been even-handed, setting out my stall, as it were, without reacting to criticism as if the criticism is directed at me personally and not against my weak ideas. I don't take it personally when someone disagrees robustly with that which I propose; this is the price one pays for advancing an argument in the public domain.

I am not as astute a student of Kenya's politics as some of the public commentators I admire, but I have noticed a tendency to overreact to any insinuation against leading political figures. Take the reaction to the David Ndii assertion that Uhuru Kenyatta's government's investments in infrastructure are yet to translate into real GDP growth. Those who believe in the President's vision have not taken Mr Ndii's argument as honest criticism but have variously alleged that Mr Ndii has a personal animus against the President and that he must be in the pay of someone, perhaps even an outside power. Despite Mr Ndii's credentials as a world-renown economist, the more passionate members of Mr Kenyatta's fan base are unwilling to accept that Mr Ndii's assessments of the economy are based on his technical qualifications and not his personal biases.

I happen to agree mostly with Mr Ndii, but only because I am attracted to his fact-based analysis of things. Many Kenyans agree with him too, though some agree with him because it reinforces their personal animus against Uhuru Kenyatta. I have nothing against Uhuru Kenyatta. He is my president and until he leaves office, I will not take up with those who would wish to make his job impossible to execute. If I can contribute to his successes, I will do so willingly, because his successes will inevitably be our successes. I believe he was validly elected and I have no truck with those who keep hankering after proof that Mr Kenyatta rigged himself to power. In my assessment, Mr Kenyatta out-strategised the opposition and emerged the undisputed winner.

That, however, does not mean that he is infallible and he would, in my estimation, benefit greatly from contrarian voices like Mr Ndii's when it comes to public investment and the general direction of the economy. We must take to heart that not all criticism of Mr Kenyatta's policies is personal; some of it is genuinely made to assist Mr Kenyatta in adjusting his sails to the prevailing winds so that the ship of state avoids rough seas and instead enjoys clear horizons and fair skies. It is for Mr Kenyatta, and his passionate supporters, to separate the chaff of the personal attack from the wheat of the genuine criticism, for in making the distinction we may yet forge a better nation.

Rather than take all criticism as the constant whingeing of the cantankerous and morose, unhappy with everything the President has done or has promised to do, it would help to address the criticism of the President with an open mind. That would require robust, fact-based responses, and would better inform the President of the true state of his government. I will not make the ludicrous assertion that the President's ardent supporters are sycophants; they too must not equally assert that Mr Kenyatta's critics are in the pay of a foreign power or something equally ludicrous.