<.. got a long way to go..>
We all get excited or anxious when we
have to experience a first of some nature. It wasn’t any different at all on
this particular day for me; as an act of patriotism I prepared myself for the
day to decide a part of my future , the leadership of this country. Against all
odds that most of us encountered on that particular day we braved our way to
the ballot box and one by one each vote was cast.
If there’s one thing that really
amazed me, it was the passion exhibited by Kenyans during the whole process despite
its complexity: the large numbers that turned out to participate in the process
reflected it all! The same applied to the number of candidates vying for
different positions across the country leaving us with tough choices to make.
The day was done and as expected it
was time sit back relax and wait for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries
Commission (IEBC) to announce the results. Some spent sleepless nights keeping
vigil, analyzing, reporting and recording. We waited so patiently filled with
so much anxiety and uncertainty going by the occurrences of the previous
elections. We longed for normalcy; it was like for a moment everything was at a
stand still! The date we all had been waiting for finally presented itself,
with both parties hoping their respective candidates had won the coveted
position after months of serious campaigning. The president elect was
announced…finally.
I would like to commend Kenyans for
the fact that we chose to conduct ourselves in a more civilized manner and with
no blood sheds after the elections.
I write this with a heavy heart
though, seems like we got the definition of peace all wrong! The results were
announced and as some were busy celebrating, others were hurting deep inside. It
is just normal for humanity to celebrate over victory and cringe or get
heartbroken over the lack of it.
We all wished our preferred candidates
would win; otherwise we wouldn’t have wasted our time queuing to go cast our
votes. We have received and shared peace messages with one another, but without
peace within our inner selves. These elections acted as an eye opener; I have
witnessed a different side of humanity I have never seen before, it only took a
few minutes and our hearts were overwhelmed by the wave of tribalism and resentment
towards each other. Humanity against humanity, tribe against tribe has been the
order of the day on social media; friendships have been compromised in the
process. Is it really worth it?
As we feel good about ourselves for
proving to the rest of the world at how peaceful we are; think twice we are not
at peace at all! Prove me wrong, most if not all at this hour have logged in to
the social media waiting for an opportunity to attack at the slightest
provocation.
It is so nerve wracking to browse
through the social networks and the atmosphere is filled with so much
bitterness and insults. It’s just dawned on us that the fight against tribalism
and regional discrimination in Kenya is far from over. It’s like what we are
witnessing is something that had been enclosed within our hearts and minds for
so long waiting for the opportune time to be unleashed.
That said; I thank the Almighty for
the opportunity to participate and experience how it feels like to be a voter.
I take it as a learning experience; I have learnt quite a lot but unfortunately
decided it’s going to be my first and probably the last; I’ve got my
reservations.
I am watching my country from a
distance, as the events unfold with the hope that every sacrifice made by it’s
people will count as for now the vision is blurred so much confusion in the
air.
A few lessons I got from this:
v Never
to involve my emotions into matters politics; only my brain.
v Politics
isn’t for the faint hearted, if you can’t handle it quit!
v Always
be prepared for any outcome, things don‘t always seem as they are.
v Be
ready and willing to embrace the opposing side when the situation calls for it,
it’s never that serious after all!
v After
all has been said and done, life has to go on.
That’s it..! Have a fun-filled week!
Written by: Dorcas Waringa
12th March, 2013
