Building a frame of reference for the next phase of political struggle in Kenya.

Let me begin by acknowledging that on one hand there is the way we have been doing things (the reality), and on the other hand there is how we should be doing things (the ideal/optimal state) and somewhere, there is how we could do things (the disruption state).

Let me talk to the disruption state. For once, we need to frame our politics around an ideology and stick to it. Looking across the continent the what’s coming up in places like Uganda or South Africa, it’s about economic freedom and people power – the ability of people to determine their destiny and not be sold to economic slavery and servitude. Of course, this is at the very conceptual level, and perhaps only a 10% of our “learned” part of society and those “political commentators” on TV would understand it at this level. Which brings me to the next level, the tactical level – tact.

At the tactical level, we need to organize the biggest political pyramid scheme of our time. The 10% that buys into the conceptual ideology is currently part of groups like Kivutha Kibwana for President 2022 and has access to about 10 influential persons who they hang out, worship, do business, or belong to a professional association together or are members of amorphous interests such as Subaru forester Kenya, Suzuki lovers or Mercedes. Unions, like churches, have been the perfect places to organize political ideology – workers rights, tax etc.

So if you are here, grab another 10 pax of your Subaru or Suzuki loving friends, and recruit them to the movement, then let’s begin political education where every Subaru or arsenal loving person is responsible for another 10 pax outside of their fraternity – those that have been made to believe the system as it works. The people that are often swayed by the vitendawili and Sarakasi, those that go to vote while we nurse our Jameson hangover. The Bible and constitution is read for them and interpreted to them in one sentence, which they can use to fight every possible situation they encounter. Shetani ashindwe.

On the other hand, we need like 5 points of tackle for this narrative – Basically creating counter-narratives that demonize popular narratives that have shaped our politics today – tribalism, corruption, integrity, service delivery as a political favour. Dismantling the way things have been done before – from tribal politics to electoral manipulation, to the state of apathy, to the continued existence of tribal kingpins and even the lack of active participation in budgeting at the county level as was earlier highlighted. We have 2 years do to this.

Of course, we can borrow and learn from facts and tacts of the past, and improve upon them, while aligning ourselves to thought leadership at the Africa continent level – including what has just happened in Malawi.

 I share this poster here to show the disruption is cooking on the Uganda side where young intellectuals are rising up to dictatorship, by all means necessary. In Tanzania as well, I see #MaembeVitali a seasoned “artivist” rising up to political power.

If you are on Netflix, watch incorruptible, a film made in Senegal, and how a youth movement prevented Wade from extending his term, even when he had annexed the entire religious community as part of the machinery.

KK will not do all the work, he might lack the charisma but we can build it ourselves, it’s us who desire the change and it is us who will do the walking, and we will be walking against money that is currently earning fixed deposit interest, money that will be utilized to buy the artists to sing songs such as webe, tosha, unbwogable.

Bottom line, KK has just provided a symbol that easily unifies our struggles and shared desires for better governance and that’s why we are here and trying to work together, but it’s us to put in the work and walk the talk.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. #AfroLiberation