Is It Possible to Break The Cycle of The Kikuyu-Kalenjin Recurring leadership?
What the Issue really is:
Kenya is a multi-ethnic country, home to over 40 ethnic groups, probably the reason for rampant occurances many overlapping conflicts. You just overlook the Republic's high levels of sexual and G.B.V. cases, intercommunal violence, increasing numbers of terrorist attacks and the cycles of election-related violence. It is alarming that according to recorded research reports, the incidence and intensity of violence have all increased in recent years.
And in light of the beaconing of the coming 2022 elections, things are getting even hotter.
On social online communal forums such Twitter, the rising temperatures are evident, with the Kalenjins and Kikuyus ethnics groups put in the controversial lime light.
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By the look of things, the apparent damnation of the Jubilee pact could most likely spark renewed fighting between the Kikuyu and the Kalenjin.
It is unforgetable that Rift Valley, is the region with a history of nasty land disputes between these two groups. The Kenyan territory, once known to be the biggest of the 8 Provinces before devolution, was the fateful site of the unnerving worst ethnic fighting memorable today. This was between the Kalenjin and the Kikuyu. Yet more than a decade later the animosity still seems to linger as justice has never been clearly served as it ought to have. It is apparent that many of Kenyan IDP's, still seem to face difficulties resettling. The rift may have been calmed, but sure enough not healed, by the coalition between Kenyatta and Ruto.
The situation is dire and victims describing the prevailing scenario as “negative peace.” But with the loaming end of the fragile alliance, a return to the hostilities of 2007 are speculated and even more so if Ruto should lose the 2022 election. A research report by International Crisis Group blames this to,
“Failure by the Kikuyu side of the Jubilee coalition to endorse Ruto in 2022 almost inevitably would trigger major instability in the Rift Valley.”
Without overlooking the weight of this issue, another possibly worse problem seems to project amoung Kenyan patriots. Opinions shared on social media voice that Kenyans are even less impressed with the cycle of having the Kikuyus and Kalenjins being the only ethinc groups ending up running the country. It is retrospectively said that the Kenyan president is percived to enjoy a great deal of executive power, which seems to make the elections a 'zero-sum' game where an ethnic group must win. While Kenya’s 2010 constitutional reforms attempted to address this, they seem to have only been partially successful, with the current president being accussed to be just another “imperialist”. But in as much as additional reforms, forged by the BBI—initiated by Uhuru's regime, proposing yet another constitutional reforms plot--could probably allow creation of a more inclusive projected government as well as downplay the powerful executive docket and, possibly thus, significantly lower the stakes of national elections; Ruto has often critized most of the cited proposal, claiming his Jubilee allies may derail the efforts of the reform task. In addition to these political stalemate, considering the, socio-economic and political, fatal blow served the COVID19 pandemic; it seems it could be difficult to hold a referendum prior to the 2022 election.
Which begs the question,..
"What happens to the BBI promises of aiding in reducing, if not somehow completely doing away with inter-ethnic animosity over the election outcome?"
Dear reader what do you think will happen, what should we do? Please leave your comments below.
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